Images of India - 143

A glimpse of heritage monument of India in black and white. Check other posts that will give you more details about this monument.

Sculptures at Brihadeeshwar Temple at Gangaikondcholapuram 

Poetry in Stone - 18

This is eighteenth in the series on the rich cultural heritage of temples in India. The ancient temples are richly carved and they behold ones attention for their craftsmanship. Most of these temples have carvings of Lord Ganesh in various forms. Each of these sculptures are marvel stone in their own right.

Here is the huge sculpture of Lord Ganesh within the complex of the 12th century Hoysaleswara Temple at Halebid in Karnataka. The crown is a true masterpiece.

Above carving is on the pillar inside the 8th century  Hazar Ram Temple of World Heritage Site Hampi in Karnataka. 

First one is on the external walls of Airavateswarar Temple at Darasuram. Second one is 12th century sculpture of Lord Ganesha at ASI Museum, Shimoga. Third one is at the Brihadeeshwarar Temple at Gangaikondacholapuram.

There are many more such beautiful carvings, we will explore some other time.

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Images of India - 24

A glimpse of heritage monument of India in black and white. Check other posts that will give you more details about this monument.

Brihadeeshwar Temple at Gangaikondcholapuram in Tamil Nadu

Lion Well, Gangaikondacholapuram

Around the Brihadeeswara Temple of Gangaikondacholapuram there are many shrines and structures which are built around the same time as the main temple  in 1020-1029. One of them is Lion well. 

The well in the temple premises is considered a sacred place and water from this was used for all the activities at the temple. The interesting aspect is entrance to the well is through a Lion sculpture which is close to the well. A flight of steps takes one to the bottom of the well.

Poerty in Stone - 15

This is fifteenth in the series on the rich cultural heritage of ancient temples in India. Today we will see sculptures on the external walls or pillars of the temple.

The Brihadeswara Temple of Gangaikondacholapuram built in 1020-1029 AD has magnificent carvings on their external walls. One of the sculpture shown above is the true masterpiece. Here Lord Shiva seated on a throne with Uma Parameswari by his side. Lord in his four arms carries axe and antelope in his upper arms; towards the bottom the Lord is seen crowning Chandesa with a garland of flowers. Chandesa is none other than King Rajendra Chola is the embodiment of devotion and piety and the place he attained is considered the highest, a devotee of Siva is privileged with. 

The Airavateswarar Temple at Darasuram, which abounds in architectural and rare sculptural specimens of workmanship. Here is one of the walls of the temple which is beautifully carved.

The Ranganathswamy Temple at Srirangam is beautifully done. The Kalayanmantap with pillars with warriors is exceptionally carved.

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Amman Shrine, Gangaikondacholapuram

Around the Brihadeeswara Temple of Gangaikondacholapuram there are many shrines which are built around the same time as the main temple  in 1020-1029. One of them is Amman Shrine. 

A closer look at the temple tower showcases exceptional craftsmanship. One can also see the Nandi being carved at each corner of the tower.

The exterior of the temple is beautifully carved with various sculptures of Hindu God and Goddess.

Here Nataraja in the middle and Ganesh have been carved beautifully.

Poetry in Stone - 13

This is thirteenth in the series on the rich cultural heritage of ancient temples in India.  They are richly carved and they behold ones attention for their craftsmanship. Some of these temples have carvings of Goddess Lakshmi in various forms. Each of these sculptures are marvel stone in their own right.

In the Brihadeeshwara Temple at Gangaikondacholapuram on the exterior walls there is a magnificent larger than life sculpture of Lakshmi. On the Lotus flower in the sitting posture with 4 hands every minute details have been beautifully carved.

In the Kailasha Temple at Ellora, there is a beautiful sculpture of Lakshmi surrounded by elephants. Here she is known as Gajalakshmi.

There are many more such sculptures of the Goddess in the various temples decorating the exterior walls. Here we see some of those sculptures. First one is at Brihadeshwar Temple at Tanjore. The second one again the larger than life sculpture is at Kailasha Temple, Ellora. The third one is at Srirangapattana Temple where Laksmi is sitting at the feet of Vishnu. I shall feature more such sculptures as I discover them. 

Poetry in Stone - 10

This is tenth in the series on the rich cultural heritage of ancient temples in India. Today we will see sculptures on the external walls or pillars of the temple. In Gwalior at Gwalior Fort, the 9th century Teli Ka Mandir has some nice carvings at the entrance of the temple. They are distorted now, but they could have been wonderful when intact.


The 16th century Veerabadhra Temple of Lepakshi has excellent carvings. The pillars of the temple are beautifully carved. Some of the pillars have musicians playing musical instruments carved on them.


The Brihadeswara Temple of Gangaikondacholapuram built in 1020-1029 AD has magnificent carvings on their external walls. There are carvings of various forms of Lord on the external surface of the temple. We will see two of these sculptures here. First one is that of Lord Harihara.


The second one is that of Ardhanareeshwar, i.e., half form is of male and other half is female.


The left half is Lord Shiva and the right half is Goddess Parvati. This can be clearly seen from the face, body and dress.


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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.

Gangaikonda Cholapuram

After the tour of Thanjavur city, we drove to the ancient city of Gangaikonda Cholapuram which is at a distance of 61 kms. The Chola Dynasty ruler Rajendra Chola-I founded this city sometime between 1012-1044 A.D to commemorate his victory over the Pala Dynasty.

Today it is a small village, and the glorious past of the city is remembered by the existence of the great Shiva Temple. This city was constructed for the administrative and strategic purposes. In those days, it was an extensive city, carefully planned and laid to suit the needs of a capital.

In the early 11th century, they built the huge Brihadeswara Temple which is architecture marvel.