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Long avenues lines with coconut trees, towering
shrines and building traditions unmatched, centuries later, even
today, are all memorials to a man who restored to this area in South
India its heritage – Rajaraja Cholan I.
The Thanjavur district,
known as the granary of South India, owes its riches in an abundant
measure to its physical characteristics. The That nature conditions
the economic and poetic thinking of man is nowhere more evident than
in Thanjavur where the Cauvery Delta has produced food crops in
abundance for centuries and established in it the centres of culture
and civilization . Indeed it was here that the Ch9ola emperors of old
had their resplendent capital and it is here that even today the
Tamil University is situated. Furthermore, the blueprint for the
establishment of the South Zone Cultural Centre is being worked out
in Thanjavur. And here it is worth recalling that an English civil
servant who wrote an account of Thanjavur – in the style of the
diarist Samuel Pepys – was impressed by its long avenues of
coconut trees lining the roads, by the rows of the fine houses,
mandapams (large pillared halls), temples and canals found in
every town and village and the vast areas of cultivated lands by the
Cauvery and its tributaries. This description holds true even now.
We may catch glimpses of
something beyond the district of Thanjavur and its Big Temple; it
will generally come at a point where man and nature meet, the point
in our aesthetic experience, where poetry is born. And in order to
appreciate the poetry of the Thanjavur landscape – especially
during autumn and winter - it is necessary to travel round parts of
the district in a car or a jeep. A charming feature of the Thanjavur
landscape during this season is the continuous carpet of green
which rolls between the rills of water – fed from the single
source of the Cauvery River – and the rainwashed roads of the
open country. These green fields, which are studded with palm, bamboo
and coconut trees, intersect the town in the interior and keep pace
with a fast moving car for miles at a stretch! The resulting
greenness of the panorama which unfolded itself before us was not
only a refreshing sight but also a poetic experience.
Thanjavur town is well
known for its Art Gallery – The Thanjavur Art Gallery which
consists of a rare collection of South Indian Bronzes – and its
Library known as the Sarasvati Mahal Library – as well as
celebrated for the Big Temple. The Sarasvati Mahal Library, which
dates from the end of the 16th century, has a priceless
collection of unique manuscripts. Here the word ‘unique’ is
used advisedly. For this library houses not only the usual collection
of ancient and mediaeval works relating to philosophy, literature,
music, dance, medicine and astronomy, but also uniquely interesting
books on subjects like the 64 Bathing Ghats of Varanasi, a biography
of Muhammad Ghazni and an authoritative work on Punishment in Ancient
and Mediaeval China.
It was during the reign
of Rajaraja the great (985-1018 AD) that the Chola School of
Architecture attained preeminence. Just as Rajaraja Cholan’s
famous ancestor, Paranthaka Cholan, covered the sabha of
Nataraja with gold at Chidambaram, so did Rajaraja Cholan achieve
distinction as the architect of the Brihadeswara Temple or the Big
Temple at Thanjavur. Interestingly enough, Rajaraja Cholan had
invented the nadaswaram, which is somewhat similar to the
shehnai. And Rajaraja built the great temple inside a
well-constructed fortress, named after him as Rajasekharam Fortress.
The Big Temple at
Thanjavur –described by the Encyclopaedia Britannica as –
“by far the grandest temple in India” – is an
artistically designed temple belonging to the South Indian School of
Architecture. It is also one of those South Indian temples built by a
single school of craftsmen on a pre-conceived architectural design.
Actually, the Big Temple is a little away from the modern town of
Thanjavur. However, its location is deal, as it is situated in the
centre of a well-designed fortress, which has a deep moat running
all-round.
One must be prepared to
spend at least two hours to appreciate the aesthetic significance of
the Big Temple – the totality of its architectural beauty, the
poetry of its sculpture, the unique representations of four human
figures in stone and the poetry of its mural paintings.
Almost immediately, it
becomes clear that the architectural beauty of this temple, cannot be
merely attributed to its size. In fact, it is derived from an
architectural balance of forces between the main structure which is
180 feet long and the superbly beautiful pyramidal tower which rises
to a height of 190 feet. Again this balance is sustained by the
component parts of the pyramidal tower of the vimana (the
elevation of the shrine with the super structure). For the square
base imparts dignity to the thirteen storeyed tapering body which is
turn is set off against he graceful domical finial.
An impressive gateway
dominated by a gopuram(the temple gateway) on the east leads
on to the outer court and again through a more impressive second
gateway into the main court of the temple. This court, paved with
brick and stones, is 500 feet long and 250 feet broad. Actually the
main shrine of Brihadeswara is situated at the western end of the
main court. The main shrine is about 216 feet in height standing on a
basement of about fifty feet high, which is ninety-six square feet.
Again, the basement, the walls and the imposing gopuram contain
lovely sculptures of Shiva in various poses. Furthermore all the
images, though colossal in size, are well-proportioned and reflect
the sculptural perfection of the artisans of the Chola age.
The bronze Nataraja,
situated in a separate shrine to the north of the Nandi bull is one
of the greatest sculptures masterpieces of all time. For this
haunting figure, with one leg arched in that sublime expression of
creativity and the dwarf crushed under the foot of the other in a
whirl of infinite energy that is drawn back into the bronze circle
of infinite repose, reflects the artistic idiom of the Chola age.
Truly one can say of this Nataraja what was said of the Zeus of
Phidias, that all sorrow and misfortune are forgotten when standing
before it. The beauty of this form, with its exquisite equilibrium
of pattern and movement, of infinite energy and infinite repose,
has again and again inspired poetry in the minds of the poets and
artists who have reflected on it.
An interesting feature
is that there are representations of four human figures on the
northern portion of the great vimana. And one observes that these
representations are placed one above the other. According to a
legend, a mason in-charge of the construction – Soma Varma of
Kanchipuram, was inspired and carved the representations of a Chola,
a Nayak, a Mahratta and an European, to highlight the prospective
line of the rulers of Thanjavur in succession. Whether one believes
this interesting legend or not, it is one of those rare places where
such human figures are carved in the technique of South Indian
temple architecture.
Yet another interesting
feature constitutes the remains of the Chola mural paintings in the
Big Temple. These painting can be found in the circumambulatory
corridor of the ardhamandapa (half-hall or the smaller hall
connecting the shrine and the manadaparo the large pillar hall). And
as a result of the removal of the superimposed Nayak paintings, one
is able to perceive the regal splendour of the Chola frescoes. In
fact, colour plays a small part in the Chola paintings. Instead of
adopting an elaborate colour scheme, the Chola painters made
effective use of short brush strokes either in black or in brown to
built up form. These paintings generally represent mythological
subjects. For instance, a painting depicts Shiva in the pose of
warrior. Here one may follow the line from the figure of Shiva as it
moves from the face through the body to the right leg and then on to
the eight arms which leads finally to the four headed Brahma who
functions as the charioteer. At the other end of the spectrum is the
serene figure of Shiva in a relaxed posture which reveals the range
of the Chola painters.
A trip to Thanjavur will
not be complete without visiting three more temples –
Gangaikondacholapuram near Kumbakonam, Nageswaraswami Temple at
Kumbakonam and Airavateswara Temple at Darasuram.
Gangaikondacholapuram is situated near Kumbakonam. This temple was
constructed by Rajendra Cholan (1018-1035 AD), the son and successor
of Rajaraja. Rajendra Cholan modeled this temple on the Big Temple at
Thanjavur . Today this temple is in a state of ruin. Actually one can
only imagine the enormous artificial lake with an embankment nearly
sixteen miles long, which had been constructed by Rajendra Cholan!
However, even in its ruined state, this temple contains several
beautiful sepecimens of Chola sculpture. And the distinguished
historian Vincent Smith regarded them as “the finest sculptures
of any period extant in any part of India.”
The Temple of
Nageswaraswami at Kumbakonam and the temple of Airavateswara at
Darasuram are notable for their fascinating sculptures. In fact they
produce an immediate impact on the visitor. Indeed the aesthetic
impact is derived from the splendour of a mass of carvings of the
highest complexity. In a manner of speaking, the similarities between
the two temples – Nageswaraswamy Temple – about five
kilometres east of Kumbakonam and the Airvateswara Temple at
Darasuram are striking. Incidentally, Darasuram which is close to
Kumbakonam, is a corruption of Rajarajeswaram. And according to
Vincent Smith the sculptures of Nageswaraswami Temple and the
Airavateswara Temple at Darasum “reflect the signature of the
Chola age in its original Thanjavur style.”
The Thanjavur landscape,
the architectural grandeur of the Brihadeswara Temple, the sculptural
excellences of Gangaikondacholapuram, Nageswaraswamy Temple at
Darasuram add up to a perspective of truly poetic art. For it is the
poetry of art that transfigures while it transfixes.
SAINTLY SONGS
As important a gift to
the Tamil people, as is the Brihadeswara Temple, is the retrieval of
the Thevaram by Rajaraja Cholan. The mystic Nyanmarss first sang
these hymns in the Pallava times. The Shaivite saints made an
invaluable contribution to Hindu philosophy and Tamil religious
ardour via these hymns.
After the decline of the
Pallavas, the palm leaves on which these hymns had been styled were
believed to be missing. However, years later, Rajaraja Cholan heard
a hymn being sung in the Thiruvarur Temple and was captivated by its
at once. He found out that at one time, there were many more such
hymns, of which this was believed to be the sole survivor. He ordered
an intensive search for the missing companions, and eventually found
them in the Chidambaram Temple.
The story does not end
here – it continues. The priest at Chidambaram said the hymns
could only be handed over to the authors themselves. A problem, one
would think unsurpassable since these authors were no longer alive.
But, the ingenious king had statutes made of these authors; carried
them to the manuscripts. The 12 tirumurais that have been the
strength and faith of the Tamil people ever since, and an impetus to
build shrines worthy of such faith, are actually the de-codified
Thevaram of the Nyanmars.
BIG IS BEAUTIFUL?
As a thanksgiving to the
Gods, a monument to victory, a paean to the artistic genius of the
Cholas or as a source of employment for generations – which of
these is the real reason for the construction of the Brihadeswara
Temple? One theory says that Rajaraja I built the temple in such
awesome proportions to match in magnificence his sense of religion.
Another version goes that he felt that this could be the best use to
which he could put all the wealth he had won over from the Cheras,
Pandyas and Pallavas.
Legend, however,
attributes to it, a much more romantic reason. Rajaraja Cholan’s
spiritual guide is said to have told him that the black leprosy he
suffered from was due to his past as a ruthless hunter. The cure was
to build a great temple of Lord Shiva and to enshrine in it a lingam
from a distant river bed. When the Shivalingam was raised from the
river waters, it kept growing until it reached magnificent
proportions. Hence the largesse of the temple itself – to house
this lingam!
IN CELEBRATION OF CREATION
‘Precious like a
Chola Bronze’ – a phrase used often enough to extol
anything beautiful and exquisite. These bronze sculptures are a
superb example of the old Dravidian culture – rich and diverse.
Bronze imaging reached its creative peak in the 10th
century AD under the rule of the Cholas when they were created in
hundreds and thousands. The main focus of these bronzes is one the
human body – with all its fullness of form and emotion.
The beautiful bride
Parvati (now in the Sarabhai collection), the Nataraj from
Thiruvarangulam (in the National Museum), Vrishbhantika and Devi from
the Thanjavur Art Gallery, the Ardhanarisvara (half man-half woman,
or Shiva –Parvati – symbolizing that both sexes are part of
a cosmic whole) from Thiruvengadu (now in the Madras Art Gallery) are
all, more than exquisite – very representative of this art of
metal imaging. A celebration of the human form and of creation
itself.
AROUND THANJAVUR
Many of the smaller towns
in the Thanjavur area are famous for their huge and impressive Chola
temples. The enormous temple at Gangaikondacholapuram was built by
Rajendra I – son of Rajaraja Cholan, and is dedicated to Shiva.
A little over 10 kms outside Thanjavur, it is notable for its ‘Liquid
Pillar of Victory’, where all the vassal kings emptied a pot
each of the holy water of the Ganga.
Neighbouring Kumbakonam
is a typical South Indian town and has five temples of which
Kumbeshwar and Nageshwar are important. Legend has it that a kumbh
(pitcher) came to rest here after a big flood – hence its name!
Shiva broke the pitcher with his arrow and its spilled contents
gathered at the sacred Mahamaham Tank.
Four kilometres west of
Kumbakonam is the smalltown of Darasuram whichhas the famous
Airavateswara Temple. The remarkable depict Shiva as the mendicant,
and show a number of sages’ wives standing by – dazzled by
his beauty. As will any visitor to this town.
There are other, smaller,
and lesser known around Thanjavur. Thirukandiyur, Thiruvaiyaru,
Tiruvarur – all worth a visit if you are artistically and
aesthetically inclined. Chidambaram, with the great temple of the
Nataraj (dancing Shiva) is also close by – a short train is also
close by – a short train or bus ride close by- a short train or
bus ride north of Thanjavur.
THE CHOLA KINGS
In 13 centuries of their
recorded rule, they have been vassals to another empire only once!
Few kingdoms in the world have had as long and proud a history as the
Cholas of South India. For centuries, they ruled large parts of Tamil
Nadu and the islands of the Indian Ocean from the Malay Peninsula to
Lakshadweep.
Emerging victorious in
the territorial squabbles of local chieftains, Vijayalaya established
the Chola kingdom in 850 AD, with Thanjai (Thanjavur) as its capital.
His son and successor , Aditya I provided an impetus to the
increasing greatness and power of the Cholas by conquering the land
of the neighbouring Pallava rulers, and his son, in turn, went even
a step further and defeated the Pandavas.
Rajaraja Cholan, the
monarch of Chola Nadu and emperor of its territories beyond the seas,
strengthened an empire that was shaken by its defeat at the hands of
the Rashtrakutas in 949 AD. He began to expand his empire beyond the
Tamil linguistic boundaries and even into Sri Lanka. His son,
Rajendra I consolidated the empire even further, adding to it the
Andamans, Nicobar and Lakshadweep Islands, reaching out even to
Sumatra.
The fortunes of the
Cholas began to wane after Rajaraja II, and the final straw was when
his descendant Kullotunga III tasted defeat at the hands of the
Pandyas of Madurai. Battle glories are now forgotten, but it is
impossible to ignore their architectural and sculptural feats.
GOAL OF ALL ARTS
A king once asked a great
sage to teach him how to make sculptures of the gods. The sage
replied “Someone who does not know the laws of painting can
never understand the laws of sculpture.” The king then requested
him to teach him the laws of painting. “It is difficult to
understand the laws of painting without first understanding dance”,
the sage said “and, it is not possible to understand dance
without a deep understanding of the art of vocal music.”
Vocal music is the source
and goal of all the arts, and this story aptly illustrates the unity
of all arts and the central position occupied by music. Carnatic
music is the music created, performed and heard all over South India.
The fusion of Aryan and Dravidian elements has set a cultural pattern
and given to the music of the South a consciousness all its own.
The words and music
combine to give us concert pieces, music to dance to, balled operas
and more. Music that ca be enjoyed in many many ways. Carnatic music
can be studied, analysed, taught, written down and published.
Doyens like Purandardasa,
Subbukshmi, Madurai Soma Sundaram, Radhajayaraman, and Swati Tirunal
are all great proponents of this classical vocal music form. The
18th century saw the full flowering of the Carnatic
spirit in the works of Syama Sastri, Dikshitar and particularly
Thyagaraja. The simplicity of faith, the ecstasy of a prayer granted
and, above all, a feeling of the imminence of God – all
illustrated, much too well, by his compositions. A composer that made
his indelible mark on Carnatic music. The people of Thanjavur host a
music festival in January every year in his memory.
VISITING THANJAVUR
GETTING THERE
By Air
The nearest airport is at
Madras. One can travel by Vayudoot which connects Thanjavur to
Madurai on Mondays and Fridays. The fare from Madras to Thanjavur is
Rs. 330/-. The Vayudoot leaves Madras at 10 a.m. and reaches
Thanjavur at 11 a.m.
By Rail
The nearest railhead is
Madras. The Rameshvaram Express is convenient. It leaves Madras
every day at about 8.40 p.m. and reaches Thanjavur at about 6 a.m. in
the morning. The fare including reservation is about Rs. 165/-
By Road
Thanjavur is connected by
road to Tiruchirapalli, Madurai, Vellore and Shenacotai. Taxis are
available at reasonable rates.
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