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Detail Study Of Natyashastra, Specially Dance Related Chapters And Sangita Ratnakar

Module 15 Brihdeshvara Temple

Many of the grand temples in South India were built by the kings of . These temples are standing for centuries giving us an insight into the culture, architecture and civilization of that period. Initially, the temple building culture started by the Pallavas, gave a great heritage grandeur to the southern part of India. The successors of the Pallavas improvised and innovated the building the temples. The Cholas who were the immediate successors of Pallavas continued the tradition with perfection.

Karikala, the early Chola emperor of the Sangam age is lost in the legendary grandeur. Several centuries later, Vijayaraya Chola conquered Mutharayars and established a small kingdom around Tanjore in Circa 850. This was developed into a gigantic empire by his successors. All the Chola kings and their ministers contributed towards building Shiva or Vishnu temples in South India. also known as Arulmozhivarman / अ셁लमोजही ळममन ascended the throne in 985 A.D. He was a great warrior who extended the empire with his strong military forces. He was a great patron of art and literature and exercised religious tolerance. It was his genius and passion for building huge temples that urged him to build the magnificent Brihadeswara temple (Rajarajeswaram) at Tanjore.

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His son Rajendra Chola І (1012-1044 A.D) also built a massive temple similar to the Tanjore temple in , his capital and named it as Brihadeswara temple. As a mark of victory over the king of Varanasi, he built a tank in his capital and filled it with the waters of the Ganges. Hence he was called Gangaikonda Cholan. The great dynasty extended up to the rule of Kulotunga III. He was a great builder and added several temples to the glory of the Cholas. He built temples at Tirubhuvanam / ति셁भळु नम, Kanchipuram / क 車चीऩरु म, Madurai / मदरु ई, Chidambaram / चचद車बरम, Tiruvarur / ति셁ळ 셁र, Tiruvidaimarudur /

ति셁वळदैम 셁दरु and Darasuram / द र सरु म. All of them stand till date, revealing the glorious Chola art and architecture. According to a legend the name Tanjai was derived from an asura named Tanjan who was killed by Lord Vishnu in this place. The devi temple of Nisumbasudani built by the Mutharayars was also the Kula deivam (family deity) for the Cholas. Tanjore is situated in the Cauvery delta. The tributaries of Cauvery flow through the city making it a fertile agricultural land.

Temples in South India are not only a place of worship but have much more to offer. Centuries ago, temples were the centres for social gatherings and entertainment and were also exhibition halls for paintings and sculptures. They were also the store house of historic records in the form of inscriptions and copper plates. These records reveal the achievements of the king as well as the trade and civilization of people.

The Pallavas were pioneers who built temples in stone. The Imperial Cholas adapted the art of building temples from their predecessors and

attained perfection par excellence. They built temples in granite stones that could not be destroyed easily by natural calamities. The Cholas had a very big dream of constructing temples in stone which included art, architecture, religion, music, dance, painting, sculpture, inscriptions, copperplates, bronze icons and above all, the spiritual essence.

The Cholas ruled the entire south Indian delta from the 9th to the 12th centuries, having Tanjore as their capital. They were great conquerors and their kingdom extended from north-eastern India to the southern- most parts like Sri Lanka, Burma, Malayan Peninsula, Bali and few islands of South-east Asia. They built huge water tanks for irrigation and stone temples in the countries they conquered. The Brihadeswara temple built during the reign of Rajaraja Udayar is dedicated to Lord Siva. It was originally called the Peruvudaiyar Koyil / ऩे셁ळदु ैयर कोतयऱ , Periya Koyil / ऩेररय कु इऱ (big temple) and Rajarajeswara Koyil / र जर जेळर कु इऱ . During the Maratha period it came to be called as Brihadeswara (the Great Eshwara) temple. The Brihadeswara temple was the dream project of King Rajaraja Chola and he planned and built it for more than two years along with expertise advice from scholars of various fields, before starting the temple work. He appointed a well- versed and experienced architect named Rajaraja Perunthatchan / र जर ज ऩे셁ꅍथ 配चन to lead the temple project. The king consulted and sought advice from Isana Sivapanditar, the royal priest and Karuvur Devar, a siddhapurusha / ससद्धऩ셁ु ष and guru to the king regarding the construction and later about the religious procedures to be implemented in the temple.

The king aspired and was determined to build this temple in granite.

There were no mountains or granite available in a 100 kilometre radius from Tanjore. He procured the stone slabs from the nearby villages and transported them by carts pulled by elephants and horses. He made special mud roads for the carts to transport the goods to the temple. Thousand years ago, it must have been a stupendous effort. King Rajaraja brought cart loads of wealth and gold from the battles he won and spent them in building the temple. The war prisoners were utilized according to their skills in constructing the temple.

Construction

The Brihadeswara temple reveals the Dravidian style of architecture. It stands majestically in a sprawling place with an outer wall. The plinth of the central shrine measures 45.72 square meters. The vimana is 60.96 metres high. The dome or the sikhara (the vimana) is octagonal and rests on a single block of granite which weighs 81.284 kilograms. The tower is sixteen times the height of the main Linga and this is a significant feature in this temple. Thousand years ago, there were no modern amenities such as cranes to carry heavy stone slabs to the desired height. The group of stones on the top of the gopuram was raised to the current height by dragging them on an inclined plane which had its base 6.44 kilometres away. The vast courtyard of the temple is about 11612.88 square metres in area and is surrounded by a cloister. In the year 1010 A.D., the vimana was covered with gold. At the entrance, there are two gopurams widely separated from each other. The second gopuram is decorated by carvings. There are two dwarapalas. The carvings illustrate Shaivaite stories. Beyond the gopuram is a huge nandi facing the central shrine in the courtyard. The linga installed in the sanctum sanctorum is 3.66 metres high and is called Dakshinameru vitankan / दक्षऺणमे셁 वळि 車कन and Rajarajeshwaram

after the name of the king Rajaraja. In many parts of the structure, over the time, the white granite used has decolorized to a pale red. Near the main shrine the stones are in black granite. The passages around the sanctum contain beautiful paintings and sculptural art. Beautiful and colourful frescos adorn the ceilings. Figures of Shiva Tandava in different poses are portrayed in the first floor around the sanctum, in the inner ambulatory. The sculptures are carved in blocks of stones in situ. These panels are in the same level throughout. Three sides of the inner prakhara have sculptures of Shiva – one holding the spear, one a sword and the third with ten arms dancing in catura pose as Vishnu plays the drums and Devi sits in padmasana with a lotus and rosary. On the western side, the entire wall has a huge panel of Dakhinamurthi seated in a yogic pose watching the dance of two apsaras, while Vishnu and other ganas are part of the musical band. A few princely figures saints and warriors are also present. There is a scene depicted with a woman cheerfully cooking for the wedding. There is a large figure of Nataraja dancing, watched by devotees, princes etc. There is a painting of Rajaraja with his guru Karuvur Devar / क셁ळरु देळर. The entire northern wall is covered by a gigantic figure of Tripurantaka Siva on a chariot driven by Brahma. Tripurantaka in the alidha pose with eight arms carrying weapons to demolish the demons is accompanied by Kartikeya on a peacock, Ganesha on a mouse, Kali on a lion and Nandi in front. All these paintings and sculptures reveal great craftsmanship with power, grandeur and rhythm. The highest achievement of the Chola art in stones is revealed in presenting the dance karanas in the inner walls of the temple. Here Lord Nataraja is depicted as dancing the karanas. The huge monolithic nandi is 16 feet long and 13 feet tall. It is situated in the centre of the front square. Life-size idols of ashtadikpalas that were originally installed in the temple have now been removed to a separate

temple premises. There is a portrait of King Rajaraja praying to Lord Nataraja, which is one of its kind to depict the monarch inside the temple.

Endowments King Rajaraja made enormous endowments for the Brihadeswara temple. The royal family members, noblemen, high officials, merchants, artisans, dancers, musicians and the common man presented gold and silver jewellery and money to the temple. These donations are described in the inscriptions. Most of the original jewellery is lost. The remaining jewellery, some bronze statues of Nataraja, Tripurantaka, Devi, and Ganesha reveal the great artistry of the Chola period. There are descriptive information regarding the jewelry worn by the dancers and the royal princes. Different varieties of pearls, diamonds and rubies are mentioned in the inscription. Dancers, musicians, cooks, gardeners, flower gatherers, garland makers, wood carvers, sculptors, painters, choir groups for singing Sanskrit and Tamil hymns, dance teachers, accountants, watchmen, other officials and servants to clean up the temple premises were all appointed in the temple service. They were paid well in the form of money, paddy, lands, and houses and so on according to the gradation. All the information regarding their appointment and maintenance are given in the inscriptions available in the temple. All around the passages and the plinth of the temple, long series of epigraphs in elegant letters are engraved in the stone. The detailed inscription gives a vivid picture of the Chola civilization and the contribution of the king and people to the temple.

Dancers and Musicians King Rajaraja employed 400 dancers and their accompanying artistes from all over . They were allotted houses near the temple.

They were transferred from other temples to serve in Brihadeswara temple. The inscription gives details of their previous temple where they belonged, their names, the house allotted and the salary. To name a few, from Kadambur Tiruvilan Koyil eight dancers were transferred. They were given house in and around the temple. Dancers Vidividangai, Nakkam and Kuppai were allotted houses on the southern street in southern wing. Dancers Semani and Konadi were allotted houses in the southern street at the northern wing. For example, from Tiruvarur, fifty dancers from Ayiratali / अतयरि ऱी nineteen, Kottur / को配िुर twelve, Kadambur / कद륍बरु fourteen, Niyamam / तनयम車 twenty dancers from different temples were transferred. This place was called Talicheri and the dancers from here were called Talicheri pendugal / िेसऱचरे ी ऩᴂदगु ऱ. They exchanged their talent with each other and thereby new dimensions of the arts evolved and paved way for the development of the fine arts to a great height. When the temple was under construction, the dancers were designated to be models for the sculptors and painters.

Every day, as part of the shodasa upachara / षदोष उऩच र (temple rituals), the musicians sang hymns and songs praising Lord Shiva and the dancers danced in front of the deity. Among the other dances performed, suddha nrittam, pushpanjali and the deepa arathi were very special. The suddha nrittam was presented in front of the main shrine and the dancers who performed this were called rudraganikas. The Nithyapuja (daily rituals), utsavas were never complete without dance and music. The offerings through dance to the devata of the eight directions and the sky (akash) were called Navasandhi nrityam / नळस車धी

न配ृ यम. Instrumental and vocal music were part of the daily rituals.

Singing of Tevaram hymns became part of the temple rituals in all Shiva temples. Forty-eight singers were appointed to sing Tevaram hymns in this temple accompanied by udukkai and maddalam players. They were called Tirupadiyam paduvor ति셁ऩ डीयम ऩ डूळर. The dancers who were in the temple service were prefixed with the name Nakkan; for example, Nakkan Caturi. There were six male Nattuvans (nattuvanar) who were conferred the distinguished royal title as Nrittamarayan and Nrittaperaraiyan. Araiyan Sundara Cholan was the chief Natyacharya amongst the dancers. He was given the title Mummudi Chola Nrittamarayan / म륍ु मड़ु ी चोऱ न配ृ ि. Kumaran Vadavayil was given the title Mummudi Chola Nritta Peraraiyan, Arayan Abhimanatungan with the title Arulmozhi Nritta Peraraiyan and Araiyan Mananjan with the title Vahayili Nritta Peraraiyan. The Natyacharyas were compensated more than the dancing girls. They were held in high esteem. The dancers performing in the temple were expected to be highly qualified in their field of art, failing which they were replaced by qualified dancers from within their family. Thus, a form of hereditary right to serve the temple was given to them. Two chiefs named Savvur Paranjothy and Somanathan were appointed to take charge of the artistes’ welfare. The dancers in gratitude towards the king staged a dance drama during the inauguration of the temple. Dancer Talaikoli Rajaraji along with her other co-dancers choreographed a dance drama named Rajarajeswara Natakam highlighting the achievements and the rule of Rajaraja Chola. This was performed on important occasions in the temple for many centuries. The dancers had specialized skills in different aspects and forms of dance. They were allowed only to perform their specialized field of dance like avinaya, agamargam, Tamil koothu, arya koothu or santhi koothu. All of them were allotted specific occasions to perform these dances in the temple. These dancers had great esteem in the

society.

The temple was a store house of fine arts. The stone sculptures, beautiful paintings, inscriptions in Tamil and Chola grantha reveal the artistry of the Chola period. Dance and music were part of the temple rituals. In the evenings and on festival days’ people congregated in the temple courtyard to witness and enjoy the entertainment presented by the temple dancers and musicians. There were brahmanas to chant Vedas and oduvars to sing Tevaram hymns. Male dancers who were attached to the temple were called kottu-attu-paatu / कोट्टू – अ配िु - ऩ ि ु (nritt-gita-vadya) and they were able to sing, play instruments and dance. The chief among them was Virachola with a royal title name Natakamayyan. A dancer named Ganapathi alias Thiruvellari Chakai performed chakkai koothu in the temple. Names of the dancers, musicians, nattuvanars and the endowments given to them were recorded in stone inscriptions.

Dance Karanas The Brihadeswara temple is the earliest one to portray dance karanas from Natyashastra in a sculptural format. This style was followed later while building the Sarangapani temple and the Chidambaram temple. It is interesting to note that Bharata’s karanas were already familiar to dancers in South India. The dancers were able to pose the karanas for the sculptors with ease. The karanas are called Chokkam in Tamil literature. There are no names or the slokas pertaining to the karanas inscribed in these panels unlike in the karana panels of the Sarangapani and Chidambaram temples. Abhinavagupta (10th century A.D.), who wrote the commentary on Natyashastra, was the contemporary of King Rajaraja. The Tanjore temple was probably completed before

Abinavagupta’s work entered the south Indian dance scenario. Hundred years later the impact of this book could be seen in the Sarangapani and Chidambaram karana panels. The karanas in the Tanjore temple are portrayed on the wall of the sanctum in the inner ambulatory. The panels portray Shiva dancing the karanas. The panels are in sequential order. There are 108 panels out of which 81 are carved with dance karanas and the other panels left blank. Apart from the karanas, there are figures of dancing girls portraying a story. At the back wall of the sanctum there is a scene depicting the story of Saint Sundaramurthy Nayanar ascending heaven and being welcomed by celestial dancers. There is a scene of Kailash where Shiva is witnessing a dance with Parvathi and a dancer is pictured in a superlative manner performing Prstha-svastika karana / प्रथ-ळस्िक करन .

Legends and Festivals

The annual festival of this temple is held in the month of Chithirai (April - May) for eighteen days. Till today the festivals are conducted in the same manner as of thousand years back. There is also a kalyana (marriage of Shiva and Parvathi) festival celebrated. There are many legends attached to this temple. The legends about the construction of this temple are available in the texts Brihadiswara Mahatmiyam and Thanjaipuri Mahatmiyam. The Karuvur Devar who was the Sidha guru of king Rajaraja wrote a book named Karuvurpuranam in which he gives a detailed account about the construction of the temple and installation of the main Linga. Karuvur Devar was the first to sing hymns on the main deity of this temple and these hymns are called Thiru-isai-pa. The temple is the most ambitious of the architectural enterprises of the

Cholas and is a magnificent achievement of Rajaraja.

The wall space and the ceiling had exquisite paintings and were recoated by different paintings during the Nayak period (17th century A.D.). The big hall in front of the Subramanya shrine was extended during the late Nayak period. The steps to the mantapas were altered during the Maratha period. The hall was used to exhibit the festival deity. The portraits beginning from Shivaji the Great to Shivaji II, which are present even now, were painted around 1850 A.D.

The highest achievement of the Chola art in stones is revealed in presenting the dance karanas in the inner wall of the temple. Here Lord Nataraja is depicted as dancing the karanas. The huge Nandi which is in the inner gopuram is in the centre of the front square. Scholars opine that the present Nandi could be of 16th century A.D. The original Nandi was outside the inner gopuras in front of the second gopuram. Modi records of the Maratha period read that King Serfoji II consecrated 108 Siva Lingas in the prakara of the temple. The temples of Devi, Nandi mantapa and the shrine of Ganesha are the later additions built by the Imperial Pandyas and Nayaks during their reigns. The bronze Nataraja icon was broken and was resurrected by Kamakshi Bibi Bai at the end of 19th century A.D. The exquisite carvings on these structures depict the south Indian architecture of the late medieval period.

The Brihadeswara temple is one of the tallest temples in the world. Also this is the first temple built completely with granite. The Vimana of this temple is uniquely designed. It took seven years for Rajaraja to complete the temple work. At the entrance of the sanctum sanctorum, in the corridor there two Ganesha statues made of stone. On tapping on

this, one can hear the sound travelling through stone in one idol and through metal on the other. This temple is recognized as a UNESCO world heritage site. The main deity of this temple was visualized as Paramananda Tandavamurthi, performing the blissful dance in the cosmos. The temple reveals the essence with its extraordinary sculptural and architectural depiction.