A mention of Tamil Nadu automatically invokes a culture that, as one school of historians say, predates the Indus Valley Vedic culture. Whether that claim is supported by archaeological evidence is a question that we must consider separately. But, Tamil culture bequeathed to the world some of the finest achievements in the field of architecture, irrigation, sculpture, dance, drama and literary renderings that remain unparalleled.
One unique expression of the finesse of Tamil culture is the Brihadeeswara Temple at Tanjore. However, during a recent visit to that area, we came across two more temples which are mirror images of Brihadeeswara, Tanjore, that was built by Rajaraja Chola I in 1010 AD.
The first is another Brihadeeswara temple built by Rajaraja's son Rajendra, after his conquest of the regions of the Ganges up North at Gangaikonda Cholapuram. This was built in 1035 AD.
Rajendra's son, Rajaraja II also built a mirror image, the Airawatheswara temple at Dhravaram near Kumbakonam some time in 1155 AD or a little later. We were amazed at the similarity and realized that the son and grandson of Rajaraja I, in deference to their elder, made only the linga and the nandi (sacred bull of Shiva) smaller. In another post, a bit more of their history will be shared. For now, here are pics of Airawatheswara temple.
No comments:
Post a Comment