RS. 5 – UNC – ONE THOUSAND YEARS OF BRIHADEESWARAR TEMPLE

MATERIAL CODE :FGCO000090

The Brihadeeshwara temple is where the religion, dance, music, sculptures, inscriptions, frescoes, bronzes, aesthetics, art, devotion and engineering and so on came together. Having faced disastrous invasions and plunder it still stands tall to spectacle the enviable engineering skills of the Cholas who put up structures that were built to last ad infinitum.

The temple also known as Rajarajeswaram or The Big Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Bulit on the South bank of Cauvery River in Thanjavur, TamilNadu, India by Raja Raja Chola I between1003 and 1010 AD. It is classified as Perunkoil (also called Madakkoil) built based on the axial and symmetrical geometry rules. The original monuments of this 11th-century temple were built around a moat. It included gopura, the main temple, its massive tower, inscriptions, frescoes, and sculptures predominantly related to Shaivism. Built out of granite, the vimana tower above the shrine is one of the tallest in South India. The interior of the sanctum sanctorum hosts an image of the primary deity, Shiva, in the form of a huge stone linga. The Nandi (bull) facing the mukh-mandapam weighs about 25 tonnes. The image of Nandi is a monolithic one and is one of the largest in the country. Its layout, vimana, garbhagruha, gopura, symbolism, iconography, vaastu and its canons of architecture and rituals, marvels of engineering of the mighty Cholas are studied extensively, celebrated and carried to its posterity.

The temple is a part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site and described the Brihadeeshwara temple as ‘The great Living Chola Temple’. The Government of India released the commemorative coin to mark ONE THOUSAND YEARS OF BRIHADEESWARAR TEMPLE