980 Years Old Great Living Chola Temples UNESCO SITE Royalty-Free Stock Photography

Brihadisvara Temple (originally known as Peruvudaiyar Kovil) locally known as Thanjai Periya Kovil, and also called Rajarajeswaram, is a Hindu Dravidian styled temple dedicated to the god Shiva located in South bank of Cauvery River in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India. It is one of the largest Hindu temples and an exemplary example of a fully realized Tamil architecture. It is called as Dakshina Meru (Meru of south).[5] Built by Chola emperor Rajaraja I between 1003 and 1010 CE, the temple is a part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the Great Living Chola Temples Built using granite, the vimana tower above the shrine is one of the tallest in South India 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