After visiting Pichavaram lake. we straightly went to Gangaikonda Cholapuram Templeby 3.30 pm and waited in the garden.While watch the surroundings,
The towering 180 feet tall Vimana seem to touch the sky announcing its existence in this otherwise dead capital. A majestic Nandi obstruct our gaze. A few gardeners are tending to the lawn while we soak in the ambience. Various forms of Shiva captured in different moods stand out in the artistic mosaic. A giant lion shaped sculpture called Simhakinar in the form of the Chola emblem stares at you.
Rajendra Chola Gangaikonda Cholapuram
Rajendra I, according to Tamil tradition, thereafter assumed the name of Gangaikonda Cholan, meaning the one who conquered the Ganges. He established Gangaikonda Cholapuram as his capital from the medieval Chola capital of Thanjavur, which would go on to become the capital for the next 250 years.
Ariyalur is best known for the Gangaikondacholisvarar temple in Gangaikondacholapuram, the biggest temple constructed during the reign of Rajendra–I in Ariyalur region. Following the conquest of the Gangetic plains in A.D. 1023 Rajendra–I built a great city called Gangaikondacholapauram and a Siva temple Gangaikondacholisvarar and a lake Chola Gangam in commemoration of his victory. The place, the temple and the lake (Chola Gangam) are the living embodiments of the heroism of the Tamils who unfurled the Chola‘s Tiger flag on the banks of the River Ganges. He also shifted his capital from Thanjavur to this newly built town. From his period to the end of the Chola family rule in A.D.1279 this city was the capital for the Chola Empire for a period of 256 years. The gigantic stone temple which he built in this place is rich repository of beautiful sculptures of middle Chola period. This city is celebrated in the literature of Muvar ula of Ottakuttar and Kalingattuparani of Jayankondar.
This temple is a living history of the Cholas in stone from the period of Rajendra-I and a beautiful gallery of Chola art and architecture. Many sculptures brought from Andhra, Karnataka and Bengal as war trophies are also preserved in the temple and in the nearby villages. Chandesura Anugraha Murthy and Sarasvathy are the most beautiful sculptures of the temple.
At present it is under the control of ASI and the HR&CE and recently the UNESCO declared the temple as one of the world heritage monument.
Ancient stone sculpture in the Shiva Temple in Gangaikonda Cholapuram, Tamil Nadu,India.The temple is one of the UNESCO world heritage sites.
Experts say this sculpture shows Rajendra Chola being crowned by Lord Shiva, instead of his father Raja Raja Cholan.
Gangaikonda Cholapuram temple is located at Ariyalur District in Tamil Nadu. The shrine is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The main sanctum sanctorum at the Gangaikonda Cholapuram Temple consists of huge Shivling. The height of the Shivling is thirteen feet (3.90 meters). It is believed to be the biggest in all the Shiva temples in South India. Shiva is worshipped here as Gangaikondacholishwara.
The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and he is worshipped here in the form of a lingam which is 18 feet wide and 13 feet tall. It is considered to be one of the largest lingams constructed in the country. The idol of the ‘Nandi’ is placed in such a way here that it reflects light into the sanctum. Interestingly, the flooring of the sanctum is made up of ‘Chandrakanta’ stone slabs which remain cool during the summer and warm during the winter months.
The temple itself is built along grand lines and rests on a raised platform. It has a courtyard that is 341 feet in height and 100 feet in width. The Gangaikonda Cholapuram temple has a concave outline divided into eight zones; this was deliberately done to make it appear smaller than the original temple in Thanjavur. The temple is also famous for its bronze sculptures, ancient inscriptions and paintings.
Elegant Vimana at Gangaikonda Cholapuram
The vimana of the Brihadeeswarar temple at Gangaikondacholapuram rises to a height of 182 feet (55 m) and is shorter than the Thanjavur tower but has a larger plinth. It is often described as the feminine counterpart of the Thanjavur temple.
Along with the Airavatesvara temple at Darasuram, the above-mentioned three temples form part of the Great Living Chola Temples that are part of the World Heritage Sites under UNESCO. All three temples share the same grandeur and marvellous architectural styles practised during the Chola dynastic rule. The Gangaikonda Cholapuram temple is located near the Kollidam River and within the fertile Cauvery River delta.
However, the form of this temple is different from that of the Big Temple at Thanjavur.
The main tower here at Gangaikondacholapuram is square at the bottom, octagonal in the middle, and circular at the top, thus simulating the form of the Shiva lingam.
The main deity of Gangaikondacholapuram is Brihadeeswarar in the form of a Shiva Lingam of 13.5 m tall. In local dialect and Tamizh, the deity of Lord Shiva is referred to as ‘Bragadeeswarar’ or ‘Brihadeeswarar’ meaning great Lord or Lord of the World. His consort is known as Periya Nayaki.
It is said that there is a rare gemstone of Chandrakantha/Moonstone that has been installed beneath the Shiva lingam at Gangaikondacholapuram temple. The Sanskrit name for moonstone is Chandrakantha mani (Chandra is one of the names for the moon, Kantha means light, and Mani means jewel).
What is Moonstone?
In India, from time immemorial, moonstone or the Chandrakanta mani has been regarded as sacred.It’s said that Chandrakantha mani grows under the influence of the moon and absorbs its magical powers. Indian tradition holds, that the stone itself symbolizes the third eye of Shiva.
The gem supposedly keeps the place cool in summers and warm in winters. And indeed, the interiors of the Gangai Konda Cholapuram temple were very cool when compared to the outside. This compels one to believe the moonstone theory!
Another interesting lore is of Chandrakantha mani being representative of feminine energy and Shiva lingam at Gangaikondacholapuram temple is supposed to be feminine in nature. I guess that explains the feminine hints in the architecture too. The Sanctum Sanctorum that always remains cool
Steps from the Northern Side
A specialty of both the Brihadeeswara temples (Thanjavur and Gangaikondacholapuram) is the dwarapalaka sculptures. On keen observation, you can find a giant snake syphoning a whole elephant alive, while the snake itself is being caught and controlled by the dwarapalaka’s foot.
at his supposedly portrays the
importance of the gatekeepers and the influence they wielded through their huge
built, and how they could have gone to any extent to protect the Lord who
resides inside the temple.
A whole city was believed to have been built around the temple, but as of today, all that remains standing is the temple itself surrounded by ruins of the two-century-old city. There is evidence of there once having been ‘Gopurams’ or gateways into the temple, but all that remains now are the two images of ‘Dwarapala’ or guardians. After Pattadakal, this is believed to be the second World Heritage Site that is so abandoned amidst ruins, with not even basic food facilities in sight.
His empire included the whole of southern India to the river Thungabathra in the north. For administrative and strategic purposes he built another capital and named it Gangaikondacholapuram.
The Gangaikondacholapuram temple he constructed consists of 3 stories and was surrounded by a huge fort-like wall, the outer wall largely destroyed during the English rule (1896) to reuse the building material (granite rocks) for constructing the Lower Anicut the dam built across river Kollidam. He built around 10 temples at various places.
Simhakeni(Lion-well) in Gangaikondacholapuram temple
Besides the regular shrines and sub shrines in this temple, there is an entrance inviting us with a lion head, upon entering, you go down the stairs, ending up in a pond, which was the swimming pool of the then Queen and Princess. But for those who look from the lion’s mouth, the pond is invisible. It also has a lion well where waters from the Ganga was poured.This excellent structure is called as Simhakeni(Lion-well). At present it was locked.
That aside, the temple is still a functional one with rituals being conducted four times a day. You can visit this mystical temple in Gangaikonda Cholapuram as its well connected by highways, railways with the nearest airport being in Trichy.
However, unlike other great Chola capital of Thanjavur the grandeur of Gangaikondacholapuram did not survive for long. The city was destroyed by the Pandyas in the early 13th century to avenge the earlier Chola invasions. The last Chola king Rajendra Chola III died fighting the Pandyas in 1279 CE and the Chola kingdom was finally extinguished. It later passed on to the Vijayanagara empire, Nawabs of Arcot and then the British.
I was actually trudging the paths in the great Chola Empire on which my ancestors once dwelled and worked, was indeed a goose-bump moment!
