After listing all the aliases of Rajaraja I, the author starts listing all the queens of Rajaraja I.
Of the many queens of Rajaraja I, the Chief one was Loga Mahadevi alias Danti Sakti Vitanki. Of the others, Vanavan Mahadevi alias Tribhuvana Mahadevi has the distinction of being the mother of Rajendra I. The others were: Chola Mahadevi, Trailokya Mahadevi, Panchavan Mahadevi,Abhimanavalli, Lata Mahadevi, Prithvi Mahadevi, Meenavan Mahadevi, Viranarayani and Villavan Mahadevi. Many of them have either built temples of their own or donated bronzes to temples.
The greatest event of the life of Rajaraja I was the building of the Rajarajesvaram at Tanjavur. Some hold that there was an older temple in that place called that of Tanjait-tirut-talik-kulattur mentioned in Appar's Devaram, the Tiruttandagam, and that it was this temple that Rajaraja I rebuilt as the grandest stone temple of all times. It may be remembered that he was a close associate and the disciple of Sembiyan Mahadevi, who, as we know, rebuilt the Tirunallam temple of the Devaram hymns fame as the Gandaradityam and clearly stated the fact of such conversion in her dedicatory inscription at Konerirajapuram
I am not sure if you people have already come across this point of view before. So, i thought, it may be worth having a discussion about this topic in our e-group and then we get to know Mr.SRB's view points about his thoughts on it.
Now moving back to the article, the author starts listing some references about this temple.
The earliest reference of this temple occurs in the 19th regnal year of Rajaraja I. The stupik-kudam (copper pot for the finial) was handed over to the temple authorities on the 275th day of the 25th year of his reign, and the consecration of the temple should have taken place about that time. Rajaraja I seems to have died in or after his 29th regnal year; before his death, he ordered the recording on the srivimana of this temple all gifts to the temple made by himself, his elder sister, his queens and other doners; these inscriptions contain, in particular, the fullest and most detailed description of the bronzes gifted by the king and other donors, incorporating such details as height, weight, metal-composition, whether solid or hollow, whether seated or standing, descriptions of the pitha and the prabha, number or hands and (other) adjuncts, attendant deities, and numerous other details baffling the imagination - a record again unique in history.
The authors then start describing Rajaraja I and concludes by saying "... that Nature might stand up and say, 'Here was not only a man, but a supreme leader of men!' ".
The greatest qualities of the Chola family and their claims to be leaders of men are brought in the eulogy of the Court poet in the Larger Leyden Grant." As long as the moon-crested deity sports His Consort on the Kailasa Mountain, as long as Hari performs meditative sleep (Yoga-nidra) on the serpent-couch on the ocean of milk, and as long as the sole light of all the world dispels the dense darkness of the world, so long may the Chola family protect from danger the circle of the whole earth". (verse 2)
With this the author is ready to take us through all the temples that where built during Rajaraja I, which hopefully we will be able to join in the next article.
inscription of Rajendra I found at the Pushpavaneswarar temple at Tiruppunturutti (ARE I20 of I931), we learn that a donation of land was made to a 'Savarna' named Naranan Bhattadittan for the reading of 'Sri-Rajaraja-vijayam'. This must have a been a composition in praise of Rajaraja I, recounting his great victories and was evidently different from the Rajarajesvara-natakam, which was staged in the temple at Tanjavur (SII,II,p.306). We dont know the language of this composition, whether it as Tamil or Sanskrit, nor have we any trace of it now.
Ok, now its question time in egroup guys.. Article to be continued...