Design Influence

When Rajaraja Chola visited some of the great South Indian temples built by the Pallava king Rajasimha, he was struck by their majestic beauty and decided to build a similarly large and magnificent temple dedicated to Lord Shiva in his capital city of Thanjavur.  Accordingly, he commissioned the Brihadishwara Temple under his royal patronage in the 11th century CE.

 

An ardent devotee of Lord Shiva, Rajaraja was said to have brought Eshana Sarvasiva pandits (learned men and priests who were eminent in the Pasupada Shaiva way of worship) from Kasi (present day Benares) to Thanjavur. It is believed that with the help of these pandits, Rajaraja either made a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash (the holy abode of Lord Shiva) or received a rendering of the outline of the mountain. This outline was used as a basis for the design of the Brihadishwara temple’s profile.

 

The hemispherical projected relief work on the eastern face of the Vimana is a replica of Mount Kailash and is referred to as Dakshina Kailasam (Southern Kailash) and the shikara (top) of the Vimana as Dakshina Meru (Southern Meru). Both were originally covered with gold plate!

 

Rajaraja was impressed with the Pallava style of architecture, particularly with the Shore Temple in Mahabalipuram and the Kailasanathar temple in Kanchipuram and incorporated many elements, such as pillar styles, into the design of the Brihadishwara temple. He also drew inspiration from the 180-foot-tall pyramidal tower of the Mahabodhi temple in Bodh Gaya and this Buddhist style of architecture is reflected in the Brihadishwara temple’s Vimana.