Great Living Chola Temples

UNESCO World Heritage Site

Great Living Chola Temples
Name as inscribed on the World Heritage List
Type	Cultural
Criteria	ii, iii
Reference	250
UNESCO region	Asia-Pacific
Inscription history
Inscription	1987 (11th Session)
Extensions	2004

The Great Living Chola Temples are temples built during the Chola rule in the south of India and neighboring islands. These sites includes 3 temples of 11th and 12th century.^[1] These 3 temples are the Brihadisvara Temple at Thanjavur, the Temple of Gangaikonda Cholapuram and the Airavatesvara Temple at Darasuram. The Brihadisvara Temple was declared by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1987; the Temple of Gangaikondacholisvaram and the Airavatesvara Temple at Darasuram were added as extensions to the site in 2004. The site is now known as the "Great Living Chola Temples".^[2][3]

Criteria for being "Great Living Chola Temples"

Criterion (i): The three Chola temples of Southern India represent an outstanding creative achievement in the architectural conception of the pure form of the Dravidan type of temple.
Criterion (ii): The Brihadisvara Temple at Thanjavur became the first great example of the Chola temples, followed by a development of which the other two properties also bear witness.
Criterion (iii): The three Great Chola Temples are an exceptional and the most outstanding testimony to the development of the architecture of the Chola Empire and the Tamil civilization in Southern India.
Criterion (iv): The Great Chola temples at Thanjavur, at Gangaikondacholapuram and Darasuram are outstanding examples of the architecture and the representation of the Chola ideology.

Airavatesvara Temple

A Dravidian architecture Pillar in Airavatesvara Temple, Darasuram @ Thanjavur district

Airavateshwarar temple at Darasuram

Airavatesvara Temple is a Hindu temple of Dravidian architecture located in the town of Darasuram, near Kumbakonam in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. This temple, built by Rajaraja Chola II in the 12th century CE.^[4]

References

External links

• Media related to Great living Chola temples at Wikimedia Commons
• UNESCO's World Heritage Site listing the Chola temples
• Chola Temple Architecture
• Article on Chola Temples

World Heritage Sites in India
North	Agra Fort The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier Fatehpur Sikri Great Himalayan National Park Humayun's Tomb Keoladeo National Park Khajuraho Group of Monuments Kalka-Shimla Railway Nanda Devi National Park and Valley of Flowers National Park Qutub Minar and its Monuments Red Fort Complex Taj Mahal
East	Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Kaziranga National Park Mahabodhi Temple Complex Manas Wildlife Sanctuary Sun Temple at Konark Sundarbans National Park
South	Great Living Chola Temples Group of Monuments at Hampi Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram Group of Monuments at Pattadakal Nilgiri Mountain Railway Western Ghats
West	Ajanta Caves Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Churches and convents of Goa Elephanta Caves Ellora Caves Hill Forts of Rajasthan Jantar Mantar of Jaipur Rani ki vav Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi Western Ghats

Coordinates: 10°46′59″N 79°07′57″E / 10.78306°N 79.13250°E / 10.78306; 79.13250