Exploring the Chola Temples
The Cholas were once the mightiest rulers of South India with their influence stretching as far as Sri Lanka and Indonesia. During the middle ages, around the 11th and 12th centuries, they were also prolific builders of some mighty impressive temples. We visited just a few of them on our journey through the central plains of Tamil Nadu.
It seemed quite an ordinary town as we approached, busy, horns honking incessantly, fruit & veg stalls lining the streets, tuk tuks and motorbikes everywhere, and then rising from the centre we saw the huge pastel-coloured gopuram.
Kumbakonam is known as ‘temple town’, with 4 large temples in the centre along with multiple smaller shrines and further ones on the outskirts. To avoid ‘temple fatigue’ we’d intended to just see the Saranganpani temple in the centre but the entrance was somewhat elusive and we wandered into the smaller Arulmigu Kumbeswarar temple by accident. And we were very happy we did.
The entrance was unremarkable, unless you looked up to see the five storied pastel-painted gopura towering above, with a long, hot pathway leading to the inner temple entrance. I decided against taking my shoes off too soon, didn’t want burnt soles again, and so was able to walk slowly down the brick path instead of hopping madly. The enclosing walls were striped red and white like a circus tent and halfway down was a small black statue of Nandi cloaked in white watching the temple entrance.
Shoes off and into the dark temple interior, welcomed by the white robed priests, who happily showed us around and let us take photos. It was wonderfully atmospheric, smoky incense filled the air and the flames from tiny butter candles flickered in the passing draft, the remains of flower petals floating in the melted butter. Blackened statues of deities draped in gold cloth hid in niches along the dark walls juxtaposed with the garishly bright painted figures used in ceremonies; pale pink cows, a pair of white horses with golden reins, an unidentifiable grey beast that looked like a cross between a pig and a hippo and a magnificent blue peacock with extravagant green and purple plumage.
The stone flags were hot outside the inner temple (more mad hopping about) where small shrines with pastel-painted tops could be found, white symbols chalked on the steps leading up to the darkened interiors where further soot blackened statuses of Shiva and Ganesh stood swathed in jewel bright cloth, a pile of tiny terracotta dishes collapsed nearby.
We found the entrance to the larger Sarangapani temple down a narrow alley between a bakery and a phone shop with the huge 11 storey rajagopuram over 50m high dominating our view as we approached. Sarangapani meaning ‘one who has the bow in his hand’ in Sanskrit is dedicated to Shiva and founded around the 12th century. Every inch of the gopura was covered in sculptures, many of Shiva and his consort Lakshmi, along with elephants and rearing horses, mythical creatures, well- endowed dancers and statues not suitable for children’s eyes. As is typical in Tamil Nadu, this animation was painted in pastel hues of lilac, green, blue and peach and was an impressive, albeit slightly garish, sight.
Past the temple cowshed and manically grinning horses (wooden statues not real), the pillared hall was once again dark blackened by smoke and smelling of incense (not cow). Intricate carved columns were topped with wide mouthed faces supporting a high ceiling, and two small bunches of green bananas hanging incongruously from the central column, leading to the inner sanctuary which had a chariot-like appearance with large carved elephants, horses and wheels.
Sarangapani was larger and grander but we preferred the atmospheric intimacy of Arulmigu Kumbeswarar.
Just 3km from Kumbakonam in the small village of Darasuram lies the UNESCO listed Airavatesvara temple built in the 12th century by Chola king Rajaraja II. Also dedicated to Shiva it’s named after ‘Airavat’ the majestic white elephant of Lord Indra. No pastel paint in sight, this was a beautiful, natural pale yellow stone. And I much preferred it.
The temple was spectacular and full of beautiful intricate carvings. The main stonework here is also in the form of a chariot, but much clearer. Galloping horses reared in front of multi-spoked wheels along the base of the main hall. Wide decorative steps supported by carved elephants lead up to the columned platform. Most wonderfully, the seven steps are musical, each playing a different note. Unfortunately we couldn’t get them to sing quite in tune. But they were beautiful.
All 108 columns of the pavilion were different (apparently, we didn’t check every single one) with dancers, acrobats, mythical creatures and intricate twisted patterns all blackened with the smoke from the candles and incense. The resident priest insisted on blessing us, twice (twice blessed, twice pay), and we received red (energy & auspicious) and white (purity & peace) tilaks, though these were soon just sweat smeared smudges on our foreheads.
Columned passageways lined the exterior walls, providing a thankful shelter from the searing sun and a wonderful vantage point to gaze on the fabulous structure and marvel at the intricate carvings still so vivid after all this time. Indian women’s colourful outfits, bright pinks, yellows, green and blue, a beautiful contrast against the soft natural colour of the stone.
And then onto the big noisy city of Thanjavur and the Brihadeeswarar temple, also known as the Big Temple – far easier. (Simon’s written a bit about the city).
One of the largest temples in India, with the main vimana over 61m high, second only to the pyramids of Egypt at the time it was built in 1010 by the great Chola king Rajaraja I, it is probably the greatest of Chola temple architecture and also UNESCO listed.
Size was obviously important to Rajaraja I, as well as creating the tallest temple, he also dedicated it to Shiva in the form of a giant lingam (a phallic representation of divine generative energy). All 3.66m of it. Unfortunately, it’s not on view – to avoid feelings of inferiority, maybe?
Entrance is through two huge gopura with images of fanged door guardians facing each other and bearing down on you as you walk through. Inside the massive courtyard is lined on three sides by colonnaded passageways, the northern one apparently the longest in India (size again). In the centre is a temple dedicated to Nandi with, you’ve guessed it, a massive statue of the sacred bull at nearly 5 metres long sculptured from a single rock. It sits beneath a carved, stone canopy with ceiling frescoes painted in deep blue and pale gold, sheathed in white and guarded by a priest.
King Rajaraja’s greatness also ran to hundreds of servants, all of whose names are carved on the walls around the temple; 400 female dancers as well as musicians, tailors, potters, astrologers and attendants for the many rituals and processions that go with being a great king – not sure what happened if they died, or left, or maybe that wasn’t allowed?
The temple was magnificent in the morning but more so in the late afternoon light when the stone glowed red and pink and the complex was full of women wearing bright orange saris. A sight I didn’t see due to a stinking cold, but the photos are pretty good.
And I did eventually remember to take some socks with me to protect my delicate English soles from being burnt…….
Helen (7th April 2025)
The temples look amazing with such detail on them!
They’re incredibly detailed, but most of it you can’t really see so well from ground level unfortunately. What you can see is fab though…
Beautiful descriptions Helen, looks incredible.
Thanks Angela – like so much of India, it was amazing
Helen they hid the giant lingam because they knew you were visiting.
Hmmm. Not entirely sure what’s being suggested there……
Just catching up with all your posts, I’m almost as bad with my personal emails as my work ones, but not quite! 😃
Loving all the updates and the pictures. The writing and photos are fab and it’s great to keep updated with where you are.
Helen, sorry you weren’t well for a bit and glad you’re better.
Simon, sounds excruciating but hope he was able to help with your problems!
Question for you both: does everyone speak English? I was going to ask if you know any… but to my shame, I don’t know what or how many languages there are in India?!
Hi Katrina – lovely to hear from you. We’re both fine now by the way (though I’ve had to go to another clinic as I had a bleeding eye in the night! – sorted now). Good question about language. You can always find someone who speaks English – it’s very widely spoken, so you never have any issues with that. There are loads of languages spoken here though – Hindi’s the most common in general but where we’ve been it’s mainly Tamil, Malayalam and Gujurati (and will be Punjabi later). We know bugger all about any of these. We may have to learn a wee bit of Urdu as we move into Pakistan however, as considerably less English is spoken there we understand. Hopefully enough for us to get by…..
Another great update I knew it size does matter. Beautiful photos
Size does matter? That’s not what Simon says….