Temples – GOPS

THE GREAT LIVING CHOLA TEMPLES, PART 3 of 3 : DARASURAM (தாராசுரம்)

The Chola Dynasty (300 BC – 1279 CE) of Southern India were followers of Shaivism and great patrons of arts, literature & poetry . Chola Kings (Tamil : சோழர்) were one among the most prominent rulers of India, who built several Shiva Temples around the world, many of these are still in existence. ‘The Great Living Chola Temples’ the name given to a group of three architectural marvels built by the Chola Kings, still exist at Thanjavur, Gangaikondacholapuram and Darasuram in TamilNadu. These three temples are unique for their Dravidian architecture and incredible artistic skills. The mighty Brihadeeswarar temple ( Read about it here ) at Thanjavur (Big Temple, Peruvudaiyar Kovil) was completed in 1010 AD by emperor Raja Raja Chola I (985–1014 AD) . Brihadeeswarar temple which turned 1000 years old in 2010 is one of the biggest temples in India and a World Heritage Monument of UNESCO. Rajendra Chola-I (1012-1044 AD) son of the Great Rajaraja-I who believed to have conquered the lands upto Ganga river in North was known as Gangaikondacholan . He was one of the most famous Chola Kings whose Kingdom spread across most parts of Southern India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Sumatra, Kadaram (now Kedah in Malaysia) and […]

THE GREAT LIVING CHOLA TEMPLES, PART 2 of 3 : GANGAIKONDA CHOLAPURAM (கங்கைகொண்ட சோழபுரம்)

‘The Great Living Chola Temples’ is the name given to a group of three architectural wonders built in the Medieval Chola period, that remain intact till date at Thanjavur, TamilNadu. These three temples, viz., Brihadiswara (<click), Gangaikondacholapuram and Darasuram (<click) are unique for their dravidian architecture, advanced scientific knowledge and incredible artistic skills. I think you may please go through the story of Raja Raja Chola and the mighty Brihadiswara Temple built by him, before reading this page. Rajendra Chola-I (இராசேந்திர சோழன் 1012-1044 AD, son of the Great Rajaraja-I) who ventured into the North of India upto the Ganga river and brought the water back with him was known as Gangaikondacholan ( The Chola who brought Ganga) . Having one of the best Naval armies of their time, Rajendra started expanding his father’s Kingdom further across the oceans. He was one of the most famous Chola Kings whose Kingdom spread across most parts of Southern India and regions in Northern India like Kalinga (current day Orissa), Bihar, Bengal/Bangladesh, foreign areas like Sri Lanka, Burma, , Bali, Java, Sumatra, Kadaram (now Kedah in Malaysia) and Cambodia. The Hindu traditions being followed in Indonesia and Angkor Wat temples in Combodia are the […]

THE GREAT LIVING CHOLA TEMPLES, PART 1 of 3 : BRIHADISWARA (பெருவுடையார் கோயில்)

‘The Great Living Chola Temples’ is the name given to a group of three architectural wonders built in the Medieval Chola period, that remain intact till date at Thanjavur, TamilNadu. These three temples, viz., Brihadiswara, Gangaikondacholapuram (<click) and Darasuram (<click) are unique for their dravidian architecture, advanced scientific knowledge and incredible artistic skills. During my journeys through the reminiscences of Chola empire, I could witness the birth, growth and death of a dynasty that ruled almost all of Southern India for the longest duration. Though the exact origin of Chola dynasty is not known, it is believed that they were contemporaries of Ashoka during 300BC and continued the reign until 1279 AD. Like most of the remarkable civilizations built around rivers, Chola land was also developed around the Kaveri river basin and their glorious past is still evident from the mighty temples they left behind in the region. Raja Raja Cholan and his son Rajendra Cholan were the most prominent among them all who marked the golden period during the 460 years of Chola rule. Cholas possessed one of the best Naval powers of their time and that helped them conquer the Northern half of SriLanka in 996 AD . […]

Oct 28

by GOPAN NAIR in Indian architecture & Heritage 9 comments tags: architecture, blog, buddha, buddhism, buddhist, caves, cut, elephanta, ellora, ferry, gateway, gharapuri mural, gop.org, gopan, gopan g nair, gops, gops photography, heritage, hindu, hinduism, india, MUMBAI, of, photography, rock, shiva, shrine, site, temple, Temples, tourism, unesco, WORLD

EXQUISITE ELEPHANTA CAVES

Artillery firing continued profusely for weeks and months without having a single enemy in the vicinity. In fact, the Portuguese soldiers were firing cannon balls at the mighty rock sculptures in Elephanta caves for target practicing. A journey through the timeline of explorations, invasions and colonization would reveal the bloodshed and destruction that accompanied every successful event. Successors of those ruthless invaders who turned the treasures of a great country into heaps of rubble and sand must feel ashamed of their forefathers’ deeds. While we boast about the rich culture and heritage of India, those disturbing facts are often being ignored. Gharapuri was the name of that ancient island kingdom situated near Mumbai harbour. Gharapuri literally means ‘City of Caves’ in Marathi language. Traces of early inhabitation that dates back to 2nd century BC is still visible in this little island. For travelers visiting Mumbai, it would be a quick escapade from the hustle and bustle of one of the largest cities in the world. The island consists of two small hillocks on its east and west sides with a narrow ravine situated in the middle. Caves and sculptures have been carved out of Basalt rock similar to that existed […]

Oct 22

by GOPAN NAIR in Indian architecture & Heritage, travel 4 comments tags: ajanta, architecture, aurangabad, blog, buddha, buddhism, buddhist, caves, cut, ellora, gop.org, gopan, gopan g nair, gops, gops photography, heritage, hindu, hinduism, india, jain, jaina, Kailasa, Kailasanatha, Kailasha, monastery, mural, photography, river, rock, site, temple, Temples, tourism, USESCO, WORLD

ENCHANTING ELLORA

Ellora Cave Complex is situated 29 Kms North-West of Aurangabad, a prominent city located 300 Kms away from Mumbai in India. The name Ellora has been derived from Elapura, what the place was originally known as. Carved out of Volcanic basalt rock, this group of temples and monasteries are dedicated to Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism spanning between 600-1000 AD. Out of a hundred caves discovered, 34 are accessible to the public today. Millions of years back, ancient volcanic lava flowed past the Deccan plateau and solidified to form multiple layers of fine-grain basaltic rock. Evidence of early human settlement dating back to upper Palaeolithic period (10,000 to 20,000 years old) has been located in this area. Ellora had a close proximity to a famous trade route since the Satavahana dynasty’s period (271 BC to 30 BC). Perhaps that was the reason why Ellora never got abandoned and lost to oblivion like Ajanta caves. (Read about Ajanta here>>) Though the exact period of construction has not been traced out, it is believed that this spectacular architecture was the contribution from King Krishna#1 of Rashtrakuta dynasty (760 AD). The written records of Arab travellers who visited Ellora during 10th century give us a […]

Oct 01

by GOPAN NAIR in Indian architecture & Heritage, travel 6 comments tags: ajanta, architecture, aurangabad, blog, buddha, buddhist, caves, cut, gop.org, gopan, gopan g nair, gops, gops photography, heritage, india, monastery, mural, photography, river, rock, site, Temples, tourism, USESCO, waghora, WORLD

AJANTA CAVES : WHEN ROCKS TELL STORIES

Around 450 kilometres away from the hustle and bustle of Mumbai, one of the busiest cities of the world, there lies the jewel in the crown of ancient India. ‘Ajanta’ is a classic example of Indian art, Architecture, Culture and Religion integrated into a set of magnificent cave temples. Ajanta consists of a total of 29 Buddhist monasteries and sanctuaries belonging to the Theravada and Mahayana Buddhist traditions dating from 2nd century BC to 6th century AD. This wondrous architectural masterpiece had been lying abandoned and hidden away for thousands of years, until it was re-discovered by a group of British soldiers in 1819. 104 Km away from the city of Aurangabad in Maharashtra, the river Waghora descends down in a series of seven steps, forms a pool called Saptakund and flows further down through a narrow sinuous gorge adjoining a horse-shoe shaped rock. The caves had been carved on the sheer vertical face of this rock with incredible precision & artistic skills. From the shape of the rock and its geological properties, it is evident that the site was formed by an ancient volcanic eruption in Deccan plateau. It was on 28th of April 1819, a group of soldiers […]

Apr 23

by GOPAN NAIR in Indian architecture & Heritage 12 comments tags: aihole, Badami, bangalkot, Bhaje, cave, caves, chalukya, fort, Ganapatim, gop.org, gopan, gopan g nair, gops, gops photography, hindu, india, jain, karnataka, mahakoota, mahakuta, Malegitti, Nataraja, pattadakal, pattadakallu, RAVALPHADI, RAVANA PHADI, RAVANAPHADI, Shivalaya, shrine, Temples, tour, tourism, vatapi

BADAMI : MAGNIFICENT CAVES OF ANCIENT INDIA

BADAMI (ಬದಾಮಿ or Vatapi as it was known originally) is an ancient temple town located in the Bangalkot district of Nothern Karnataka in India. The place ‘Badiamaioi’ mentioned by Greek Geographer Ptolemy (150 AD) has been identified as Badami. Badami was the capital of Chalukya dynasty who ruled several parts of Karnataka between 540 to 757 AD. The town of Badami lies 460 Kms from Bangalore, situated at the mouth of a ravine protected by huge red sandstone ridges on either sides with a beautiful lake (Agastya lake) in the middle. Legend has it that Badami was named after an asura called Vatapi who got killed by sage Agastya. Chalukya rulers had fortified the hills surrounding the town and built several temples in and around the area. The temples and ruins at Badami, Pattadakkal, Aihole and Mahakuta are good examples of Chalukya architecture. The most famous among this group of temples are the rock-cut cave temples built between 6th and 8th centuries AD. There is a famous Carnatic recital “Vatapi Ganapatim Bhaje” praising lord Ganesha at Vatapi, composed by Muthuswami Dikshitar. The Chalukyas were defeated by Pallavas in 7th century and the idol of Vatapi Ganapati was transferred to TamilNadu which […]

THE GREAT LIVING CHOLA TEMPLES, PART 3 of 3 : DARASURAM (தாராசுரம்)

THE GREAT LIVING CHOLA TEMPLES, PART 2 of 3 : GANGAIKONDA CHOLAPURAM (கங்கைகொண்ட சோழபுரம்)

THE GREAT LIVING CHOLA TEMPLES, PART 1 of 3 : BRIHADISWARA (பெருவுடையார் கோயில்)

EXQUISITE ELEPHANTA CAVES

ENCHANTING ELLORA

AJANTA CAVES : WHEN ROCKS TELL STORIES

BADAMI : MAGNIFICENT CAVES OF ANCIENT INDIA

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