Brihadisvara Temple Gangaikondaicholarpuram - a useful travel guide

Having visited the Brihadisvara Temple in Thanjavur, we also visited the equally well-known Brihadisvara Temple at Gangaikondaicholarpuram in Ariyalur District. Here, too, there is a parking facility.

A little history

Emperor Rajaraja was followed by his son Rajendra I, who shifted the capital of the Empire to the north of Thanjavur and there built an entirely new temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. 

It is this place that is known as Gangaikondaicholarpuram, with reference to one of the military conquests targeted towards the north up to the holy River Ganges from which water was taken. As a respectful deference to Emperor Rajaraja, Rajendra I had this temple built with nine storeys and 5m shorter than the one his father had built.

Features

At the Brihadisvara Temple in Gangaikondaicholarpuram, you can see a variety of forms of the various deities, namely, Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva, and Goddess Durga. Within the interiors, check out the bronze statues, while outside you cannot miss the two Kailash shrines, Northern and Southern, that are representative of the military conquests of Rajendra I and also symbolically refer to the relocation of Moutn Kailasa to the region of the Chola Empire. An interesting feature here is the reservoir that is said to have been built to store the water that had been brought from the River Ganges.

I came across a detailed map of the entire complex. Do check it out, as it will help you to identify the shrines and other structures like the ones above when you visit.

One aspect that you won't miss out on is the Nandi-

Take a closer look at the feet of the Nandi-

Information for Visitors

There is a parking space, and washrooms (don't know specifics about the washroom facility though). 

One plus point of visiting this Brihadisvara Temple at Gangaikondaicholarpuram is that due to the grass underfoot, it is very cool to walk around. It is advisable to visit in the mornings and it tends to get quite crowded in the evenings.

Address-

Brihadisvara Temple Gangaikondaicholarpuram 

District Ariyalur.

Tamil Nadu

For more details visit- 

https://ariyalur.nic.in/tourist-place/gangaikonda-cholapuram/