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Shiva (Brihadeeswarar) temple · Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India
The Brihadeeswarar (Brihadisvara) Temple in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, popularly called the Big Temple, is a Shiva temple built by the Chola emperor Rajaraja I. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) calls it the grandest creation of the Chola emperor, and it is one of the three temples of UNESCO's 'Great Living Chola Temples' World Heritage Site.
Faith & Tradition
Rajaraja inaugurated the temple in his 19th regnal year (AD 1009–10) and named it Rajesvara Peruvudaiyar after himself; it is also called Dakshinameru, according to the ASI. The temple's brihad-linga in the sanctum is 8.7 m high.
The BBC describes it as considered the finest example of southern Indian architecture; an ASI archaeologist told the BBC it was at least 40 times bigger than other temples of its time. In September 2010 the temple's 1,000th year was marked with a Bharatanatyam performance by one thousand dancers, The Hindu reported.
Heritage
Chola frescoes around the sanctum, depicting episodes such as the journey of Saint Sundarar and the Chera king to heaven and Shiva as Tripurantaka, were discovered in the 1940s by Prof. S. K. Govindasami. In 2003 the ASI used a de-stucco process to remove and preserve 16 later Nayak paintings that had been painted over the Chola frescoes, The Hindu reported.
Rajaraja's son Rajendra I later built a new temple at Gangaikondacholapuram that drew heavily on the Thanjavur design (ASI; UNESCO).
The ASI describes the temple as the most ambitious structural temple built of granite. Its octagonal sikhara rests on a single block of granite 7.8 m square, weighing about 80 tons. The moulded plinth carries extensive inscriptions of the royal builder, and life-size images on the wall niches include Durga, Lakshmi, Sarasvati, Bhikshatana, Virabhadra and Kalantaka. UNESCO contrasts its 'straight and severe' tower with the curving vimana at Gangaikondacholapuram.
Plan Your Visit
The temple is a protected monument and a living place of worship; check current darshan and visiting hours locally.
Timings and arrangements change with seasons and festivals. Confirm current details with the temple administration before travelling. Last reviewed 5 October 2026.
Location
The temple is in Thanjavur, about 350 km south-west of Chennai (BBC).
Location: Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India
More in Hindu temples in Tamil Nadu · Shiva (Brihadeeswarar) temples
Questions
The Chola emperor Rajaraja I, who inaugurated it in AD 1009–10.
For its scale; an ASI archaeologist told the BBC it was at least 40 times bigger than other temples of its time.
Yes, as part of the Great Living Chola Temples.
The brihad-linga in the sanctum is 8.7 m high, according to the ASI.
Chola frescoes around the sanctum, which had been overlaid by later Nayak paintings until the ASI separated them.
Further reading: Brihadeeswarar Temple (Big Temple), Thanjavur on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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