Gangaikonda Cholapuram Temple

Getting there

• By air

  The village is about 125 km northeast of Tiruchirapalli International Airport.

• By train

  Measured from Jayankondam, the nearest stations are Virudhachalam at 40 km, Ariyalur at 38 km and Kumbakonam at 30 km. Jayankondam is 8 km from the village.

• By road

  The temple is on Highway 81, which connects Tiruchirappalli and Chidambaram.

Why devotees come here

Gangaikonda Cholapuram is a village near Jayankondam in Ariyalur district, Tamil Nadu. Its Brihadisvara Temple, dedicated to Shiva, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Rajendra I made the place the Chola capital around 1025.

Legend ties the name to Rajendra I's victory and his expedition to bring Ganges water to his new capital. Legend says defeated kingdoms were made to send pots of that water to be poured into the temple's well. The city was founded to commemorate his victory over the Pala dynasty. The Brihadisvara Temple, the main shrine, is second in scale only to the Thanjavur temple.

Rajendra I made the city the Chola capital around 1025, and it stayed the capital for about 250 years. Today it is a small village, and its past is remembered mainly through the surviving temple. That temple was completed in 1035 CE. Other shrines around it were destroyed in the late 13th and 14th centuries, but the main temple survived.

Rajendra I modelled the temple on the Thanjavur temple built by his father, Rajaraja I. The main Shiva lingam is carved from a single block of stone. The temple was reconsecrated in 2017 after a new flagstaff was installed and the maha kumbhabhishekam was performed.

Festivals

• Masi month, February to MarchMaha Shivarathri

  One of the most prominent festivals in the temple's calendar.

• Aipasi month, October to NovemberAipasi Pournami

  One of the most prominent festivals. The deity is bathed with cooked rice, called annabhishekam, during the Aipasi festival.

• Margazhi month, December to JanuaryThiruvadirai

  One of the most prominent festivals in the temple's calendar.

Tips for your visit

• Look for the Saurapitha, a lotus-shaped solar altar with eight deities.
• The main lingam stands about 4 m tall, and its base is about 18 m around.
• The holy flagstaff stands 43.8 feet tall on a pedestal of about 6.9 feet.

Questions people ask