India: Cholapuram – Gangaikonda Cholapuram Temple

The “Great Living Chola Temples” is a UNESCO World Heritage Site comprising three absolutely stunningly spectacular ancient temples built in the 11th century by Chola kings – Gangaikonda Cholapuram Temple is the first of them when coming from the north. The temple was built in 1035 by Rajendra Chola I to commemorate his military campaign successes – the temple and the city served as the Chola capital for about 250 years. The name “Gangaikonda Cholapuram” translates to “the city of the Chola who conquered the Ganga.” The temple is absolutely surreal, especially at sunset, when the orange sandstone is all lit up! The main tower (vimana) stands at 55n (182 feet), it is square at the base, octagonal in the middle, and circular at the top. The main deity is a massive 13.5-foot-tall Shiva Lingam, one of the largest in Tamil Nadu, housed in the sanctum. A colossal Nandi (Shiva’s bull) faces the temple, it is designed to reflect sunlight into the sanctum, illuminating the deity. The interior of the temple is dark and full of carved columns and statues. The tower on the outside is very intricately decorated in the Dravidian architecture style with lots of figures of deities and so on. All around – just truly impressive and you get that “wow” moment when seeing it for the first time!