The sculpture of Brihadeswara Temple at Thanjavur or Tanjore is one of the finest examples of
Chola art and architecture. This South Indian Shiva temple has been built with the help of granite. The temple consists of
garbhagriha, ardhamandapa, mahamandapa and mukhamandapa. The entire complex is protected by an enclosed wall. This wall has been decorated with low two-storeyed cloistered structure. These structures are also known as the `prakara.` At an elevated level the temple comprises the adhishthana, bhumi (wall), prastara (entablature) that includes talas, griva (neck), shikara and is topped by a kalasha.
There are three gopurams that mark the gateway of the Brihadeswara Temple at Thanjavur. These gopurams have their names: the Rajarajan-tiruvasal (the innermost gopuram), Keralantakan-tiruvasal (the middle gopuram) and the outermost one. These gateways, too, are built of the hard granite. While the inner and the middle gopurams were built with the temple, the outer one dates back to the Maratha period. The first two gateways have been intricately carved. The sculpted figures of Hindu deities adorn the walls of these massive structures. Some of the images that are found on the Rajarajan-tiruvasal are the marriage of Lord Shiva and goddess Parvati, Arjuna winning the `pasupata` weapon and the Lord Shiva sheltering Markandeya. It is interesting to note that all these events are related to
Shaivism.
The vimana of this temple is 60.96 m high and stands on a plinth that measures 45.72 metre square. None other Dravidian temple in India has such a high vimana as Brihadeswara Temple. Further the `adhishthana` has inscriptions running all around it. The niches of the `bhumi` portion have been adorned with sculpted figures of gods and goddesses. These deities comprise Durga, Shiva and Vishnu. While the upper nooks have been filled with these figurines the lower ones have been decorated with the well carved images of
Lord Ganesha, Lord Vishnu with
Sridevi and Bhudevi,
Godddess Lakshmi, Vishnuanugraha-murti, Bhikshatana, Virabhadra, Dakshina-murti, Kalantaka and Natesa. However on the western side of the shrine the niches house Harihara, Ardhanarisvara and two Chandrasekharas. Other sculptures that beautify the temple walls are the images of Ardhanarisvara, Gangadhara, Virabhadra, Alingana-Chandrasekhara, Saraswati, Mahishamardini, Ganesha, Vrishavahana, Bhikshatana, Narasimha, Varaha and Bhairava. The Hindu mythological tales come alive on the stone walls of Brihadeswara Temple.
The primary deity, a Shiva linga, is placed in the sanctum. Apart from this the `pradakshinapata` or the circumambulatory passage also consists of three massive sculptures of
Lord Shiva. Paintings have also been handsomely used to decorate the temple walls. Besides these the upper ambulatory shows lord Shiva in various dance postures. There are several subsidiary shrines that are located within the temple complex. One of these shrines is the Chandikeswara temple that is located to the north of the garbhagriha. A Nandi shrine is also to be found here but it was probably a later addition made by the Nayaks in the 16th century A.D.
The Brihadeswara Temple at Thanjavur symbolises the summit of the Dravidian sculpture and architecture in its purest form: meticulous ideas and impeccable execution of the carved figures. Besides, the sculpture of Brihadeswara Temple also embodies the finest traditions of Tamil culture in the field of art and architecture.
