Located on the south bank of the River Cauvery in Thanjavur, Tamilnadu, the Brihadishwara Temple, displaying proudly a testament to the Dravidian architecture of the Chola period, is one of the largest and most magnificent temples in India.

The temple, also called Peruvudaiyar Kovil and dedicated to Lord Shiva, represented by a colossal Lingam, was built between 1003 and 1010 AD by the Chola King Rajaraja I, also known as Rajaraja the Great, who called it Rajarajeshvaram or the temple of the god of Rajaraja. According to epigraphic evidence, the temple was commissioned by Rajaraja-I, on his 19th year and completed on the 275th day of his 25th year, and took just 6 years to complete it in 1010 AD. The Brihadishwara Temple, an epoch in itself, is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the Great Living Chola Temples, which also include the Gangaikonda Choapuram Temple and the Airavatesvara Temple in Kumbakonam, which are located around 70 km and 40 km away from Thanjavur. Originally built surrounded by a moat, the main temple with its massive tower included two ornamented monumental entrance towers, known as Gopurams, several inscriptions, frescoes, and sculptures, mainly related to Shaivism, together with Vaishnavism and Shaktism.

Covering an area of 790 feet (240.79 m) from east to west, and 400 feet (121.92 m) in north to south, the Brihadishwara Temple complex is equipped with two gateways, known as Gopurams. The 30 feet tall, five tiered gopuram of the main entrance, called the Keralantakan tiruvasal, indicating the surname of king Rajaraja, was built by him, to commemorate his victory over the Cheras.

However, although the second gopuram, the Rajarajan tiruvasal, which surrounds the main temple, along with its courtyard, is smaller, it is more elaborately decorated than the Keralantakan tiruvasal, depicting several scenes from the life of Lord Shiva and also scenes from the tales of Puranas, which is a vast genre of Hindu legendary and traditional tales.

Nevertheless, the Brihadishwara Temple complex consists of five sections, which include the main section, the sanctum with its tall imposing tower, locally known as the Vimana.

The other sections are the Nandi Hall or the Nandi Mandapam that houses a huge structure of Nandi, the main community hall or the Mukha Mandapam, the great gathering hall, called the Maha Mandapam, and the pavilion, which connects the Maha Mandapam with the sanctum.

The 208 feet (63.4 m) tall Vimana, a pyramidal tower built on the top of the temple's central shrine, has 13 tiers, each of which is intricately decorated with the images of Hindu Gods. The 25 ton dome of the temple, crowning the last tier of the vimana, carved out of a single block of granite, rests on another single block of granite, weighing 80 tons, which is one of the most striking features of the temple. The 12.5 feet (3.81 m) tall Stupika, also known as the Kumbham or kalasha, located at the top of the bulbous dome at the top, was once covered with gold. According to legend, the dome and the huge resting block of granite were transported to the structure’s apex by a 6.5 km (4 miles) long gently sloping ramp. Nevertheless, to raise such a massive weight about 200 feet above the ground, without the use of any modern technology and installing it to the top, which still stands even after 1000 years, is a wonder, and a testament to the architectural perfection of the era.

The Garbhagriha, the sanctum sanctorum of the temple's central and the main shrine, dedicated to Lord Shiva, houses a 29 feet (8.7 m) high huge Shiva Linga, the symbolic representation of Lord Shiva, occupying two tiers of the sanctum, which is one of the largest monolithic Shiva Linga sculptures in the country. Situated on a high plinth, the Garbhagriha has a passage surrounding it, known as the Pradakshina Patha, or circumambulation path, for the ritual encircling the area on foot. The walls of the shrine are decorated with murals, which are important examples of the Chola painting, although most of the murals have been partially obscured by the later murals of the Nayaka dynasty. The passage in the upper storey of the garbhagriha is lined with panels of dancing figures, depicting the 108 karanas or poses of Lord Shiva’s Tandava dance.

The Nandi Mandapam, built by the Nayaka rulers and located beyond the gopuram, houses a huge monolithic statue of Nandi, the sacred bull, also known as as Nandikeshwara, the vahana or vehicle of Shiva. The massive statue, facing the Mukha Mandapam, almost 13 feet high and 16 feet wide, weighing about 25 tons, is one of the largest in the country. There are two other mandapas or pavilions, namely Maha Mandapam and Mukha Mandapam, decorated with artworks, which are aligned between the sanctum and the Nandi Mandapam. The Maha Mandapam, equipped with six pillars on each side, is flanked by two giant stone dwarapalas, or door guards, and is linked to the Mukha Mandapam by a flight of stairs, which also has two dwarapalas. There are eight other shrines for the Dikpals, guardian deities of each direction, namely Yama, Agni, Vayu, Varuna, Indra, Nirrti, Kubera, and Isana. Apart from that, there are also several other smaller shrines around the main temple, most of which are aligned axially, and dedicated to Parvati, the consort of Shiva, their sons Murugan or Kartikeya, also known as Skanda or Subrahmanya and Ganesha, Nandi, Chandeshvara, Nataraja and others.

Apart from being a place of worship, the Brihadishwara Temple was once also a hub of art and culture. In those dreamy evenings of the past, when lamps were lit to illuminate the great temple, people gathered the place to witness and enjoy the mesmerising dance and musical performance, dedicated to the god and rendered by the Devadasis, the female artists, whose lives were dedicated to the worship and service of the deity in the temple. Gradually, it became a centre of dance, and is said to be the place where Bharatanatyam, originally known as Sadir Attam, was originated. Over the last thousand years, the temple complex was extended, renovated and repaired several times. As a world heritage monument, today it is under the control of the Archaeological Survey of India, and the lighting of the monument is designed to enhance the natural colour of the stone along with the sculptural forms adorning all corners of the grand temple.