Paper: 1

Detail Study Of Natyashastra, Specially Dance Related Chapters And

Sangita Ratnakar

Module 15 Thanjavur Brihdeshvara Temple

Many of the grand temples in South India were built by the kings of
Chola dynasty. 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. Rajaraja I also known as
Arulmozhivarman / अरुलमोजही 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.
0
His son Rajendra Chola І (1012-1044 A.D) also built a massive temple
similar to the Tanjore temple in Gangaikonda Cholapuram, 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 / तिरुभळ ु नम, Kanchipuram / क ांचीऩरु म, Madurai / मदरु ई,
Chidambaram / चचदां बरम, Tiruvarur / तिरुळ रुर, Tiruvidaimarudur /
तिरुवळदै म रुदरु 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 / ऩेरुळदु ै यर कोतयऱ ,
Periya Koyil / ऩेररय कुइऱ (big temple) and Rajarajeswara Koyil /
र जर जेस्ळर कुइऱ . 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 ऩेरुन्थ त्चन to lead the temple project. The king consulted and
sought advice from Isana Sivapanditar, the royal priest and Karuvur
Devar, a siddhapurusha / ससद्धऩरुु 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 / दक्षऺणमेरु वळि ां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 / करुळरु दे ळर. 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 Tamil Nadu. 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 / कोत्िुर twelve,
Kadambur / कदम्बरु fourteen, Niyamam / तनयमां twenty dancers from
different temples were transferred. This place was called Talicheri and
the dancers from here were called Talicheri pendugal / िेसऱचेरी ऩें दग
ु 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 / नळसांधी
नत्ृ 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 तिरुऩ 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 / मम्ु मड़ु ी चोऱ नत्ृ ि. 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 – अत्िु - 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 / प्रस्थ-स्ळस्स्िक
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.