Brihadishwara Temple, Thanjavur
The Brihadishwara Temple at Thanjavur, India is the world’s first complete granite temple by patron RajaRaja Chola I. The temple is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site “Great Living Chola Temples”. The temple stands amidst fortified walls that were probably added in the 16th century.
The “Vimana’”- or the temple tower – is 66 m high, the Kalash or “Shikhara” (apex or the bulbous structure on the top) of the temple is of monolithic granite weighing 81.25 tons. There is a big statue of Nandi (sacred bull), carved out of a single rock, at the entrance measuring about 16 feet long and 13 feet high. The entire temple structure is made out of hard granite stones, a material sparsely available currently in Thanjavur area where the temple is located. The surrounding shrines has a number of Shivlingas. It is still a place of worship. One can have ‘laddu’ as prasad from the temple counter.
