OUR VISIT TO THANJAVUR, 20TH AND 21ST NOV, 2009
CHOLA DYNASTY
The Chola dynasty ruled most of South India,Sri Lanka and parts of South East Asia from 200 BC to 1280 AD except for a period of 200 years during which they were subservient to the Pandyas and Pallavas. This is one of the longest reigns by one dynasty.
Their reign can be divided into three periods.
THE EARLY CHOLAS: FROM 200 BC TO 800 AD.
Mention of the Chola Kingdom has been made in Ashoka’s pillars of 273 BC. Mention is also found in SANGAM Literature of 150 BC, in writings by geographer Ptolemy, in the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea (Periplus Maris Erythraei) by an anonymous Alexandrian merchant of 81-90BC.
Their capitals were Urayur(now part of Tiruchirapally) and Kaveripattinam.
While the Sangam literature records the names of a number of Chola kings of this period,the most famous among these were Karikala Chola, Nedunkilli and Perunarkilli.
Mythology says that during the reign of one King Kantaman, Kaveri was brought to the earth by sage Agastya.
It is also recorded that one of the kings, Elara invaded Sri Lanka.
THE MEDIEVAL CHOLAS: FROM 800 AD TO 1070 AD:
Before the advent of medieval Cholas, they were overcome by Pandyas and Pallavas and were compelled to seek refuge under them. They continued to have their capital at Urayur and ruled a small area, till Vijayalaya rose to power in 848 AD. Taking advantage of conflicts between the Pallavas and Pandyas,he captured Thanjavur and eventually established the imperial line of the medieval Cholas. There is an abundance of materials from diverse sources about Vijayalaya and the later Chola kings. A large number of stone inscriptions by the Cholas themselves and by their rival kings, Pandyas and Chalukyas, and copper-plate grants, have been instrumental in constructing the history of Cholas of that period.
Under Rajaraja Chola I and his son Rajendra Chola I, the dynasty became a military, economic and cultural power in South Asia and South-east Asia.At its peak, the Chola Empire stretched from the island of Sri Lanka in the south to the Godavari-Krishna basin in the north, up to the Konkan coast in Bhatkal, the entire Malabar Coast in addition to Lakshadweep, Maldives and vast areas of Chera country. The kingdoms of Deccan and the eastern coast were subordinates, feudatories of the Cholas.Other kingdoms like the Chalukyas between 1000-1075 AD paid tribute to the Cholas. Rajendra Chola I completed the conquest of the island of Sri Lanka and captured the Sinhala king Mahinda V prisoner, in addition to his conquests of Rattapadi (territories of the Rashtrakutas, Chalukya country, Talakkad, Kolar (where the Kolaramma temple still has his portrait statue) in Kannada country. In addition Rajendra's territories included the area falling on the Ganga-Hooghly-Damodar basin, large parts of Burma, Thailand, Indo-China, Laos, Kambodia, the Malay Peninsula and Indonesia. The kingdoms along the east coast of India up to the river Ganges acknowledged Chola suzerainty. Chola navies invaded and conquered Srivijaya in the Malayan archipelago.The wars against the Chalukyas were mainly fought in Chalukya territories in Telugu country like Vengi, Kakinada or Anantapur or Gutti.
Marital and political alliances between the Eastern Chalukya kings based around
Vengi located on the south banks of the River Godavari began during the reign of
Rajaraja following his invasion of Vengi. Rajaraja Chola's daughter married the
Chalukyan Prince Vimaladitya. Rajendra Chola's daughter was married to
Eastern Chalukya Prince Rajaraja Narendra( the mentor of Nannaya, author
Of Mahabharata in Telugu).
Under the Cholas, the Tamil country reached new heights of excellence in art, religion and literature. Monumental architecture in the form of majestic temples and sculpture in stone and bronze reached a finesse never before achieved in India. With heavily ornamented pillars accurate in detail and richly sculpted walls, the temples are classic examples of Chola art and architecture.
Temple building received great impetus from the conquests and the genius of Rajaraja Chola and his son Rajendra Chola I.The maturity and grandeur to which the Chola architecture had evolved found expression in the two temples of Thanjavur and Gangaikondacholapuram. The magnificent Brihadisvara temple in Thanjavur, completed around 1009 AD, is a fitting memorial to the material achievements of the time of Rajaraja. The largest and tallest of all Indian temples of its time, it is at the apex of South Indian architecture.
This temple along with the temple of Gangaikondacholisvaram at Gangaikondacholapuram and the Airavatesvara Temple at Darasuram were declared as World Heritage Sites by the UNESCO, and are referred to as the Great living Chola temples.
Another famous form of art was the bronze figurines that were crafted during this time. The craftsmen used to beautifully decorate the statues with garlands and jewelry while carving the statue itself. Famous examples of bronze statues are the Nataraja and Lord Shiva as Ardhanarishwara.
The Chola conquest of Kadaram (Kedah) and Srivijaya, and their continued commercial contacts with the Chinese Empire, enabled them to influence the local cultures. Many of the surviving examples of the Hindu cultural influence found today throughout the Southeast Asia owe much to the legacy of the Cholas.
The Tang dynasty of China, the Srivijaya empire in the Malayan archipelago under the Sailendras, and the Abbasid Kalifat at Baghdad were the main trading partners.
In general, Cholas were adherents of Saivite Hinduism but were favourably disposed towards Vaishnavism. Throughout their history, they were not swayed by the rise of Buddhism and Jainism.However during the rule of the later Cholas there seems to have been some antagonism towards Vaishnavism, specially against Sri Ramanuja.The age of the Imperial Cholas (850–1200) was the golden age of Tamil culture, marked by the importance of literature.
Kamban flourished during the reign of Kulothunga Chola III. His Ramavatharam (also referred to as Kambaramayanam) is a great epic in Tamil literature.
Jayamkondar’s masterpiece Kalingattuparani is an example of narrative poetry that draws a clear boundary between history and fictitious conventions.
The famous Tamil poet Ottakuttan was a contemporary of Kulothunga Chola I and served at the courts of three of Kulothunga's successors.Ottakuttan wrote Kulothunga Cholan Ula, a poem extolling the virtues of the Chola king.
Jain and Buddhist authors flourished as well, although in fewer numbers than in previous centuries.Jivaka-chintamani by Tirutakkatevar and Sulamani by Tolamoli are among notable by non-Hindu authors.
LATER CHOLAS: 1070 TO 1279 AD.
In 1070 AD, Kulothunga Chola I, the son of Rajaraja Narendra(Chalukya Chola), ascended the Chola throne starting the Later Chola dynasty. The rule of the later Cholas was not as strong as those of the emperors up to Rajendra Chola II. The decline of the Chola power started beginning 1215 AD. The Cholas lost control of the island of Lanka and were driven out by the revival of Sinhala power. Around 1118 AD, they lost control of Vengi to the Western Chalukyas and Gangavadi (Southern Mysore districts) to the Hoysalas. The Hoysalas were routed from Kannanur Kuppam around 1279AD by Kulasekhara Pandiyan and in the same war the last Chola emperor Rajendra III was routed and the Chola Empire ceased to exist thereafter.
BRIHADEESWARA TEMPLE, THANJAVUR
The temple gateway
The temple complex sits on the banks of a river that was channeled to make a moat around the complex's outer walls, the walls being built like a fortress. There is a small bridge across the moat giving access to the temple gateway. The complex is made up of many structures that are aligned axially. The complex can be entered either through a five-story gopuram or directly to the huge main quadrangle of about 152.40x76.20 m, through a smaller free-standing gopuram.
The Temple
This temple is one of India's most prized architectural sites. The temple stands amidst fortified walls. The 'Vimana' - or the temple tower - is 66 m high and is among the tallest of its kind in the world. This is referred to as Dakshina Meru. It is a tower of fourteen storeys, finely decorated with pilasters, niches and images of gods of the Hindu pantheon. The plinth of the Central Shrine is 45.72 square m., while the shrine proper is 30.48 square m.
The Kalash or 'Shikhara' (apex or the bulbous structure on the top) of the temple, an octogonal structure, is about 4 m high and is of monolithic granite weighing 81.25tons. It is believed that this block was carried up a specially built ramp from Sarapallam, a site 6 kilometers away from the temple. It is said that the shadow of the temple tower does not fall on the floor at any circumstances by sun light.
The Shivalingam - Peruvudaiyar, Rajarajeswaramudaiyar - is a huge one about 4 m high, set in a two storeyed sanctum.The walls surrounding the sanctum delight visitors as a storehouse of murals and sculpture.
A 107 paragraph long inscription on the walls of the Vimanam records the contributions of Raja Raja Chola and his sister Kundavai to the Thanjavur temple.
The temple is an example of the architectural conception of the pure form of the Dravida type of temple architecture and representative of the Chola Empire ideology and the Tamil civilisation in Southern India. The temples testify to the brilliant achievements of the Cholas in architecture, sculpture, painting and bronze casting. The entire temple structure is made out of hard granite stones, a material sparsely available currently in Thanjavur area where the temple is located.
There is a big idol of Nandi (sacred bull),facing the Sanctum Sanctorum, dating back to the Nayak rule, carved out of a single rock, at the entrance measuring about 5 m long and 4 m high, and weighs about 25 tonnes.
THE PALACE
The palace is located inside the fort and consists of large buildings constructed during the Nayak and Maratha periods. The world famous bronze musuem, Maharaja Sarfoji’s Saraswathy Mahal library, Sangeetha mahal, Art Gallery, Lakshmi Vilas Durbar hall, the Royal museum(personal collections by the Maratha kings),Raja Sarfoji Memorial hall and museum are all part of the palace complex. The whole complex is in extremely poor condition. Grass has grown everywhere. There are cobwebs all over. Structure is dilapidating.
The Saraswathy Mahal Library was a great let down. The palm leaf manuscripts are kept in glass cases, which are poorly ventilated and lit. It is supposed to have about 30,000 manuscripts and 6500 printed books. The place is not even air conditioned.
The Lakshmi Vilas durbar Hall has a single slab of granite measuring 18 ft X16 ft X 2.5 ft carved all round used as a throne by Nayak kings. It now has an intricately carved marble statue of Sarfoji in Royal attire made in England in 1807 AD. In the couple of hours we were in the palace we did not notice even one other visitor. The entry charges are Re1 or Rs.2. Dirty slips of receipts are given. The whole maintenance is dependant on Government grants. I really do not know whether any grants are being received and how they are being spent. Very soon the buildings will crumble to dust. The whole picture is very depressing and is unlikely to attract any visitors. I learnt that they are another 15/16 rooms which were vacated by the descendants of the Marathas available with the government, which are locked up. The descendants have shifted to modern houses outside the palace.
I have collected the information about the temple from Saraswathy Mahal Library, local folk lore and some web sites.
