Rajaraja Chola: Icons of Bharatavarsha

Sanatana Dharma has been in existence in this country since time immemorial. Across centuries, it has faced innumerable trials and tribulations. As mentioned in Bhagavad Gita, God manifests himself in this world whenever there is a need to protect his devotees, reform the evil and establish righteousness. At times, he also sends his devotees to help in this cause. In this series we are going to meet some of these icons who have done yeomen service for the protection of Sanatana Dharma. These are of different personalities, from different centuries and from different parts of the country, but they are all united in their spirit to uplift the moral principles of our religion. Today’s post is about Rajaraja Chola. 

Rajaraja Chola

Over the course of history, we see few kings who earned the love of their countrymen. Kings who are celebrated by future generations are fewer. Rajaraja Chola is one such rare monarch from South India who is still celebrated even after thousand years of his reign. Rajaraja (original name: Arulmozhi Varman) was born around 947 CE in South India. He was the son of the Chola king Parantaka II (Sundara) and Vanavan Mahadevi. He had an elder brother, Aditya and an elder sister, Kundavai. When his elder brother predeceased him, he ascended the throne,  adopting the name Rajaraja (“King among Kings”).

His military conquests and administrative skills are legendary. However what made him the darling of his people and of the future generations are his services in preserving Sanatana Dharma. The Brihadishwara temple he built and his contribution towards collection and compilation of the texts (Thirumurai) of Saivaite saints such as Appar, Sambandar and Sundarar bear testimony to his devotion and sense of duty to the Lord.

Construction of Brihadishwara Temple

In 1010 CE, Rajaraja Chola consecrated the Brihadishwara Temple in his capital city of Thanjavur. It is also known as Periya Kovil, Peruvudaiyar temple, RajaRajeswara Temple and Rajarajeswaram. The grandeur and unparalleled architecture of the temple has stood testimony to the artisan-ship of the craftsman of yesteryears. For its sheer architectural design, the temple has been listed under the World Heritage Monuments.

Built with granite, the Vimana tower ( 216 ft, 66 m) above the sanctum is one of the tallest such structures in the country. The apex of the temple is carved out of a single rock and weighs around 80 tons. The temple has one of the largest Shiva Lingas in India. The statue of Nandi (sacred bull – 16 feet long and 13 feet high) at the entrance is also a marvel.

What is interesting is that the source of granite with which the temple is constructed is not found anywhere within 60 Kms of the area. So almost all of it has been brought from several places outside the city. In fact, it is believed that some of the huge rocks were transported from as far as the Himalayas through inland waterways. And it took Rajaraja Chola only 5 years to complete such a massive project.

Diligent Record Keeping

Rajaraja recorded all the grants made to the Thanjavur temple along with his services to the temple. He also preserved the achievements of his predecessors in his records. An inscription found at Tirumalavadi records an order which mentions how an earlier engraving in the central shrine of the Vaidyanatha temple was re-engraved when Rajaraja rebuilt the temple. Goes on to show how much importance the king gave to prior engravings and how much considerate he was to historical references.

An inscription on the north wall of Brihadishwara temple provides a detailed account of people employed and supported by the temple. This conclusively proves how temples served as centers of social, religious and economic activity. The inscription gives details on names, roles, wages etc., of over 600 people including priests, lamp lighters, washer-men, tailors, jewelers, potters, carpenters, dancers, musicians, accountants etc., among others. It also documents details of gifts provided by the King and other subjects for Annadaana and other donations towards temple repairs and maintenance. These inscriptions are living proof of how ‘paropakaram‘ (charity) was practiced during those times.

Compilation of Saiva Thirumurai

Rajaraja was also responsible for the compilation of the texts of Tamil Saivaite poets Appar, Sambandar and Sundarar. After hearing short excerpts of Thevaaram in his court, he was determined to recover all the hymns. He sought the help of the poet under his patronage, Nambi Andar Nambi. By divine intervention Nambi found the scripts in Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram which were however damaged by white ants. Nambi retrieved them and collated the hymns of Sambandar, Appar and Sundarar as the first seven books. The rest of 5 books formed the works of remaining 63 Poets (Nayanmars) including himself.

The completed work is wholly known as Tirumurai. Thus Rajaraja is hailed for setting the stage for compilation of Saiva literature . Rajaraja thus came to be known as Tirumurai Kanda Cholan (one who saved Tirumurai).

Another reform that Rajaraja brought about was the consecration of Nayanmar statues inside the temples. Thus far Shiva temples only had images of God forms and no mortal images. Rajaraja consecrated the images of the saint-poets all through the streets of Chidambaram. Eventually images of the Nayanmar saints found their place inside the temple.

Religious Tolerance and Fairness

Rajaraja was ardent devotee of Lord Shiva. In fact, he came to be known as Shiva Paada Shekara on account of the same. In spite of this, he was fair to his subjects following all religions. Due to his tolerance and philanthropic attitude, he had several temples for Vishnu constructed during his time. He also built Buddhist monasteries or stupas during his period. He also encouraged the construction of the Buddhist Chudamani Vihara at the request of the Srivijaya king Sri Maravijaya Tungavarman. Through his deeds he brought about communal harmony among his citizens using spirituality.

Rajaraja Chola attained mukthi in1014 CE and was succeeded by his son Rajendra Chola. The son proved to be an even greater king than his father. We all can do our mite to pass on his great legacy by remembering his great spiritual deeds and follow the path of righteousness.