I love the temples of south India, not just because of religious significance but also because you can relive history at these sites. I miss these treasures even more as I live away from my homeland.
One of the most famous and the most grandeur temple of its kind in Tamil Nadu is the Brihadeeswara temple in Tanjore (erstwhile capital of the Chola's). It is a beautiful temple built by Raja Raja Chola 1 at the height of the Tamil kingdom's golden period. The temple was consecrated in the year 1010 AD. Coincidentally the year 2010 marked the 1000th year of the temple. I had the fortune of visiting the temple in the year 2009 and all these photographs were taken at that time.
To know more about the temple please visit th wikipedia location at :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brihadeeswarar_Temple
All Indians can be really proud of heritage sites like this one. In every Indian city or town there are numerous such temples and heritage sites that announce to the world about the greatness of our civilization. I do feel that our generation needs to cherish and preserve this history and heritage and pass on to our future generation. As far as I see it, the Brihadeeshwara temple is no less significant than Taj Mahal or the other wonders in the world. There are numerous documentaries that detail how the great Brihadeeshwara temple was built. It is fascinating to know these details and the commentary about that day and age.
At last if you want have a virtual visit to the temple here is a useful link:
http://view360.in/virtualtour/thanjavur
