Thanjavur (தஞ்சாவூர்)

After visiting Kodumbalur temples and Paluvettaraiyars, I went to the Sabarimala Ayyappan Temple, a long break which was inevitable. After the visit I started writing on my journey is towards Thanjavur.          I intend to write briefly on the temples and places i visited so that i can write on my main topic,the Rise and fall of Chola from my point of view.However at times i can’t help myself going beyond the plan as the historical sites need indept description and there is no short cuts.

Since Ponniyin Selvan novel was made into a movie, it is visible that the interest of all Tamil people to know about the Cholas has increased. I think interest disorder is more appropriate than interest. Everyone who has seen the movie Ponniyin Selvan gives different opinions.Many started writing and talking on Cholas, distorting historical data with imagination.

For example one says that  Rajaraja Chola was killed by his son Rajendra Chola who threw him off the temple tower. Another says that Rajaraja Cholan was not a Hindu at all. Going a step further, another says that Kundavai converted to Islam.
Thus the complete knowledge of the history of the Cholas by a few intellectuals who talk about it causes anger and laughter.

I have seen Ponniyin Selvan, Part 1 & 2, the film has distorted not only the Novel facts but also the historical facts on Cholas.Seem it was taken not for love of Tamil or Cholas, but purely for Commercial reasons.It is real sad they use the name of Cholas for making money and had nothing to bring the greatness of Cholas to the front.The battles in this movie are inferior to the real wars at that time.Raja Raja cholan had some 40000 war elephants and almost 900000 soldiers.Even the true flag of Cholas, the Tiger was also changed in the movie to please other state audience.

Because the Cholas had continuosly ransacked Chalukya state of Karnataka till the end of their rule. The Chalukyas could never defeat the Cholas and remained a thorn for Cholas to the end as well

 Now let’s take a quick look at the Tanjore Great Temple , the museum we found there and the artworks there. Just look at the photos on this page and you will know. The thrill of seeing it in person alone is so awe-inspiring.

As I said in the previous post, the museum there is not that easy to find. It is located in a mine-like structure. From the outside, the museum looks like a resting area for those out of work and just lazy to work. My heart was troubled when I saw the plight of that treasure.There is no proper directions to the museum which is undergrounds.A passer by guided us to the place.

So I’m going to quickly look at such vexing stuff and move on to my main focus, the life and fall of the Cholas. In today’s time, we can see new myths about Arayan Rajaraja Cholan being unleashed on the internet every day.

On the one hand, newspapers are also writing about the path that Vandiyadeva had taken. It can be accepted that Vandiyadeva was a very strong , intelligent and great warrior, but it is difficult for historians to accept the depiction of him as a commander who gathered large armies.

Arunmozhi Bhattan , a Brahmin , gathered forces and invaded the northern country and won the war . But since Vandiyadeva was featured in Ponni’s Selvan novel, everyone started talking about him being the main character. Looking at the historical fact, Vandiyadeva is only a character and nowhere is it mentioned that he was the primary army commander of the Cholas.

The surprising thing about this is that there is a big fight going on in the social media that the Pandyas have been portrayed badly in this film. This alone is enough to understand that the Tamils have been separated since the beginning. This is proof that unity is very lacking in Tamil from the earliest period till today.

Well let’s go back to our page. In the following posts, we will briefly look at our Tanjore Great Temple and then look at my main objective, the life and fall of the Cholas. That is my main goal , that is the path I have to take , that is my ambition.

I have informed you that I have accepted writer Balakumaran as my spiritual guru. Even though it is a fictional story, he has thoroughly researched and written 95% truth about it in the novel Wodeyar and Gangaikonda Cholan.Using him as a guide i plan to write the truth only after detail research and proper evidence. I will travel quickly through my journey in future posts.