Thursday, March 8, 2012

Brihadeeswarar Temple, Gangaikondacholapuram

The Brihadeswara Temple which is constructed in 1020-1029 AD is the main attraction at Gangaikondacholapuram. The temple complex built by King Rajendra Chola occupied 6 acres of land. This temple is called the second Brihadeswara Temple and is known as the Gangaikkondacholeswara Temple.

This temple was constructed as an attempt to build a temple, which excels in architectural splendor than the Big Temple at
Thanjavur. Built using hard southern granite stone has beautiful carvings all around the temple and some of them are very unique and masterpieces.The temple showcases gracefulness and elegance of the Pallava and the earlier Chola empires.

The main temple consists of a sanctum tower, a big rectangular mandapa called the mahamandapa with an intervening vestibule called mukhamandapa. The tower is 180 feet tall and consists of eight stages and is carved intricately. This temple of Lord Shiva is built in such a way that the interiors of the temple always maintained in almost pleasant temperature condition. Irrespective of the seasonal changes the temperature inside the temple is always
optimal.

The guardians carved on either side of the entrance of the temple are very huge. This can be seen from the image above.
The Nandhi constructed using bricks and lime that is facing the Brihadisvara is 15 feet in length, 8 feet breadth and 11 feet in height. There is also a well in the temple complex for which entrance is trough the lion sculpture. There are also many sub-shrines in the temple complex.

There are many sub shrines around the temple. They are: Amman shrine, Chandigeswarar shrine, Mahisasuramardhini shrine, Ganapathy shrine.

47 comments:

Al said...

That is an imposing temple, very nice shots.

abhinavr said...

Great Temple. It is really an architectural excellence !

Teamgsquare said...

Wonderful ....

R Niranjan Das said...

eautiful temple and a ice post.

www.rajniranjandas.blogpot.com

Travel France Online said...

I am glad you ask children to sit in from of the statue so we can have a better idea of its proportions! It is huge! An other outstanding temple!

Lowell said...

How many temples are there in India? And how did people build this stuff so long ago without access to modern machinery and computers? The artistry is exquisite! Thanks for placing your boys in the one photo as that helps us gain a sense of scale!

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Beautiful Rajesh. Have you ever given any history of the people who built these beautiful temples? (I mean the actual artisans who worked on them. How many people worked on them? How they were trained?)

Pat said...

I am so fascinated by these temples. When in India, I wanted to spend hours there, and sometimes did, but it was not enough.

Carver said...

That's a beautiful temple and a lovely sky behind it.

Carletta said...

The temple is definitely an architectural masterpiece.
Thanks for sharing it's unique beauty.

Unknown said...

You have posted many breathtaking temples, this is just more so,if that is possible. Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.

Tatjana Parkacheva said...

This is one of the most beautiful temples.
Beautiful photo, too.

Regards and best wishes

Sylvia K said...

What a gorgeous temple and the perfect skies for a back drop, Rajesh! Terrific captures for the day! Hope you and your family have a wonderful weekend!

Sylvia

Karen said...

That's an impressive temple!

Chubskulit Rose said...

That's huge and beautiful!

Skyshot, have a great weekend ahead.

Anonymous said...

nice temple view beautifully captured...

thanks for info also

Ebie said...

The artistry and craftsmanship is superb!

Melbourne Australia Photos said...

Fantastic photos of this awe-inspiring temple, Rajesh!
Enjoy your weekend!

Anonymous said...

Such gorgeous architecture!

Leovi said...

I love these photos with excellent frames of the Temple Brihadeswara, beautiful.

Zuzana said...

This is absolutely magnificent and such a special structure.;) Love the image with your children;)
Have a great weekend,
xoxo

eileeninmd said...

Great shot of the temple . The standing guards and the lion sculpture are my favorites. Have a great weekend!

Gattina said...

What a beautiful architecture ! but the name is impossible to pronounce, lol !

Magia da Inês said...

É impressionante a quantidade de detalhes artísticos, as esculturas são preciosas...
Bom fim de semana!
Beijinhos.
Brasil
¸.•°`♥✿⊱╮
°`♥✿

Unknown said...

Awesome! Great composition at the bottom.

Kim, USA said...

Every time I see temple like this I always wonder how the people built it. It's very beautiful!

SWF

eden said...

Impressive temple. Great shots.

Jeevan said...

Interesting description on the temple! Wonderful capture... It’s a must visit on my list.

Thomas Lee/Lee Lip Pang said...

A magnifiiently build temple.

Cassie said...

Ganglai.... yikes that is a long name!! Wonderful photos Raj. Happy SSS.

Kelly said...

Just think of all the time and workmanship that goes into the construction of a treasure like this! It's beautiful!

Full-On-Forward said...

Stunning as always!

John

Anonymous said...

Elegance indeed! Beautiful.

genie said...

The sculptures at the entrance at gigantic. Seeing the people seated there really lets you see for huge they are. This is one amazing temple. It makes me think of a very ornate pyramid. A wonderful capture. genie

Chubby Chieque said...

Great shots, as always.

I love the pix with 2 kiddos.

Hope you have a great w/end.

Greetings,
/chie

Gemma Wiseman said...

Such splendid detail in the towering temple! Especially love the frozen action pose of the guardian! An intriguing post!

Rajesh said...

Thank you all for appreciating this architectural masterpiece. Yes, it is a wonder how they were able to built such temples without the aid of modern technology.

Pat said...

This is a very impressive building. It's amazing what people could build a thousand years ago without any power tools!

Costin Comba said...

Beautiful pictures, beautiful country. I am invite you to subscribe to my "Life in Pictures" meme. Have a nice week. Greetings from Romania.

Magical Mystical Teacher said...

The children sitting under Lord Shiva seem to be blissfully content.

Shadowy Reflections

Libby said...

I am glad that I found your blog - it is like traveling to India!!

Meoww said...

Such a marvelous structure! One of my favs

TTT said...

i found the pic where the two lil ones are sitting under the huge sculpture very cute :)

Anonymous said...

beautiful clicks -awesomeee :) :)

Panchali said...

amazing architecture and great shots, Rajesh.:)

neeraj said...

You have a really good travelogue, Rajesh. Keep up the good work.

Rajesh said...

Thank you all for appreciating this beautiful temple.