Mystery of Big temple bull / Nandi Thanjavur!!

Thanjavur big Temple - Huge nandi and Mantap.team-bhp.com

 

 

Big temple tower and nandi mantap, Thanjavur. team-bhp.com

  Above image: In the above image, the entrance tower of the temple (foreground), nandi (bull) mantapam and the shrine (tall tower)  containing the sanctum (garbagraha /srikovil) all fall in the same straight axis. This is true of both Shiva and Vishnu temples. In the latter, Garuda - God Vishnu's mount (eagle) is facing the shrine of God Vishnu.

2010 -1000 years completed. Big temple,Thanjavur.Indian stamp ghar.

Above image: India 2010 Brihadeeswara Temple , Thanjavur, TN  1000th Anniversary..................

Thanjavur big temple flagpole bottopm part(copper) team-bhp.com

 A UNESCO recognized heritage site, the Brihadeeswara temple at Thanjavur city, Tamil Nadu built in 1010 AD  by the great Chola ruler Raja Rajan I, an ardent devotee of God Shiva is a famous destination for foreign tourists, in particular. It is an architectural wonder constructed 1008 years ago with solid hard rock -  mostly  granite and granite related rocks and gneiss.

Bronze Statue of Raja Raja Cholan aka Prince Arul Mozhi VarmanMr.Che Tamil News

Rajaraja Chola I (reign: c. 985 – c. 1014 CE) of the Chola Dynasty in South India has the unique honor of being the first ruler to have built the world's first temple (structure) entirely of granite in the 11th century AD. No other ruler anywhere in the world had done this great feat.  The massive Cupola over the tower  (ornate gopuram  upper section of shrine) right above the garbagraha (sanctum) is believed to have a mass of around 80 tonnes of granite rock. It was the tallest temple in south India long time ago. The unique feature of this temple is it is built  of interlocking stones  with well-ground lime mortar as binding material.

Thanjavur Brihadeeswarar Temple Nandi Mantap. myjourneysinindia.blogspot.com

 

 

The huge stone  bull (Nandi) in the elaborately Nayak built  mantapam right before the entrance to Lord Shiva's main shrine, is big and massive, measuring  about 19 feet long and 12 feet high and 8 1/2 feet wide made of granite stone and  is monolithic - made from a single block of hard stone.  In all Shiva's temple, it is a tradition to place the Nandi in front of the main shrine, facing the presiding deity, Lord Shiva and the entrance, the bull and the idol in the sanctum fall in the same staight  axis.  Here, the huge stone bull directly faces  huge lingam that measures  3.7m tall (one of the largest lingams in India). The nandi itself weighs 25 tons and is made of  hard stone mined from the gneissic bed in the Pachamali area near  Perambalur. Yet another version has it the stone for the Nandi was brought from Narmada in the north.
 With respect to the size of Nandi, there is a legend that says with progress of time the Nandi had begun to grow and at one stage, it was feared, the mantap was not good enough for it. To stop further growth, a big nail was driven in the back of nandi and since then the size had remained same. No more 
growth.

Yet another story goes like this: The nandi grew to the present size due to the presence of a live toad inside the  massive rock. By driving a hole into the back of nandi, the critter was removed to a sacred pond near-by called Manduga Theertham. That spot is fully covered and rebuilt in the form of a well on the north side of Prakara near the Sabhapathi mantap. Even today one can see the cracks in the back of nandi, purportedly the spot from which the toad was removed. How could a live toad inside the rock will make it grow ? There is no scientific explanation for this  available as of today and this may compel us to set it aside as a matter of conjecture.  On the pillars of the nandi mantap one can see two stone carved images. Those are Nayak ruler Sevvappa, first ruler and his son Achyutappa nayak.


The stone bull at Thanjavur  is the largest one in India , next to the stone bull in Veerabhadra temple  at  Lepakshi, in the Anantapur District of Andhra Pradesh, India, 15 km (9.3 mi) east of Hindupur.

 Tit-bits:

Inscripstions and temple tower,Thanjavur , team-bhp.com

Jan. 2015Mattupongal day, big temple nandi. thehindu.com/

 Above image: January, 2015: In the mantapam in front of the Sri Brahadeeswarar Shrine, Thanjavur on the Mattu Pongal day pujas were also offered to a herd of 108 cows on the occasion. The nandi was decorated with fruits and vegetables, including sweets  offered by the devotees on Pongal Day. The bull  was decorated by priests with special prayers as a mark of thanksgiving to the nandi. Later  the deeparathanai was witnessed by thousands of devotees, including hundreds of foreign tourists. The offerings would be cooked and distributed to the devotees following day. It is said that  more than five tonnes of fruits and vegetables were used in the special alankaram for the nandi.  A herd of 108 cows was aligned around the Nandi Mandapam for which people and priests offered go puja.. http:// www. thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/befitting-treat-for-big-temple-nandi/article6795919.ece

Ref:

https://www.quora.com/How-come-there-is-a-foreigners-statue-in-tanjore-big-temple

http://www.thewanderingsoul.in/2016/10/architectural-brilliance-delight-divine_12.html