Tanjore Temple

Tanjore is a night’s journey from Chennai. As a tourism spot Tanjore is visited by most of the foreigners who come to India to learn about its culture. Raja Raja Chola during his rule built the Tanjore Brihadeeswarar temple. Otherwise called ‘Big Temple‘ (Periya Koil) the temple was built by the King on a sprawling piece of land. The greatness of this temple is marked by the enormous Lingam – the ‘Brihadeeswarar’ which is the prime deity of the shrine. The tall Lingam is reached by the Gurukkal (priests) through the stairs leading to the top. All the carvings were done by the kingdom’s best artisans. There are even stone figures of all the architects in the main gopuram. One noticeable figure is that of a foreigner who was there at that time and has contributed to the work The Linga measures 9 ft in height, 23.5 ft in circumference. The Linga was brought from the shore of Narmadha river. This Linga is also called as “Raja Rajeswara Mudaiyan ” because of its bright appearance.