Brihadisvara Temple Audio Guide
Explore Brihadisvara Temple with Stanza's GPS-triggered offline audio guide.
About the Tour
The Brihadisvara Temple is an 11th-century Chola Tamil temple located in Thanjavur, India. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, renowned for its Dravidian architecture and a towering vimana.
What you will hear
The Dakshina Meru Vimana: An Engineering Marvel
The 66-meter main tower, constructed entirely of granite and topped with an 80-ton monolithic capstone.
The Divine Dance
See the ancient dance poses of India captured forever in stone, a tradition that continues at the temple today.
The Maha-mandapa: Hall of Gathering
The great gathering hall leading to the inner sanctum, featuring massive pillars and guardian deities.
Steps to the Great Hall
Enter the massive granite gathering hall where devotees have prepared for worship for over ten centuries.
The Sanctum Guardian
Examine the incredible detail of this massive guardian figure, carved to remind visitors of the divine power within.
The Inner Sanctum: The Great Lord and Hidden Frescoes
The heart of the temple, housing the massive Shiva Linga and a hidden layer of 11th-century Chola frescoes.
The Great Lord
Deep within the inner sanctum stands the temple's namesake, a massive stone pillar representing Shiva that rises nearly nine meters into the darkness.
The Emperor's Portrait
This mural, hidden for centuries behind layers of later paint, provides a rare glimpse of Emperor Rajaraja I himself alongside his spiritual advisor.
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