We have seen earlier about the temples built by Paluvettarais. After a very long break We will continue to see the data about Thanjavur big temple research in the coming posts.
We both reached Thanjavur that night. The temple was a engineering and cultural Marvel at the beauty of the huge temple that stood there We started walking towards it.As we walked towards the temple, we could feel some kind of attraction towards the temple. During the night the temple was brightly lit by lights.
During the period of Raja Raja Chola the houses around this temple would most likely been much smaller. Thus, this temple would have been visible from a long distance from the temple. I hear it was the tallest structure in India at that time. It still stands tall bearing the true heroic history and antiquity of the Tamils of that time, their unique talent and their sacrifice.
If we take the temples in Tamil Nadu Tanjore Big Temple, it has survived many invasions and earthquakes and has survived to this day. This is the main temple of Tamilnadu with special distinction even today.
I went around this very special temple in silence once. My thoughts went back a thousand years. My absence from the lives of the Tamils of that time was a great longing….how great those people were, excelling in military,Engineering,Social,Art and Cultural fields.
How majestic would the Cholas have been during that period ? How would you manage and lead so many powerful creatives ? How could they have built this great temple of Thanjai Peruvudayar that will not be destroyed by time? While I am happy to think of the past, when I think of the current political situation in Tamil Nadu, I feel sad that we have lost that golden age.
On the day of researching this great temple of Tanjore , I dreamed that I was standing outside the fort as one of the crowd watching the temple in Construction some 1000years ago. Everywhere you see the sound of chisels of sculptors , the sound of rolling huge stones , the roar of elephants and the bustle of soldiers. Suddenly the doorbell rang and I woke up to current time.
What have historians written before ? It is said that this Tanjore Peruvudayar temple was built by using the warriors who lost in the Cholas invasion.There is no evidence that that is true. It would have been a impossible task to guard thousands of soldiers while maintaining defence at the border.There is no hard evidence how Chola’s did the building,who the workers were.I am looking for inscription books related to this somewhere.
After dawn, I again went towards the Peruvudayar temple. As I worked my way in through the front tower the remaining wall of the wall caught my eye. Its height is small. But My guess is that this wall must have been huge before this. It may decrease over time. Or the rulers could have used the stones for something else.My guess is that when the temple was built so big, the walls must have been huge.
We entered the temple through a small tower called Keralanthan gate. The top of the tower is covered with beautiful sculptures.Every idol in that temple Each one is beautiful and each one has its own message.From the huge Dwarapalagar sculptures to the smaller sculptures, the temple is decorated very beautifully in that temple. Every sculpture in the temple is stunning.
For example, four women are standing naked under a tree. They have carved a very realistic and beautiful sculpture of a woman climbing a tree to get clothes from Karmeka Kannan on top of their clothes. Each and every one of those idols are shiny and elegant with every facial structure.
Statues of sages in meditation are also found here and there. The idols of every sage are in every guise.One is wearing a Rudraksha garland. One is in a state of contemplation. And one has a long beard. Each sage’s face has different facial structure. All those featured in it may have actually lived in that period. Because it seems that this idol was designed based on real models.
There is also an idol of Narasimha near them. The statue is set up in such a majestic way that it slays the rakshsha with great fury.
Next to that A beautiful Brahmin statue is very beautifully done. Everywhere you turn, the tower is filled with beautiful life like statues, from large to small.Sculptors of that time carved each idol’s hand and fingernails very finely.
Statues of dancing maidens surround the tower’s exterior and are carved small. Between these idols, the household creatures of that time carved idols like goats and cows and gave importance to them too as well.Each of the idols in this temple carries stories. Only those who carved it will know it well can explain it clearly. Understanding the story line need a historical or temple expert.I did not have patience for it this time, next round i plan to hire a guide to get these fine details.
There is a wall in front of the entrance tower. Looking at that wall, it seemed that it might have been built for the protection of this tower , or it might have decayed over time , or it might have been used for the construction of the temple.
On both sides of the wall there are small sculptures and idols of dancing maidens and many of their effigies.Inscriptions on both sides of the outer tower tell a lot of information. I would like to know the details of those inscriptions in detail next time.
We entered through the outer tower. The big “SHIVA” writing on top welcomed us. The great tower towering in the sky looked beautiful in the sunlight. It is said that this tower was once covered with gold. Over time It has lost some of its luster due to invasions.
At the center of this temple is the Peruvadayar Gopuram. Formerly a large statue of Nandi Devar and its mandapam have been erected. There are many paintings on its roof. These may have been done during the Nayaks who ruled later or during the Marathas.
At the top of the sanctum sanctorum of the temple is a Vimana made of a single stone weighing eighty tons. How they got it up there remains a mystery to this day. It was built in an excellent manner by the skilled engineers of that time.Some say this is not a single stonge and made of many parts.I need to do further study to confirm this.
If you look at the last row on the second page, there are Brahma statues with beards , Nandi statues , elephant statues and many more carvings. There is a sage in it with an Utraksha garland. Behind is the statue of Perumal. The gopuram is spectacular where beautiful carvings are located
Even after a thousand years it did not disintegrate at all. All its settings are very precise and garlands are necessary for each idol.The idols are life like and show great expressions of kindness and gentleness
For me all these sculptures are proof of what people were wearing during that period When looking at these sculptures, it is clear that they are wearing ornaments.
But we cannot findy many war weapons in these sculptures. The reason for that is not clear. Gods had their own usual weapons and certain items like Sanghu,chakram etc, but pictures resembling soliders or their weapons/war scenary is missing.
The current caretakers have spoiled its beauty by placing wires all around for fans and lights, spoiling the historical building.
An amazing thing is that after thousands of years, it has survived many invasions and earthquakes and has remained unchanged even today. It makes one wonder how the Tamils of that time lived with such technical knowledge. We will continue …