A living wonder
The Brihadeeshwara Temple at Tanjavur is the showstopper of this exhibition . Nothing new for this 1000-year-old beauty, which has the distinction of having the tallest Vimana
Raja Raja Chola I would be a happy man if he was alive today. Perudvudaiyar (rule: 985 AD to 1014 AD), as the king was called, credited with expanding the Chola Dynasty, was also a patron of arts and music. So when he called his master architect to build the Brihadeeshwara Temple, he had a simple request befitting his status. Build a Shiva temple in granite with the tallest Vimana (structure on top of the sanctum sanctorum or the garbagriha) ever. And Rajarajan Perunpacchan , the architect, would have had no option but to oblige. The Brihadeeshwara Temple at Tanjavur remains, till date, the temple with the tallest Vimana ever built. Measuring 60 metres in height, this Vimana remains an architectural wonder that has stood the test of time.
The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA ) has come up with a once-in-a blue moon kind of exhibition titled Brihadeeshwara: The Monument and the Living Tradition that showcases about 20 years of research done by archeologists and historians. Spearheaded by Dr R Nagaswamy, the highly respected historian, archeologist, epigraphist (who is an expert in studying inscriptions) and author, this show gives an almost 3D perspective of the various aspects of the temple through pictures, notes and films. As historian Dr Chitra Madhavan says, the extensive documentation is worthy of a temple that has been recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage site. “Besides, this temple has many notable features, be it iconography, murals, sculptures or the meticulously detailed inscriptions,” says Dr Madhavan.
If you were to go to the Brihadeeshwara temple in the coming days (or even years), you wouldn’t be able to access some of the features as they are restricted to only researchers, archeologists and historians who go there to do serious study. What makes this temple so special? We find out.
Murals Then there are the fascinating murals of three separate periods. The fresco-styled murals from the Chola period are housed within the Vimana. “There is a narrow passage going all around the Shiva linga,” Dr Madhavan points out. It is here that the murals were painted in the Chola period in a technique similar to the frescos of the Ajanta Caves in Maharashtra. Rich colour pigments were painted on the wet surface to create unfading scenes of the Chola period. But then, graffiti marred these murals. In the 17th century AD, during the Nayak period, scenes were painted on top of the murals.
There is an interesting anecdote dating from the 1950s when a professor of history, SK Govindaswamy, noticed accidentally that there were two layers of paintings on the walls. After some frenzied consultations with experts, it was decided to expose the Chola period murals. But the 17th century paintings were important as well. “Calling them graffiti is subjective,” notes Dr Madhavan. And so, the Architectural Survey of India (ASI) decided to remove the Nayak paintings without damaging them and displaying them at the temple’s museum. An extremely slow process, this method of restoration is still in progress. Slowly but surely the richness of two dynasties are coming to the forefront. The last style of murals are the ones from the Maratha period (18th century) that shows British soldiers in the panels. These are found within the temple in different places.
Karanas While most know of the iconic Natya Shastra written by the sage Bharata (3 AD), not many know that he had written about 108 Karanas (choreography movements). While sculptures are found in Indian temples depicting a few of the karanas, it is in this temple where all the 108 karanas are displayed in the chronological order. Found on the first floor of the Vimana above the murals, there is a mystery here. Eighty one sculptures of Shiva doing the karanas are carved in full magnificence. Twenty seven blocks of granite are kept in positions but not carved. Why were they incomplete? This remains an unanswered question. Noted danseuse Dr Padma Subrahmanyam, who has researched extensively about the karanas at the temple, felt it was fitting to have 1,000 dancers dance during the 1,000th year anniversary celebration in 2010. Those who witnessed the performance still remember the glory of the event. IGNCA has deciphered the karanas in detail, explaining the significance of the sculptures.
Inscriptions Normally, the general lament is that there is very little documentation for structures even about a hundred years old. Not at this temple. About 100 inscriptions have been photographed, some of which have been displayed at the show. But even for the Tamil literate, it is a challenge to read them for the inscriptions are in a script relevant to the Chola period. But when deciphered, the Chola period under the reign of Raja Raja Chola I comes to life. The wars fought, the battles won or lost, everything is written on the outer walls of the main structure. But the specifics are interesting. That there were 400 temple dancers whose names and salaries are etched for posterity. That the king sponsored 66 metal sculptures along with the details of each and every idol. Only one or two remain in worship, the rest including that of the king are missing. “There would be hype no doubt, but there was no untruth told,” says Dr Mahadevan.
As viewers of the travelling exhibition are awestruck by the display of photographs and nuggets of information, even here the showstopper is the wooden replication of the Shiva linga.
Brihadeeshwara: The Monument and the Living Tradition, Till June 21 at Venkatappa Art Gallery
The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (
If you were to go to the Brihadeeshwara temple in the coming days (or even years), you wouldn’t be able to access some of the features as they are restricted to only researchers, archeologists and historians who go there to do serious study. What makes this temple so special? We find out.
Architecture No mention of the structure can begin without a focus on the thing that is noticeable for kilometres -- the Vimana. There isn’t any other temple with such a tall Vimana, say historians. Not only is it the tallest, it is also hollow, an architectural wonder. “Just imagine,” says Dr Madhavan, “over one lakh tonnes of granite ferried from 30 km away, using man and elephant power, was used to create such an exquisite structure. The knowledge and expertise, be it geological, architectural or engineering, was superlative. The decision to make the Vimana hollow is testimony to the superior techniques.” The IGNCA has painstakingly recreated the architectural drawings of the temple, including of the outer structures, the garbagriha and the Siva linga as well.
Murals Then there are the fascinating murals of three separate periods. The fresco-styled murals from the Chola period are housed within the Vimana. “There is a narrow passage going all around the Shiva linga,” Dr Madhavan points out. It is here that the murals were painted in the Chola period in a technique similar to the frescos of the Ajanta Caves in Maharashtra. Rich colour pigments were painted on the wet surface to create unfading scenes of the Chola period. But then, graffiti marred these murals. In the 17th century AD, during the Nayak period, scenes were painted on top of the murals.
There is an interesting anecdote dating from the 1950s when a professor of history, SK Govindaswamy, noticed accidentally that there were two layers of paintings on the walls. After some frenzied consultations with experts, it was decided to expose the Chola period murals. But the 17th century paintings were important as well. “Calling them graffiti is subjective,” notes Dr Madhavan. And so, the Architectural Survey of India (ASI) decided to remove the Nayak paintings without damaging them and displaying them at the temple’s museum. An extremely slow process, this method of restoration is still in progress. Slowly but surely the richness of two dynasties are coming to the forefront. The last style of murals are the ones from the Maratha period (18th century) that shows British soldiers in the panels. These are found within the temple in different places.
Karanas While most know of the iconic Natya Shastra written by the sage Bharata (3 AD), not many know that he had written about 108 Karanas (choreography movements). While sculptures are found in Indian temples depicting a few of the karanas, it is in this temple where all the 108 karanas are displayed in the chronological order. Found on the first floor of the Vimana above the murals, there is a mystery here. Eighty one sculptures of Shiva doing the karanas are carved in full magnificence. Twenty seven blocks of granite are kept in positions but not carved. Why were they incomplete? This remains an unanswered question. Noted danseuse Dr Padma Subrahmanyam, who has researched extensively about the karanas at the temple, felt it was fitting to have 1,000 dancers dance during the 1,000th year anniversary celebration in 2010. Those who witnessed the performance still remember the glory of the event. IGNCA has deciphered the karanas in detail, explaining the significance of the sculptures.
Inscriptions Normally, the general lament is that there is very little documentation for structures even about a hundred years old. Not at this temple. About 100 inscriptions have been photographed, some of which have been displayed at the show. But even for the Tamil literate, it is a challenge to read them for the inscriptions are in a script relevant to the Chola period. But when deciphered, the Chola period under the reign of Raja Raja Chola I comes to life. The wars fought, the battles won or lost, everything is written on the outer walls of the main structure. But the specifics are interesting. That there were 400 temple dancers whose names and salaries are etched for posterity. That the king sponsored 66 metal sculptures along with the details of each and every idol. Only one or two remain in worship, the rest including that of the king are missing. “There would be hype no doubt, but there was no untruth told,” says Dr Mahadevan.
As viewers of the travelling exhibition are awestruck by the display of photographs and nuggets of information, even here the showstopper is the wooden replication of the Shiva linga.
Brihadeeshwara: The Monument and the Living Tradition, Till June 21 at Venkatappa Art Gallery
