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Question 5 of 136 · Monuments & Religious Places
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The famous Brihadeeswara Temple, built by Rajaraja Chola I, is situated in:

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Answer: Option D — Tamil Nadu

Detailed Solution

The Brihadeeswara Temple, also called the Rajarajeswaram or Peruvudaiyar Kovil, is located in Thanjavur (Tanjore), Tamil Nadu. It is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It was built by the Chola emperor Rajaraja Chola I and completed in 1010 CE. In 2010, its 1,000th anniversary was celebrated.

The temple is one of the greatest achievements of Dravidian temple architecture. Its main features are:

The vimana (tower above the sanctum) is about 66 metres (216 feet) high, one of the tallest temple towers in the world. It has 13 storeys.

The top of the vimana is crowned by a huge dome-shaped stone (shikhara or kalasha base) believed to weigh about 80 tonnes. Historians believe it was raised to the top using a long ramp.

A large monolithic Nandi (sacred bull), carved from a single stone, about 4 metres high, faces the sanctum.

A huge Shiva lingam is installed in the sanctum.

The walls have frescoes from the Chola period and inscriptions describing the donations, administration and staff of the temple.

The chief architect is believed to have been Kunjara Mallan Raja Raja Perunthachan.

The temple was the centre of religious, cultural and economic life in the Chola kingdom, and supported dance (Bharatanatyam), music and learning.

The Brihadeeswara Temple was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. In 2004, two other temples were added to form the "Great Living Chola Temples":

The Brihadeeswara Temple at Gangaikonda Cholapuram, built by Rajendra Chola I.

The Airavatesvara Temple at Darasuram, built by Rajaraja Chola II.

The temple appeared on the ₹1,000 note of 1954, and a commemorative stamp and coins were issued in 2010 for its 1,000th anniversary.

Why not the other options?

  • ✗Karnataka has temples such as Hampi, Belur and Halebidu.
  • ✗Kerala has the Padmanabhaswamy Temple and the Guruvayur Temple.
  • ✗Andhra Pradesh has the Tirupati (Venkateswara) Temple.

Quick tip

Remember: Brihadeeswara = Thanjavur (Tamil Nadu), Rajaraja Chola I (1010 CE), 66 m vimana, monolithic Nandi; World Heritage Site 1987, part of the "Great Living Chola Temples" (2004).

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Monuments & Religious Places — Preparation

This question tests your understanding of Monuments & Religious Places, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.

This topic covers India's important monuments, temples, mosques, churches, gurudwaras and pilgrimage sites, who built them and when, their architectural styles, and India's UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Questions ask who built a monument, where it is located, or which dynasty or style it belongs to. For example, the Qutub Minar was begun by Qutbuddin Aibak, and the Sun Temple at Konark was built by the Eastern Ganga king Narasimhadeva I. Revise the UNESCO World Heritage Sites as a list, noting the most recent additions. Practise the monuments and religious places questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.

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