The Brihadishwara Temple

On By Veera
The Brihadishwara temple. Observe the tall, pyramidal structure at the right, which is one of the goburams.
The Shiva linga in the Brihadishwara temple

Hey all! I’m back with my next ekphrastic poem, titled “The Brihadishwara Temple”.

The city of Tanjavur,
Owes its glory
To architectonic wonders
And ancient history.

Yet there was born
At its heart,
A creation considered
A masterpiece of art.

The Brihadishwara temple,
A shining example
Of the prowess of Cholas
In constructing temples.

Its goburams* stand tall,
Pyramids of granite;
Bearing carvings of Gods,
A mesmerising sight.

On the top of each head
A single block of stone
Crafted into vimanams**,
Shines as it’s always shone.

Dedicated to Lord Shiva,
The Destroyer of Evil,
He resides, a linga***,
A work of pure skill.

His sacred bull resides
An enormous sculpture.
Carved from a single stone,
A miracle of architecture.

Ne’er was it imagined,
Not once foretold
That we’d live to cherish its beauty
When a thousand years old!

-The Forgers of Fantasy

*A goburam is a tall, pyramidal structure.
**A vimanam is a huge block of stone on the top of each goburam.
***Refer the above image.

P.S: I’ve penned this for DVerse, where poets were asked to pen ekphrastic poems related to any particular artifact or even a structure such as a palace or a monument, which is associated with history and the past. You can access the prompt at https://dversepoets.com/2021/12/07/poetics-passions-stamped-on-lifeless-things/

For more such poems, refer The Forgers of Fantasy

20 thoughts on “The Brihadishwara Temple”

  1. ainstarlingsson's avatar Ain Starlingsson, forestbathing hermit

    Well I found this fascinating, and exotic, and it works so well in verse. That really interests me…a far better way of singing praise or providing intricate description…

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

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