Gangaikonda Cholapuram: History In Stone

Built over 1,000 years, the 180-foot-tall Gangaikondacholeeswaram temple is magnificent—the intricately carved gopuram, made of golden-brown stone, stands tall against a clear blue sky, and the graceful Chola sculptures transport visitors to another time.

Here’s an interesting fact about this hallowed heritage site. The tongue-twister name means ‘the city of the Chola who conquered the Ganga’, and commemorates Rajendra Chola’s expedition to the northern river. It is said that the king brought thousands of liters of Ganga water here, for the consecration ceremony of the temple.-( ‘Kumbabhishekam’).