The Great Living Chola temples and their stories etched in stone

Chidambaram and Thanjavur were always on my travel wish list. But then I chanced upon a photograph of Kumbhakonam. The temple town cast its spell on me and promptly put itself on the list. My husband though, wasn’t exactly convinced about my enthusiasm for Chola age temples, considering that temples closer home were not always the places I chose to visit. But, his apprehensions lasted only till we set our eyes on the magnificent ‘Great Living Chola Temples’. 

The three temples in this circuit – the Brihadeswara temple in Thanjavur; the temple in Gangaikonda Cholapuram, also dedicated to Brihadeswara; and the Airavateswara temple in Darasuram – are on the Unesco World Heritage Sites list. Tourists flock to marvel at the structures but so do the believers since religious rituals are all followed in these temples dating back to 11th and 12 centuries. 

Kumbhakonam – the temple city

After a stopover at the enticing Pondicherry and praying to Lord Chidambaranatha, we headed to Kumbhakonam. This little town in Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu has over 60 temples. There isn’t a street here that you would walk down and not find a temple though it’s the Navagraha temples – the temples dedicated to the nine planets – that have the most visitors. The driver of the autorickshaw we hired from the bus stand offered to take us to all the important temples in the vicinity. We considered the distances between the sites we hoped to visit and settled for a taxi-cum-guided tour that our hotel offered to arrange. 

Gangaikonda Cholapuram

The place is about 35 kilometers away from Kumbhakonam.  We could see the towering ‘gopuram’ of the temple from quite far. Spread over a sprawling 6 acres, the temple gate is your entry point to a time warp. The nearly thousand years long existence has altered little about this glory in stone. 

Rajendra Chola 1, son of Rajaraja Chola 1 who turned the Chola Kingdom into a mighty empire, built the temple in 11th century AD. A worthy successor to his illustrious father, he expanded the northern frontiers of the kingdom further up till the Gangetic plains, earning himself the sobriquet, ‘Gangaikonda Cholan’. Yet another lore has it that when the King came back from his Gangetic expedition, he brought golden pots filled with water from the holy river which was poured into a pond here giving it the name Gangaikonda Cholapuram. Rajendra 1 shifted the capital from Thanjavur to the temple city which retained the status for the next 250 years. 

Rajendra Chola modeled the temple on the Thanjavur Brihadeswara temple built by his father. From the architectural perspective, the temple is built to be the feminine equivalent of the Thanjavur temple. At 55 ft, the gopuram at Gangaikonda Cholapuram stands five ft shorter than that of the Thanjavur temple. But the sizes of the Shivalinga and Nandikesa statue make up for it – the 13.5 ft Shivalinga is a foot taller than its Thanjavur counterpart and one of largest in any Shiva temple. The statue of Nandikesa is built in limestone at Gangaikonda Cholapuram whereas the Thanjavur temple has one carved in stone. 

The temple premises are well-maintained with neatly-trimmed lawns carpeting the sprawling grounds. Ruins of outer fortifications and smaller shrines could be seen around the temple. The stone relief outside the temple has inscriptions in old Tamil script. Some of the visitors were seen trying to decipher the medieval Tamil writing.

‘Simhamukha’ – a lion head carved in stone – doubles as a gateway on one side of the temple. There is a well adjacent to the entrance. According to the lore, King Banasura who ruled this region wished to take a dip in the holy river, Ganga. He prayed to Goddess Ganga and his austerities were rewarded when the water in the well was infused with her grace. 

Airavateswara Temple

The temple is around 4 km away from Kumbhakonam. Shiva is worshipped here as Airavateswara – savior of Airavata, Indra’s white elephant. Cursed by sage Durvavasa, Aiaravata once lost its white color. The elephant came to the temple at Darasura and prayed to Lord Shiva who restored its unique skin color and the deity was since worshipped here as Airavateswara. 

The mukhapamandapa of the temple - the pillared pavilion at the doorway- is shaped like a chariot. Ornate stone carvings of huge wheels and horses drawing the chariot decorate the mandapa. 

The day had turned scorching hot by the time we reached the temple around 10 am. But we soon discovered that inside the temple the temperature dipped considerably. The cool interior of the stone structure is in stark contrast to the weather outside. The ornately sculpted 100-pillar mandapa here is a sight to behold. Each pillar sports a carving different from the rest. 

The temple was built between 1160-1162 AD during the reign of Rajaraja Chola 11. He had shifted the capital from Gangaikonda Cholapuram to this region which was known as Rajarajapuram. 

The green lawns and shady trees on the temple premises offer a respite from the hot sun. Some local residents invited us to take a look at the Kumbhakonam handloom sarees; in fact, they approach every visitor who enters the temple. 

We accompanied one of these men to the looms after finishing the tour of the temple. He led us to a street lined with houses on either side. We stopped in front of one and parted the curtains that hung at the front door. A woman sat on the floor working the handloom. She looked as if she was expecting visitors - we gathered that tourists who visited the temple were often led to this weavers’ street. She showed us how the border is designed on each saree; we had seen handloom weaving before, but this was a first. The almirah behind her had beautiful sarees which she unfolded for us. We picked two and bid adieu to the city of Airavateswara. 

Thanjavur Brihadeswara Temple

Nicknamed the Big Temple, Thanjavur Brihadeswara Temple is an architectural masterpiece that combines beauty and precision. The ambitious Rajaraja Chola 1 had this splendor in stone built over six years and 275 days. The construction was completed in 1010 AD. 

The makudam (a bulbous finial on the temple tower) on the gopuram (the ornate monumental tower at the entrance ) is positioned in such a way that its shadow will not fall on the ground. The eight-ton stone is believed to have been mounted on the gopuram after it was rolled atop along a specially made ramp.

Stone carvings in the temple depict 81 of the 108 karanas in Bharatanatyam (the basic movements). The space for the rest of the karanas are earmarked, perhaps for future craftsmen. In 2010, a grand show was arranged at the temple – Bharatanatyam Rajarajeswaram-1000, where renowned dancer Padma Subramanyam led a team of 1000 dancers who performed to the Brihadeswara stuti composed by Karuvoor Thevar, a contemporary of Rajendra Chola 1. 

The Great Living Chola Temples exemplify a legacy to be proud of. More than pilgrimage spots, these places should be on the itinerary of any serious traveler. Thanks to the Archeological Survey of India, the monuments are preserved in all their glory.  

Also read: An eight-hour drive from Chennai to Puducherry