We traveled to Thanjavur during the 2021 year end holidays to visit the Great Living Chola Temples, a group of temples declared as UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Great Living Chola Temples were built by kings of the Chola Empire, which stretched over all of south India and the neighbouring islands. The group includes three great 11th- and 12th-century temples:
- Brihadeeswarar Temple at Thanjavur (1010)
- Brihadisvara Temple at Gangaikonda Cholapuram (1035)
- Airavatesvara Temple at Darasuram (1126)
These temples, dedicated to Lord Shiva, testify to the brilliant achievements of the Cholas in architecture, sculpture, painting, and bronze casting.
We visited all these temples in day (sunrise to sunset). As we’re staying in Thanjavur, we started with Brihadeeswarar temple.
First stop: Brihadeeswarar temple, Thanjavur
The Brihadeeswarar Temple, locally known as Thanjai Big Temple or Thanjai Periya Kovil, is dedicated to Lord Shiva.
It is located in South bank of Cauvery river in Thanjavur. The temple was built by the Chola king Raja Raja Chola I between 1003 and 1010 AD.
This temple complex includes a massive colonnaded prakara with sub-shrines and two gopuras. The sanctum itself occupies the center of the rear half of the rectangular court.
The vimana (main tower) soars to a height of 66 meters (216 ft) over the ground. The sanctum houses a massive Shiva Linga and there is a circumambulatory path all around the sanctum.
The walls of the inner sanctum are covered with expansive and exquisite mural paintings. There are 81 poses of Baharatanatya carved on the second level.
There is a huge Nandi in the courtyard, facing the sanctum.
We reached the temple while it was still dark. Entered the main temple, had darshan of the Lord, and stepped out. We could see the horizon glowing in orange-yellow. We waited there, and soon could see the sun peeking out from behind the coconut trees.
We went behind the main tower to capture the Brihadeeswara temple basking in the glory of the rising sun.
We spent about an hour time with in this complex. As we had an early start, we were feeling hungry. Time to visit our favorite restaurant in Thanjavur, Ariya Bhavan, opposite bus stand. After a scrumptious breakfast, we headed to our next destination.
Second stop: Airavateswara temple, Darasuram
Airavatesvara temple is located at Darasuram, a small town in Kumbakonam, 36 kms the Brihadeeswara temple in Thanjavur. This temple was built by Raja Raja Chola II in 1166. We reached this place by 11 am, the weather was sunny and hot.
At the entrance, behind the Nandi is the balipeetham (place for sacrifices), with a flight of seven steps. Each of the steps produce a musical note, when one walks or steps on them. Because of this sound producing property, they are called the “musical steps” or “singing steps”. The balipeetham is now barricaded to prevent damage to the steps.
The temple looks like a chariot. The temple has two sun dials, depicted as the wheels of the chariot. Shiva’s consort Parvathi has a dedicated shrine called the Periya Nayaki Amman temple. The temple sanctum is a square structure with each side measuring 12-metre (39 ft), have thick walls on which the vimana (main tower) rises to a height of 24 m (79 ft).
The maha mantapa (main hall) is a rectangle of about 24 metres (79 ft) by 18 metres (59 ft), with six rows of eight pillars (48 in total). These pillars have intricate carvings.
Towards the east of the maha-mantapa is the agra-mandapa also called the Rajagambhiran-tiru-mandapam, named after the king. This hall is shaped like a chariot, provided with stone horses and wheels.
After spending some good time appreciating the intricate carvings, we headed to Kumbakonam for lunch. After a great lunch, we did some shopping in the market area and proceeded to our next destination.
Third stop: Brihadisvara Temple, Gangaikonda Cholapuram
Brihadisvara Temple, Gangaikonda Cholapuram is at a distance of 40 kms from Airavatesvar temple. This temple was build by Rajendra Chola I in 1035 after he made Gangaikonda Cholapuram the new capital of the Chola kingdom.
We reached here around 4 pm, sun was still shining bright. We took some rest on the grass lawns around the temple. We quickly had darshan of the Lord and started exploring the temple from outside.
This temple is similar in design, and has a similar name, as the older 11th century, Brihadeeswarar Temple in Thanjavur. The temple is famed for its bronze sculptures, artwork on its walls, the depiction of Nandi and the scale of its tower.
The square sanctum contains 4 m (13 ft) Shiva linga. There is a huge Nandi in the courtyard, facing the sanctum.
The vimana (main tower) is 55 m (180 ft) high, which is 3 m (9.8 ft) smaller than the Thanjavur Temple.
By the time we finished exploring the temple, the sun was slowly inching down the horizon, behind the coconut trees, providing the perfect backdrop for a photo.
Perfect end to our visit to the three Great Living Chola Temples.
Location
Brihadeeswarar temple, Thanjavur: https://goo.gl/maps/8qmehdaT5MiMxW8x5
Airavatesvara temple, Darasuram: https://goo.gl/maps/TPiDjYJtkHZKrCy37
Brihadeesvara temple, Gangaikonda Cholapuram: https://goo.gl/maps/yuXNcWaxWy9P32qb9
Quick tips
- All three Great Living Chola Temples can be visited in one day. You can start at either Gangaikonda Cholapuram or Thanjavur. We started at Thanjavur.
- Total distance between all the temples is 80 kms. After visiting all three temples, you can return to your starting point or proceed further depending on your trip plans. We went to Chidambaram.
- You don’t have to pay entry fees at any of these temples. If you are traveling by car, you need to pay parking fees.
- Traveling by road (car or bus) is the convenient way to travel between these places. We drove our car to these places. If you are flying, Trichy is the nearest airport. You can hire a car from Trichy and visit these temples starting from Thanjavur.
- Thanjavur is a big city, you can find many options for food, stay, and shopping. Darasuram is a small town, but Kumbakonam, which is 5 kms away, provides many options. Gangaikonda Cholapuram is a small village with limited options for food. However the Chidambaram highway, which is 6 kms form the temple, has multiple options.
- These places have tropical climate. Best time to visit is between October and February.