Brihadeeswarar Temple, also referred to as Rajesvara Peruvudaiyar or Brihadishvara Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva located in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India. It is one of the largest South Indian temple and an exemplary example of a fully realized Tamil architecture. Built by Raja Raja Chola I, the temple is a part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the `Great Living Chola Temples`. The original monuments of this 11th century temple were built around a moat. It included gopura, the main temple, its massive tower, inscriptions, frescoes and sculptures predominantly related to Shaivism, but also of Vaishnvaism and Shaktism traditions of Hinduism. Built out of granite, the vimanam tower above the sanctum is one of the tallest in South India. The temple has a massive colonnaded corridor and one of the largest monolithic Shiva linga sculptures in India. The temple walls have numerous inscriptions in Tamil and Grantha scripts.
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