Wish to see the Evolution of Chola Architecture?

Introduction

Cholas especially medieval Cholas ruled South India for a period of 350 years. During this golden period they built temples, dams, lakes and other water bodies that arguably serve food for people living in Tamilnadu today. The Kaveri delta region achieved its full glory during their reign.

You can read about Cholas here

Not just in water management, they have built marvelous architectural temples that still stand today even after a millennia.

Kallani Dam in its full glory in 2019

Just 4 Temples

If you wish to experience first hand, the evolution (~ 250 years reduced to a day or 2 days) of Chola temple architecture you have to visit these 4 temples in this order.

• Thanjavur Brihadisvara temple
• Gangai Konda Cholapuram temple
• Darasuram Airadeeswarar Temple
• Thirubuvanam Kampaheswarar Temple

Jeyamohan has recommended this in one of his speeches.

Contemporary analogy is to see how iPhone has transformed in 13 years of its existence in size and finesse.

Day trip (better 2 days if possible)

Google map directions here

Except for Gangaikonda Cholapuram, all the other 3 temples are on the south side of river Kaveri.

This is Thanjavur big temple. It was built by Rajaraja Chola, before the capital city was moved to Gangaikonda Cholapuram by his son Rajendra Chola. It’s amazing to know that for the rest of 250 years of Chola’s reign it remained as its capital. You can’t see any signs of it today in Cholapuram, just the temple and its ruins.

Anyway, the focus shifts from size and grandeur to finesse when we visit the temples at Darasuram and Thirubuvanam. The first two were built during their ascendency (around 1000 AD) and the next two were built during the start of so called descendency of their kingdom. (~ 1150 AD).

You can read more in books hosted here

Thanjavur temple - Gopuram view in 2019

Have fun!