The only great temple in Tanjore, an architectural wonder of the world!

Just start a discussion to learn about an architectural wonder of the world. You will be immediately informed about the Great Temple built in Tanjore, South India.

UNESCO has declared this temple as one of the important world heritage sites in 2004.

The temple was built by the great king Raja Raja Cholan. The Tamilnadu was ruled by three great dynasties, namely the Pandyas, Cholas, and Cheras.

Raja Raja Cholan, who ruled the Chola Land, built this temple between 1003 and 1009 AD. The great king Raja Raja Cholan was a great warrior. His real name was Arulmozhivarman. He was given the title of Raja Rajan, which means King of Kings.

Each stone in the temple will tell a great story by itself. The sanctuary tower has 13 levels built from granite to a staggering 212 feet tall.

The top most octagonal piece of stone is made of various stones. One would wonder how such a beautiful and heavy stone lodged on top. What was the technique used? Nobody knows. An inclined ramp could have been used. This ramp, considering the height of the tower, could have been started from a distant place.

The cubic destination at the top weighs 80 tons. Above this, a 12-high kalasam is installed. The four-sided Vimana ends in a square at the top that measures 26 feet by 26 feet.

Four Nandis, which means the Bulls are installed in all four corners.

The Lord is called Brahadeeswara. The main Lingam is 13 feet high. It is planned to perform 108 poses of Bharatanatyam on the way around the Vimana. But only 87 poses have been completed.

The main Nandi is very big. Made from a single stone, this Nandi is 19.5 feet long, 8.5 feet wide, and 12 feet high. This was added later by the Nayak kings in the 16th century.

The shadow of the Vimana temple would not fall to the ground.

The living monument of this great temple for 1000 years attracts thousands of visitors.

Scientists, engineers, researchers, worshipers visit this temple for various reasons.

Archaeological Survey of India took control of the temple from 1946.

It should be noted that the Great Temple withstood earthquakes and foreign invasions.

Bharatha Natyam dancers used to gather here and put on a spectacular show.

The usual renovation called mahakumbabhishekam was carried out by King Maratha Serfoji II in 1803. After 177 years, in 1980, the renovation was carried out again. In 1997 one more renovation was carried out.

In 2010, to commemorate the 1000th year of the temple’s anniversary, the State Government celebrated it by inviting 1000 dancers from all over the country.

Needless to say, you must mark it as a must-see architectural marvel and spiritual sanctuary if you plan to visit this part of the country. After all, seeing is believing