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428:(City). Hence, it refers to the city of the Cholas built on a locale to commemorate the occasion when the water of the Ganga was obtained. It is now a small village, its past eminence only remembered by the existence of the Mahashiva Temple. The Chola Empire included the whole of southern India to the river Tungabhadra in the north. For administrative and strategic purposes, they built a new capital and named it Gangaikonda Cholapuram.
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467:, Vishnu and other temples. However, all of these were destroyed in the late 13th and 14th centuries except the Brihadishvara temple. The other Chola landmarks are evidenced by soil covered mounds and excavated broken pillar stumps and brick walls found over an area of several kilometres from the surviving temple.
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Chola rulers were patrons of the arts and architecture. They built the temple of
Gangaikondacholisvara. The temple has sculptures of exceptional quality. The bronzes of Bhogasakti and Subrahmanya are masterpieces of Chola metal icons. The Saurapitha (Solar altar), the lotus altar with eight deities,
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Besides the names of the palace and fort walls, the names of a few roads and streets are preserved in the epigraphs. The entryways named
Thiruvasal, the eastern gate and the Vembugudi gate, evidently the south gate leading to the village Vembugudi situated in that direction are mentioned. Reference
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The Chola rulers constructed enormous stone temple complexes with intricate carvings of Hindu gods. Rajaraja I built the famous
Brihdrishvara temple at Thanjavur, which is about 50 km away from city of Gangaikonda Cholapuram, between 1003 and 1010 CE. Shiva is worshipped here. The grandeur of
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who defeated the Cholas during the later part of the 13th century "may have razed the city to the ground" to avenge their previous defeats. However, it is unclear why other temples were destroyed and this temple was spared, as well as why there are around 20 inscriptions from later Cholas, Pandyas
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Excavations suggest that the outer fortification was built of burnt bricks, was about six to eight feet wide. It consisted of two walls, the intervening space (the core) being filled with sand. The bricks are fairly large in size and are made of well-burnt clay. The Tamil Nadu State
Archaeological
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The surviving temple in
Gangaikonda Cholapuram was completed in 1035 CE. Rajendra emulated the temple built by his father after his victory in a campaign across India that Chola era texts state covered Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Bengal. After his victory, he demanded that the defeated
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There were both wet and dry lands inside the Fort, used for cultivation and other purposes. The present positions of the existing temples throw some light on the lay out of the city. With the palace as the centre to the city, the great temple, and the other temples in the city seem to have been
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also was built of burnt brick. The ceilings were covered with flat tiles of small size, laid in a number of courses, in fine lime mortar. The pillars were probably made of polished wood, supported on granite bases; a few pillar bases have survived to this day. Iron nails and clamps have been
631:, now called the Vadavaru, running about six kilometers east of the ruined capital. Madhurantaka Vedavaru, named after one of the titles of Rajendra I, was a source of irrigation to a vast stretch of land bordering the capital. An irrigation channel called Anaivettuvan is also mentioned.
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indicating various gifts and grants to this temple. An alternate theory links the destruction to the raids and wars, particularly with the invasion of the capital city and the territories that were earlier a part by the Chola Empire along with
Madurai by the armies of
570:. Evidently the palace was multistoried. In an inscription dated in the 49th year of Kulothunga I (1119 CE) reference is made to Gangaikondacholamaligai at this place. It is likely that there were more than one royals building each having their own name.
558:, Rajendra's third son, the palace at Gangaikondacholapuram is referred to as Chola-Keralan Thirumaligai (Chola Keralan palace) evidently after one of the titles of Rajendra I. The same inscription mentions a few parts of the palace as
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defeated the
Madurai Sultanate in 1378 and this temple along with other Chola era temples thereafter came under Hindu kings again who repaired and restored many of them. The temple has been re-consecrated in 2017 with installation of a
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Rajendra I, according to Tamil tradition, thereafter assumed the name of
Gangaikonda Cholan, meaning the one who conquered the Ganges. He established Gangaikonda Cholapuram as his capital from the medieval Chola capital of
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The exquisite bronze statues of the Chola period are known the world over for their grace and lifelike appearance. Many beautiful figures of
Nataraja, or the dancing Shiva, were made during the Chola era.
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The city seems to have had two fortifications, one inner and the other outer. The outer was probably wider. The remains of the outer fortification can be seen as a mound running all around the palace.
459:, which would go on to become the capital for the next 250 years. Rajendra I built the entire capital with several temples using plans and infrastructure recommended in Tamil Vastu and Agama
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led by Malik Kafur. Later Adil Shahi
Sultanate, Qutb Shahis, Randaula Khan and others from east and west coasts of South India raided it, and some occupied it for a few years.
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The town is about approximately 125 kilometres (78 mi) northeast of Tiruchirapalli international airport. As of 2014, the ancient city exists as a heritage town in the
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Department has taken up fresh excavations to probe a nearby village named Ayudhkalam which is believed to have weapon manufacturing workshops, as the name suggests.
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is also found to highways named after Rajaraja and Rajendra as Rajarajan Peruvali and Rajendran Peruvali. Other streets mentioned in epigraphs are the ten streets (
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led by the Muslim commander Malik Kafur in 1311, followed by Khusrau Khan in 1314 and Muhammad bin Tughlaq in 1327. The period that followed saw wars between the
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this temple has not been diminished by age. There is a massive statue of Nandi, the sacred bull of Shiva, in the central courtyard of the temple.
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was established in the 14th century, after the disastrous invasions and plunder of South India by Ala ud-Din Khalji's armies of
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of Tamil Nadu, India. The great Arulmigu Peruvudaiyar Temple at this place is next only to the Arulmigu Peruvudaiyar Kovil at
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A number of small tanks and ponds mentioned in inscriptions and a number of wells, supplied drinking water to the residents.
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in its monumental nature and surpasses it in sculptural quality. It has been recognised as a World Heritage site by UNESCO.
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recovered from this palace site. There is a tunnel that links the palace and the temple inner 1st prakaara (north).
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George Michell (2008), Architecture and art of Southern India, Cambridge University Press, pages 16-21, 89-91
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George Michell (2008), Architecture and art of Southern India, Cambridge University Press, pages 9-13, 16-21
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and traditional texts should be in the northeast of the city or village and should face east. The temple of
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Faiths Across Time: 5,000 Years of Religious History [4 Volumes]: 5,000 Years of Religious History
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1040:"Gangaikonda Cholapuram Temple Kumbabishekam | கங்கைகொண்ட சோழபுரத்தில் கும்பாபிஷேகம் கோலாகலம்!"
801:"Excavation at Gangaikonda Cholapuram, the imperial capital of Rajendra Chola, and its significance"
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and the Muslim Sultans who seceded the Delhi Sultanate and carved out new polity such as the nearby
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Thanjavur was a target of both Muslim and Hindu neighboring kingdoms, both near and far. The
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634:"Anaivettuvan" - Anai means irrigation (step irrigation) vettuvan means labour or engineer.
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Nagasamy R, Rajapalayam (1970), State Department of Archaeology, Government of Tamil Nadu
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Nagapattinam to Suvarnadwip: Reflections on the Chola Naval Expeditions to Southeast Asia
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Ardhanarishvara (half Shiva, half Parvati) statue in Gangaikonda Cholapuram Temple
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829:"Iron nails, earthen tiles found at Ariyalur site | Trichy News - Times of India"
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Nilakanta Sastri, K. A., The Cholas (1955), University of Madras, Reprinted 1984
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The reasons for the city's destruction are unclear. According to Vansanthi, the
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807:. Singapore: Institute of south-east Asian Studies. pp. 96–100.
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is considered auspicious. The shiva lingam is made from single rock.
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The Hindu Temple: An Introduction to Its Meaning and Forms
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Remains of Royal Palace as of 2005 in Maligaimedu Village
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929:Transnationalism in Ancient and Medieval Societies
334:, and served as the capital for around 250 years.
1022:"Gangaikondacholapuram temple to be consecrated"
912:. Tamil University, Thanjavur. pp. 109–111.
451:water and pour it into the well of this temple.
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607:. The inscription also refers to the highways,
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860:. Columbia University Press. pp. 79–81.
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550:Side View of Gangaikonda Cholapuram Temple.
162:The Shiva temple in Gangaikonda Cholapuram
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119:Learn how and when to remove this message
1079:, Chicago: University of Chicago Press,
566:(the eastern portico), and a seat named
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881:Melton, J. Gordon (15 January 2014).
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1020:Balaganessin, M. (31 January 2017).
973:Islam in South Asia: A Short History
908:Pillai, J.M. Somanasundaram (1994).
609:Kulottungacholan Thirumadil peruvali
404:to commemorate his victory over the
57:adding citations to reliable sources
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1137:Archaeological sites in Tamil Nadu
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976:. BRILL Academic. p. 140.
959:. Mārg Publications. p. 8.
44:needs additional citations for
1127:Former capital cities in India
1057:S.R. Balasubrahmanyam (1975),
956:Islamic heritage of the Deccan
1:
932:. McFarland. pp. 93–94.
310:is a village located near to
762:"Great Living Chola Temples"
910:The great temple at Tanjore
729:"Chef d'Oeuvre of Cōḷa Art"
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857:Art of the Imperial Cholas
782:S.R. Balasubrahmanyam 1975
438:Ruins of the ancient city
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854:Dehejia, Vidya (2013).
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308:Gaṅgaikoṇḍa Chōḻapuram
218:11.206444°N 79.44833°E
187:Gaṅgaikoṇḍa Chōḻapuram
151:Gaṅgaikoṇda Chōḻapuram
138:Gaṅgaikoṇḍa Chōḻapuram
799:S., Vasanthi (2009).
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970:Jamal Malik (2008).
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582:Roads and City gates
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568:Mavali vanadhirajan
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603:) and the
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