Rajarajeshwaram - The pinnacle of Chozha architecture - 1

Rajarajeshwaram or Brihadheeshwara temple aka Big Temple of Thanjavur, is one of the magnum opus of the great Chozha Emperor Raja Raja Chozhan. The Kumbabhishekam of this temple is going to happen of 5^th February, 2020. I’m very much excited to witness the divine occasion of this great temple. Also on the other hand, excited to share with you that I’d be posting very interesting truths and history of this architectural marvel of Raja Raja Chozhan.

The Rajarajeshwaram

This temple once was partly destructed by Malik Kafur, which is very shocking that, how this barbaric Sultanate eunuch chief reached and looted Brihadheeshwara temple and Srirangam which were such remote place at that time.

Rajarajeshwaram v/s Taj Mahal

Our ancestors were such geniuses and great scientist who used amazing techniques to build great temples. People who consider The Taj Mahal as a world wonder have not seen my Brihadheeshwara temple it seems. It took 17 years for Shah Jahan to build the decorated Taj Mahal with white marbles, whereas it just took 6 years for my great King Chozhan to build this real wonder of the world, not just decorating but also showcasing the skills and the rich arts practices of that period with many interesting sculptures that were made in hard granite stones and beautiful murals as well. These are just some simple facts about the temple. This temple has much more mind boggling science and traditional building techniques.

Thanjavur & Chozhas

Vijayalaya Chozha, the first king of this dynasty, succeeded the Mutharayars, a feudal king under the Pallavas dynasty in 850 A.D. Vijayalaya Chozhan also established a temple for Goddess Nisumbasudhini in Thanjavur after that. Since then Thanjavur always remained as a strong capital for the Chozha dynasty for at least 200 years. During these centuries, this dynasty spread up to the Tungabadhra River in the north, Sri Lanka in the south and Maldives and Lakshwadeep in the southwest.

Karuvurar Thevar, Shaivite saint and Guru of Emperor Raja Chozhan, describes Thanjavur as "Inji Soozh Thanjai" (இஞ்சி சூழ் தஞ்சை) in his 'Thiruvisaipa', which means that the main city of Thanjavur was surrounded by a moat and a fortified wall during the 11^th century. We can still see the moat that runs surrounding the temple as well covering some part of the city. But it is in bad shape now. The city was getting its water supply from the Vadavar River.

Rajarajiicharam

The name of the temple originally called by the Chozhas is “Rajarajiicharam”, as per the inscriptions found from the temple. Rajarajeshwaram is the correct grammatical pronunciation of the name. The name Brihadheeshwara temple is derived from 'Brihath & Ishwaram' which indicates the big size Lingam of this temple. Another reason that this Rajarajeshwaram got its ‘Big temple’ name is because of the tallest Vimana.

  

The main architect of Rajarajeshwaram as found from the inscriptions of this temple is Veerachozha Kunjaramallan – Rajaraja Perunthachan.

Location & Panchabhootam

Location of the temple and moat around the city

The temple is located at the heart of the Thanjavur city, which was then the capital of Chozha dynasties. The temple’s location seems like a strategic location. As per the local legends, no natural calamities can harm the temple. There are 5 temples of Lord Shiva, each one dedicated to one Panchabhootam (5 Elements), this Brihadheeshwara temple in Thanjavur is one temple unlike others where all the 5 Panchabhootam are integrated.

Foundation of Rajarajeshwaram

The foundation of the temple is another surprising factor. The height of the Vimana of this temple is 216 ft. whereas the foundation is just 6 ft. The foundation of this temple is built in lime deposit, because of this which the temple can survive any strong earthquakes as well. The lime deposit underneath the temple will adjust itself to the changes of tectonic plates which is caused by earthquakes. The famous Thanjavur Thalayatti Bommais’ represents this scientific model of the temple. The special Thanjavur toys comes to rest after shaking for a while, that’s how the foundation of the Brihadheeshwara temple also works.

There are many rumors that still prevails among the people about this temple. Next post will elaborately talk about the rumors that revolve the temple. Stay tuned!!!

Yours East Gaterr

Nepathya's Kudiyattam

It was the beginning of winter season in Delhi and I came across this news about UNESCO and the Aga Khan trust hosting the Nepthya’s Kudiyattam in the amphitheatre of Sunder Nursery, a world heritage site hosting the first intangible cultural heritage element of the UNESCO’s list on 15^th Nov 2019.

Just after that, I couldn’t contain the excitement to witness the 2000 years old traditional theatre art form. I never knew that I was about to witness such an energetic performance that day.

Balivadham - Lord Rama, Lakshmana, Sugreeva and  Hanuman (Left to right)

Nepathya – centre for excellence in Kudiyattam, headed by Sh. Margi Madhu is the only institute which still continues the long historical practice of this two millennia-old Sanskrit theatre form. Initially, this play was confined just for the temples on various traditional occasions.
 

Margi Madhu as Vaali, Dr. Indu G as Tara

There are permanent structures called 'Koothambalam' ('Koothu' means drama and 'Ambalam' means stage) in every prominent temple of Kerala, dedicated just for the performance of this theatre form. Long back ago, 18 families took up this sacred art form as a profession, but now it’s just only five families and a few have professionally taken this art.

Vaali in deathbed

Kudiyattam ('Kuti' means combine and 'Aattam' means performance) is a much more inclusive form than it was originally performed. The male actors are called as 'Chakyars' and the female performers are known as 'Nangiars' and the drummers are known as 'Nambiars'. The Kudiyattam comprises of both 'Nangiar Koothu' and 'Prabhandha Koothu'. 

Rahul Chakyar as Sreerama - The divine smile

One single act of Kudiyattam could stretch up to forty nights as well. One important feature of this art form is that this considers single Acts from Sanskrit as full-fledged plays. They will light up a big lamp in front of them, even in such long duration of the act the actors will be performing for the Gods assuming the lamp as a god. The individual acts are given importance rather than going into the full text of Sanskrit. The enlargement of the movements and emotions are the primary focus of the Kudiyattam.

With the whole team

With Shri Mari Madhu

About the make-up which is another great art and needs much patience to work for it. Make-up takes at least five to six hours to get ready for the performance. All the make-up cosmetics they use have only natural ingredients and the costume that all they use is handmade only.

With Dr. Indu G

Since the emphasis is more on the acting, this, in turn, provides bare minimal dialogues for the actors. This, in turn, results in the improvised expressions as the audience engages and imagine and dwells into the play.

Angry Vaali

At the first place, after reaching the venue of their performance, seeing them closer with the make-up, I recollected my memories of silly fear that I had during my childhood, seeing such artistes since a child doesn’t know about it. 

With the Mizhavu players Jinesh and Aswin

I don’t have words to explain my first ever experience of lively watching Kudiyattam. I had at least hundreds of goosebumps and the chills running through my spine throughout the play of 'Balivadham'. I never cared about the winter since we were watching it in the amphitheatre. Throughout the play, I couldn’t take off my eyes from the actors. Also, the 'Mizhavu' players at the back, played with such coordination and their energy was like that of one thunder. The actors were still covered with the help of their costumes whereas the Mizhavu players were with their bare bodies and were like sweating during their play. That sums up the energy and dedication they have. 

Shri Margi Madhu when portraying Narasimha in the play

The actors, be it Chakyars or the Nangiars, the acting was in such detail, the eyelids, eyebrows, cheeks and even the fingers were moving in such detail. Every actor on stage does not only plays his/her role, but they should also portray other characters they talk about, but such is also the powerful acting they do in Kudiyattam. The dedication and intense expression come as a result of such dedication and their respect towards the art form. They are not just learning and acting, the tradition of their whole family is being devotionally followed throughout different generations and is passed on to the next.

Starting the play

I became a die-hard fan of this art form in the very first live experience. I couldn’t come out of the energetic vibes after the performance. I couldn’t resist myself from clicking selfies with the best every Kudiyattam performers. 

Yours East Gaterr
 
Note: Photo Courtesy - Nepathya & UNESCO