Brihadeeswarar Temple
Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India
VerifiedDocumented history
- Deities
- Brihadeeswarar (Shiva)
- Traditions
- shaiva
- Worship status
- active
- Coordinates
- 10.7828, 79.1318
- Darshan hours
- Varies by temple and season; consult the temple's own trust/devasthanam for the current daily schedule before visiting.
- Best time to visit
- October to March; the temple's Maha Shivaratri and the Thanjavur Chola-era Vasanta festivals draw large crowds.
- How to reach
- Thanjavur has a railway station and is well connected by road from Trichy (nearest major airport, ~55 km).
- Festivals
- Maha Shivaratri (February/March)
Location
Open in Google MapsBuilt by the Chola emperor Rajaraja I between 1003 and 1010 CE, the Brihadeeswarar Temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (inscribed 1987 as part of the Great Living Chola Temples, extended 2004) and one of the great achievements of Dravidian temple architecture. Its 16-storey vimanam (tower) rises 63.4 metres (208 ft) and is capped by a single monolithic granite block of roughly 80 tons, topped by a further 25-ton octagonal cupola. Extensive Tamil inscriptions on its walls record the temple’s original endowments, administration, and the era’s dance and music traditions in unusually precise historical detail.
Sources
- historical record: Chola-era construction (c. 1010 CE) and administration are documented in situ via extensive temple wall inscriptions; UNESCO World Heritage inscription (1987).
- historical record: Cross-checked against Wikipedia's account of Brihadisvara Temple, accessed during verification pass: confirms construction by Rajaraja I between 1003-1010 CE, UNESCO inscription in 1987 (as part of the Great Living Chola Temples, extended 2004), a vimana height of 63.4 metres (208 ft) with 16 storeys, and a monolithic granite capstone of about 80 tons topped by a 25-ton octagonal cupola.