Bharatiya Pragna - Dr. Th Chowdary

it as ‘Rajarajeswaram’ after himself. He, along
with family and other close members, made numerous
endowments to this temple. The inscriptions
inside the temple give a vivid explanation on
those endowments together with the details of
their value, interest on them, method of giving &
receiving, regular donations for the customs &
rituals, giving an overall picture of the system prevailing
then. The Chola Grantha & Tamil inscriptions
also give an elaborate idea on how the dance,
music & fine arts were cultivated and
served in the temple. The details on the
customs & rituals including the chanting
of Vedas & Devaram Hymns, serve
as a great testimony of the Tamil-Hindus’
acceptance, reverence & appreciation
of both Sanskrit & Tamil, considering
both as ‘Divine’ languages. We
can also understand from the inscriptions
that a large section of people comprising
dancers, musicians, drummers,
choir groups, singers, sculptors, painters,
carpenters, cooks, gardeners,
flower vendors, Sanskrit & Tamil Pundits,
Archagas, watchmen, accountants
and a host of other officials and servants
were all benefited by the temple.
Interesting Facts of Big Temple:
Experts and researchers have
given certain interesting facts about the
Big Temple: -
Rajaraja Chola constructed two long
streets exclusively for the accommodation
of more than 400 dancers,
whose names and addresses have
been recorded in the inscriptions.
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All these dancers, accompanied by more than
100 musicians, performed and worshipped
Bhagwan Shiva during the six poojas (Aaru
kaala poojas) every day.
The temple is constructed of large blocks of
granite and the stone constituting the ‘Sikhara’
(Peak) is said to weigh 80 tonnes, taken to the
top by means of an inclined plane, which was
believed to have had its base almost 6 kms
away.
November & December 2008 Bharatiya Pragna