Heritage
Perfect, stately
and tall
If ever a temple
was built to make a statement, this is it. The magnificence of the
Rajarajeswaram temple, named after Raja Raja Chola in Tanjavur, has
remained undiminished over the centuries, says USHA KRIS
‘The Big Temple’ is the colloquial name
for it. In Tanjavur, everyone calls it by that name as it really is
so big and majestic. ‘Brihadeswara’, meaning the Ruler of the
Universe is another name. The original name was “Rajarajeswaramâ€,
named after one of the greatest peace loving kings - Raja Raja Chola
who had Tanjavur as his capital. He is said to have built this
temple a thousand years ago in a record time of just twelve
years.
The temple, an imposing 55-metre high structure stands
in perfection, stately and tall, on a large base that contains the
shadow within it in the summer months, surrounded by a moat. The cap
on the Vimanam, a befitting decoration for the temple, is a single
stone weighing 80 tons. They built a ramp seven miles long to pull
it up to that height and install it. Visiting the temple every year
I have become familiar with the images of Siva, sculpted on the wall
of the prahara; Dakshinamurthy, calm and composed sitting cross
legged; Nataraja performing his cosmic dance; Lingothbhava with Siva
in the pillar of fire defying Brahma and Vishnu; and Siva in various
poses of Triuranthathaka carved out in the second tier.
The
bust of a man of foreign origin, bowler hat and all, is on the
northern side of the Vimanam along with the other figures, showing
awareness of a world far away. On the West side, in a deftly carved
section of stone you can pass a needle through the bored section. A
separate little shrine stands for the doctor ‘guru’ who took care of
those involved in the building of the temple, going to show that not
a thought or consideration was overlooked by Raja Raja, or King of
Kings.
The vast grounds maintained by the ASI are spotlessly
clean, and it has never been a popular temple for prayer as much as
a temple one ‘must see’. If a temple was built by a king to make a
statement, this is it.
At the age of 40, Rajaraja the
greatest of the great rulers of all time came to the throne of the
Chola Empire. It was but a small one under the rule of the
inconsequential Uttama Chola, his nephew. Soon Chola mandala spread
from the upper reaches of the Cauvery - the life giving river of the
South, to the Southern sections of the Tamarabharani river. He
crossed the Indian Ocean to Sri Lanka, which then became a part of
his empire. His famous fleet of ships reached the shores of Bali,
Sumatra, Indonesia and Bangkok, where traces of Hinduism still
linger in their dance forms and temples. Thus it was at the pinnacle
of his rule that he built this temple to Siva. No invading army has
wrecked or defaced it. A magnificent 30 foot lingam stands in
gigantic proportion to the Vimanam.
Anybody would wish
to stand where the priest stands and look up and see the tapering
Vimanan seeming to reach the heavens. Going up the steps leading to
the floors of the Vimanam one can find the two walls that form the
base of the vimanam painted with mythological stories that tell of
Siva’s greatness. With just enough space to stand with my tripod,
and my neck craning at an awkward angle to glimpse the scenes in
front of me, I wonder how the artists managed to paint the many
scenes that cover the wall from floor to the
ceiling.
Early in the nineteen thirties, when S K
Govindaswamy former history professor at Annamalai University, in an
attempt to preserve the later Nayak paintings from the water
seepage, went into the opening of the vestibules, he discovered the
Chola paintings underneath.
Over a thousand temples have been
built during the Chola dynasty. Some of them are in ruins, while
others thrive with care and attention. Rajarajesvaram temple was
built during a time when large temple constructions were
simultaneously going on a revolutionary phase all over India. It was
during this time that the Kandarya Mahadeva temple at Khajuraho, the
Lingaraja temple at Bhuvaneswar, and the Sun temple at Modera were
built.
For hundreds of years, so many travellers must have
come to Tanjavur to see this tallest building ever at
Rajarajesvaram, while they went from Kanyakumari to the northern
reaches of Kailash on pilgrimages. I feel fortunate to be standing
on the same spot, with the magnificence of the temple undiminished
or unmatched over the centuries.
Yet, today, it hardly gets
the attention it deserves. Is it because it is too far South and
history books and the tourism industry have not cared to draw
everyone’s attention to it?
Why is there no mention of
this, asked our friend from the United States. Widely travelled, he
stood beside us arrested by the perfection of the majestic temple
that towered above us.
Usha Kris is a leading
photographer. She has won the Bharat Nirman award for Artistic
Photography. She can be contacted at:
ukrishnaswamy@hotmail.com
Temples and hills
Tamil Nadu, a perfect mix of history, heritage
and enchanting landscape, is changing with the times, yet
retaining its charm and grandeur
In
Chennai there is the Siva Temple of Kapaleeswara, the church
of Little Mount in St Thomas Mount, the Varadaraja Temple, the
Kamakshi Temple and the Kailasanatha
Temple.
Tiruchirappalli is dominated by an
enormous boulder-hillock, the Rock Fort Temple. The rock
formation here is believed to be older than the Himalayan
Range by a million years. There is Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple
at Srirangam. The seaport of Mahabalipuram with its
magnificent monolithic ratha-shrines and the famed Shore
Temple. Around little cottages dotted around Kanchipuram, are
woven the radiant world famous kancheepuram silk saris of
myriad rich colours, noted for their shine, finish and lustre.
In Thanjavur is the Brahadeeswara Temple.
The Raja Raja
Chola Museum holds the finest collection of South Indian
bronzes in the world. Chidambaram is known for Bharatanatyam.
Pichavaram is over 3000 acres of dense mangroves. Velankanni
is known for its Basilica Church of Our Lady of Health. The
sprawling temple of Rameswaram is noted for its India's
longest temple corridor lined with impressive carved pillars.
Few cities in the world can claim a tradition as old as
Madurai. Often referred to as 'Athens of the East', it is laid
out in the banks of river Vaigai. Kodaikanal, is the high
getaway retreat. Here one must also visit the Vivekananda Rock
and Saint Thiruvalluvar’s memorial.
Jungle Trails
start from Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary, Nilgiris to Ooty the
wildlife trails include Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary,
Mukkurthi National Park, Kalakkad and Mundanthurai Wildlife
Sanctuaries, Point Calimere Wildlife Sanctuary, Vedanthangal
Bird Sanctuary and Marine Bio-sphere off Gulf of Mannar near
Rameswaram to name a few.
Tamil Nadu Tourism Week was celebrated from
December 1 to 7 at India Tourism,
Church
Street ,
Bangalore
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