As I embarked from Thanjavur in search of the Chola temples in the Cauvery Delta, I traversed past lush paddy fields and crossed scores of towering temple gopuras at every turn.
It is said that the Cauvery delta is punctuated with more temples per square mile than any other place in India. It makes for a fine study of the Chola repertoire in art and temple building. This proliferation of temples can be attributed to the Chola kings who were great temple builders. They did for the Cauvery delta what the Pandyas did for that region around Madurai and the Pallavas did for that around Kancheepuram. Empire expansion and building temples were their magnificent obsessions.
The nondescript village of Gangaikondapuram was the first stop on my temple-hopping spree in the Cauvery delta. The imposing vimana (tower) of the Brihadeshwara Temple loomed into view in the distance proclaiming its existence. Rajendra Chola I (son of the illustrious Raja Raja) built the great Brihadeshwara Temple complex (later declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site) in the 11th century, as a thanksgiving for his triumphant military conquests of lands up to present-day Bangladesh (then known as Vangaaladesham). “Rajendra Chola I made it his capital after his successful military expedition to northern India, where he claimed to have crossed River Ganga. From his triumphant journey, he brought back holy waters of the sacred river to sanctify Chola land, and the place came to be known as Gangai-konda-chola-puram,” explained Raja, our ebullient guide. The tongue-twisting name means ‘the city of the Chola who conquered the Ganga’.
As I entered a rectangular courtyard enclosure from a doorway guarded by two huge dwarapalakas (gatekeepers), a huge Nandi facing the mantapa and sanctuary grabbed my attention. Unlike the Nandi carved out of one block of stone in Thanjavur, the Nandi here is fashioned from stone blocks covered with plaster. Thankfully, the ochre Nandi here is not covered by a mantapam as in Thajavur Big Temple.
Uniqueness in every stone
The temple, dedicated to Brihadeshwara, with its ornate 55-metre tower, a 1,000-pillar hall and an 80-tonne dome held us spellbound. The friezes on the walls are worth a peek. I had to clamber a flight of steps to reach the mantapa and sanctuary raised on a high platform. A massive linga, raised on a circular pedestal, is enshrined within the sanctuary. Several fine bronzes are displayed inside, including Shiva with Uma, Subrahmanya and Devi.
Within the recesses in the walls of the temple stand many beautiful statues, including those of Ganesha, dancing Nataraja and Harihara, as well as Shiva granting blessings to gods and goddesses. On the east side of this hall are various carvings of Shiva such as bestowing grace on Vishnu, who worships him with his lotus-eye, and Kalyanasundara-murti (going out for his marriage attended by goblins) and many others. The sculpture of Shiva bestowing a garland on the kneeling saint Chandesha, identified as Rajendra Chola I, is one of the masterpieces of Chola art. The niches on the walls east of the steps show Lakshmi and Saraswati.
To north and south are two subsidiary shrines dedicated to Kailasanatha with excellent wall sculptures. Other shrines are dedicated to Ganesha, Durga, the kuladaivam (clan goddess) of the Cholas and Chandikeshwara.
Before we left the temple complex, Raja led us to a simha mukha (lion faced) well in the garden. The Simhakinar (lion well) is approached by a staircase that descends through the sculptured body of a lion. “It is believed that the Chola kings poured water from the Ganges into the well so that there would be a permanent supply for bathing the images of the gods — a customary temple practice,” explained Raja.
From Gangaikondacholapuram, we proceeded to Darasuram, another UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is home to the magnificent chariot-shaped Airavateshwara Temple. Legend has it that Shiva is here known as Airavateshwara, because he was worshipped at this temple by Airavata, the white elephant of Indira. At the main shrine, a huge decorated lingam is illuminated by natural light from sunrise to sunset.
A small inner gateway leads to a court where the mainly granite temple stands in the centre. Sculpted door-keepers guard the entrance to the main shrine which has a nandi at the entrance. The gopuram is supported by beautifully-carved apsaras. Inside, there are friezes of dancing figures and musicians. The pillars illustrate mythological stories, for example, ‘the penance of Parvati’. The five gods — Agni, Indra, Brahma, Vishnu and Vayu — on the niches are all shown paying homage to Shiva.
Rich traditions
Built by Raja Raja II, the main features of the temple include the soaring vimanam, the hall of the main sanctum, which has been built at a height and is shaped like a chariot supported by prancing horses pulling wheels on one side and striding elephants on the other. The peripheral columns have seated yalis at the base; other supports are decorated with medallions of scrollwork containing dancers and musicians or superimposed reliefs of the temple facades. Next to the inner sanctuary, fronted by an open porch, the steps of the closed mantapa feature elegant, curled balustrades decorated with elephants and makaras (mythical crocodiles ).
The exuberance of sculptures on the pillars in the main hall depicting scenes from the lives of people of the 12th century — acrobats, entertainers, dance poses and domestic scenes made me wonder what the temple must have been in its heyday. Some of the niches inside contain superb early Chola sculptures of polished black basalt, including a unique sculpture of Ardhanareeshwara with three faces and eight arms, a four-armed Nagaraja and an unusual sculpture of Shiva destroying Narasimha.
Blissfully, there were no milling crowds to disturb the sanctity and serenity of these places as these temples are more great archaeological sites than religious ones. I wish I could spend endless hours gaping at the stunning beauty of the stone-work and at the absolute wealth of sculptural details. But the rain played spoilsport and I had to cut short my visit.