Hinduism - Where Is Tanjore Or Tanjaoor?

 

Tanjore is a city and district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, which is bordered on the east by the Bay of Bengal.

The Tanjore district is located in the Cauvery River delta, south of the river's main channel; this exceptionally fertile region continues to produce a significant portion of India's rice.

The Chola dynasty's fundamental base was this area, and the land's agricultural fecundity was the underlying source of the dynasty's dominance, which spanned much of southern India and even Malaysia at one time.

The Chola dynasty utilized its riches and influence to construct massive temples throughout Tamil Nadu, particularly in the Tanjore area and Tanjore city, which served as their capital.

King Raja Raja (r. 985–1014 C.E. ), who constructed Tanjore's Brhadeshvar temple, and his son Rajendra (r. 1014–1042 C.E. ), whose finest building is the temple at Gangaikondacholapuran, brought the Chola dynasty to its pinnacle.

The Brhadeshvar temple is devoted to Shiva as the "Great Lord," and the Cholas also erected or renovated temples in Kumbhakonam, Thiruvaiyaru, Chidambaram, and Shrirangam.

~Kiran Atma

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Hinduism - What Is The Sun Temple In India?

 

 

Sun Temple is the common name of a specific Hindu temple dedicated to the sun.

The most well-known sun temple is located at Konarak, Orissa, on the Bay of Bengal's coast.

The temple was constructed by King Narasimhadeva (r.1238–1264), a member of the Ganga dynasty, and was designed to resemble the sun's chariot.

At the temple's lowest level, it features twelve huge wheels engraved on the sides, as well as sculptures of many gigantic horses in front.

The lower floors, like those of Khajuraho's temples, are covered with sensual and sexually graphic sculptures, to which many interpretations have been given: Some argue that they legitimize carnal pleasure as a religious route, while others consider them allegorical as expressing human unity with the divine, and yet others believe they teach that the craving for pleasure must be overcome in order to achieve the divine.

The temple was erected on a gigantic scale; the central spire, according to one estimate, would have been over 200 feet tall.

The sandy soil on which the temple plat form was constructed would not have been able to withstand the weight of such a massive edifice, hence it's unclear whether this spire was ever finished.

The most significant factor to the temple's decline has been the same unstable soil.

The jagamohan (assembly hall) is the only remaining building on the site, which was filled with sand in the nineteenth century to avoid further collapse.

For further detail, read Roy Craven's Indian Art, published in 1997.

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