Hi Friends
The below given post is the first stop of my Heritage Inspired Chola Tour
Part 1 - Ruins of the 10th century Chola Palace
Part 2 -Sculpture Stories, the second next visit to the ancient Gangai Konda Cholapuram Temple
Above is the picture of the great Gangai Konda Cholapuram Temple which stands testimony of the ancient imperial Chola dynasty.
This Temple was built by Rajendra Cholan in the 11th century and he made this place as the capital of Chola kingdom. Till that time Thanjavur was the capital where the present famous Brahadeeswara Temple known as the BIG TEMPLE is located. I will be writing about this Temple in the last part.
In the above picture the big bull is known as Nandi. The Temple is very big and the Nandi seen is also very big. Below is the picture of the same Nandi in night photography.
The picture below shows the steps leading into the Temple which is an architectural masterpiece.
If I am allowed I will stay in that place itself admiring the beauty of the structures. To sculpt a structure takes a very long time, but we pay least attention to them. This place was the capital till the end of the Chola dynasty. Then the Pandya Dynasty took the reigns. There were many battles fought in this place. Hence this Temple suffered the wrath of the war. Many parts of this Temple were damaged by the invading Pandyas.
Below are the pictures of the damaged first arch and the second arch.
From the picture below one can understand the size of the Temple with me standing as reference.
The Temple outer wall has innumerous statues and sculptures each one has a different story. I am sharing below one such picture and the story behind tne sculpture
If you keenly notice in the above picture the skin tone of the male is little dark than the skin tone of the female. All the intricate details are accurately sculpted. This sculpture shows the God and the Goddess seated in a narrow place. The Goddess face shows the signs of uncomfortable seating behind the God. Below near the feet is the king bowing to the God. All these were finely sculpted with hammer and chisel on hard rock. Like this there are many stories of the many sculptures around the Temple. The Temple Gopuram or the steeple is 10 floors high and is hollow in the centre.
OVERALL THIS IS A MAGNIFICENT WONDER.
My review in Google Maps
Thanks for reading and my journey continues in the next part.
of Vandhiyadevan. If possible please read Ponnuyin Selvan a half true and historical fiction. You will never stop till the end if you are a book lover.
