Thanjai Big Temple - Pragatheeshwarar Temple - Tanjore Temple

The Emperor Rajarajan's apex achivement is the one which he had built the Big temple of Tanjore. Now itself, even no modern technology can even compete with this, since it had been built a thousand years back. On those days, just imagine how could one able to build this temple with out the modern equipments like cranes, escalators, lifts, concrete mixture etc.

Again this is the first temple, which had been built with the modern technology, that the shadow of the "Entrance tower" couldn't lie down on the floor at any ankle at any time. Again the stone at the top of the main shrine had been built as a single stone of 80 tons in weight. All the credits goes to one man, he is none other than our great Tamilian Emperor, Rajaraja Cholan alis Arulmozhi varman. He was the only king who laid the foundation to rule south India for more than two centuries. He was not only an Emperor but also a social reformer at any times, who had been thinking the future when he was alive, since even he was no more with us, but the Big temple built by him is telling his name for a long time, till the end of the universe.

The height of the tower is 75 meters.It seems in the structure of the base circumbrance is larger and when reaches the top, it decreases gradually. At the top there lies a single stone having the weight of 80 tons. There is a legend related to this stone.

The legend of the tower-top-single stone

A old lady, named, Alagi had been living near the temple, at the time of building the temple. She helped the 'sirpies' (one who sculpture the statues) by providing them with food and water. When working in the tower of the shrine, there missed one big stone. The sirpies didn't know what to do. Then they had seen a very big stone lying near the house of that old lady. They found the stone to be fixed perfectly at the top of the shrine. They also did it.

Having finished the temple, the lord Pragadeeshwarar, in the dream of the king "Rajarajan", said that He would reside peacefully at the shadow of the old lady. Rajarajan got confused with the dream he had seen and inquired the meaning of the dream to the pandits ( wise peoples). Then he got the answers from the sirpies that they had used that stone found near the house of that old lady.

The king surprised with the God's holy play, and had presented the old lady with many gifts.She had been honored by presenting her name to the tank and the garden as "Alagi-tank" and "Alagi-garden" respectively.

The Nandhi baghawan (big bull) had been sculptured in a single stone, having the dimension of 14 meters in height and 7 meters in lenth and 3 meters in width. The Nandhi mantapam, seen at present, belonged to the reign of the "Naayaks", who also ruled Tanjore, after the Cholas.

Wall paintings and sculptures

The inner corridor's wall had been painted with the devine-incidents belonged to the reign of the king of Naayaks and also there lied some sculptures belonging to various periods of the kings who ruled the city Tanjore.

Rajarajan had a lot of wives, but in the inscription, only the names of fifteen wives had been engraved at the stones. There had been another inscription described that the queen (wife of Rajarajan) had arranged to celebrate the birthday of the king Rajarajan on his birth star of "Sathayam" coming in the Tamil month of Ippasi (october to november), in the temple at Thirvaiyaaru.

The Shiva Linga in the main shrine is very big. Normally a Shiva Linga comprises of two, namely, the "Aavudai" at the base and the "Linga" on it, at the top. When installing the Shiva linga in the main shrine, there had been a problem of fixing the "Linga" on the "Aavudai", by preparing a special type of fixing medicine called "Panthanam". Due to the bigger size of the "Aavudai", the special fixing medicine called 'Panthanam' didn't melt enough to fix the 'Linga' with the 'Aavudai'. So the king Rajarajan became afraid about the status of the linga-pradishtai. Then the Siddhar "Karuvooraar" (also called as 'Karuvoor Thevar') appeared in the shrine and made the pradishtai (erection) of the Linga. This had been narrated in the puraana called as "Karuvoor Puraana". In the main pillar of the shrine, there engraved the sculptures of "Karuvoor Thevar" and the king "Rajarajan".

Having engaged in a lot of battles in and out of south India, Rajaraja Chola had been in a state of tiredness and restlessness. His sister, Kundhavai had arranged to meet the saivaite sage "Nambiyaandaar Nambi", who had been at "Thirunaaraiyoor", and asked him to sing the song "Maasil veenaiyum maalai mathiyamum". On hearing this song, Rajarajan was so much impressed and asked the sage that who had written that song, and the sage replied the king that all those songs had been sung by "Appar, Sundarar and Thirugnana sambanthar". Added to that, the sage explained Rajarajan that, like that, a lot of songs were in the form of "Oolai suvadigal" (songs written on the palm leaves and had been preserved) and were kept at the temple of Chithambaram, by the "Anthanars" ( veda- learned peoples).

So Rajarajan went there and asked them to give that treasures. But the 'Anthaners ' said that they would take out the palm leaves (on which the songs had been written), only if, that the three persons (Appar, Sundarar, Thirugnana sambanthar) could come there. On hearing this, the king Rajarajan had told them that he would come with that three sages on the day of "Thiruvaathirai" (auspicious day in the Tamil month). The 'Anthanars stunned that how could it possible to come with that people, who lived in 200 years back.

That "Thiruvaathirai" - Appar, Sundarar, Thirugnana sambanthar (that three sages) arrived to Chithambaram

On the day of 'Thiruvaathirai', as usual, a grand function had been celebrated in the temple of Chithambaram. Then the king Rajarajan came there with three Pallaakus (in which the moving deities are carried on the shoulders), from which he had taken out the three idols of Appar, Sundarar and Thirugnana sambanthar. The 'Anthanars' understood the king's intellectual knowledge, and opened the door, where the treasures of palm leaves had been kept.

The door opened

Rajarajan with great eager, entered the room, where the 'Oolai suvadikal' had been kept and preserved, On seeing the sight, Rajarajan, with tears in his eyes, rushed towards the 'Oolai suvadis', which were surrounded by rhe termites. He removed the affected, termite-baited 'Oolai suvadis' away and made the good ones be treated with oil scrubbing and preserved from being affected by the termites again. But anyhow he could able to get back only 1000 songs.

Then he made the compilations of "Thevaaram" (hymns written in praise of lord Shiva) into "Thirumaraikal" (like divisions). After that, he composed the music for the songs of "Thevaaram', with the help of a woman from Srillanka, namely "Yaalini".

Thevaaram had been sung allover his kingdom

Rajarajan took strenuous effort to propagate the songs of 'Thevaaram' all over his kingdom. In the Big temple itself, there were 48 persons engaged to say the "Thirupathigam". The full day long, the hymns of 'Thevaaram' had been sung all over the country. Hence he has been called as "Sivapatha Sekaran" that means the person who serve the feet of Lord Shiva.

Here comes, the persons are four among the 63 Naayanmaars (fierce disciples of Lord Shiva) of the religion Saivam. They are as follows :-

1) Thirugnana sambanthar (Figure showed as small boy)

2) Appar

3) Sundarar

4) Maanicka vaasagar

The Emperor Rajarajan not only did religious services to Saivam, but also he had respected all of the religions. He allowed the sculptures of Buddhism, to be erected on the tower of his big temple. He is definitely an Emperor of, not only to the Tamil speaking world, but also to the whole world of different cultures.

So this is only a sample of the ocean, related to the 'Big temple' and the 'Tamil emperor Rajarajan'. Anyhow i also pride enough of having the privilege of hubbing his story through sharing with you all.

Friendly yours

Selvaganapathy

Bye..