Brihadisvara Temple

Thanjavur, Thanjavur District, Tamil Nadu Shaiva tradition

Served from the stored corpus. Last scan Sep 28, 2026. Next scan Oct 28, 2026.

Temple from the grounds

Historic photograph · exterior · 1868 · High confidence

Photograph from 1868 by Edmund David Lyon showing the Brihadisvara Temple at Thanjavur from the grounds.

Edmund David Lyon photographed the temple in 1868. Linnaeus Tripe’s 1858 prints are still not stored.

Edmund David Lyon, 1868. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Source: Brihadisvara Temple, Edmund David Lyon, 1868 · Open source

Gopura

Historic photograph · exterior · 1869 · High confidence

Photograph from 1869 by Samuel Bourne showing a gopura of the Brihadisvara Temple at Thanjavur.

Samuel Bourne photographed a gateway tower in the complex in 1869.

Samuel Bourne, 1869. Public domain, KITLV, via Wikimedia Commons.

Source: Gopura, Brihadisvara Temple, Samuel Bourne, 1869 · Open source

Subrahmanya shrine

Historic photograph · exterior · 1869 · High confidence

Photograph from 1869 by Samuel Bourne showing the Subrahmanya shrine in the Brihadisvara temple complex at Thanjavur.

Samuel Bourne photographed the Subrahmanya shrine in the same complex in 1869.

Samuel Bourne, 1869. Public domain, KITLV, via Wikimedia Commons.

Source: Subrahmanya shrine, Thanjavur, Samuel Bourne, 1869 · Open source

Temple, photographer not named

Historic photograph · exterior · 1880s–1890s · High confidence

Photograph of the Brihadisvara Temple at Thanjavur, catalogued to the 1880s or 1890s. The photographer is not named.

A photograph catalogued to the 1880s or 1890s. The photographer is not named on the file.

Photographer not named. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Source: Brihadisvara Temple, 1880s–1890s · Open source

Temple and grounds

Historic photograph · exterior · 1890s · High confidence

Photograph from the 1890s by Nicholas and Co. showing the Brihadisvara Temple and its grounds at Thanjavur.

Nicholas & Co. of Madras photographed the temple and its grounds in the 1890s.

Nicholas & Co., 1890s. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Source: Temple and grounds, Thanjavur, Nicholas & Co., 1890s · Open source

Postcard view

Historic photograph · exterior · 1908 · High confidence

Postcard photograph from 1908 of the Brihadisvara Temple at Thanjavur.

A 1908 postcard published by Underwood & Underwood shows the temple.

Underwood & Underwood, 1908. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Source: Brihadisvara Temple postcard, 1908 · Open source

Gopuram

Photograph · exterior · 15 December 2010 · High confidence

Color photograph of the sculpted gopuram of the Brihadisvara Temple at Thanjavur.

The tower of the Thanjavur temple. Linnaeus Tripe’s 1858 photographs are still not stored.

Justinvijesh, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Source: Brihadisvara Temple gopuram, 2010 · Open source

Identification note

encyclopedia · Retrieved 27 September 2026 · paraphrase

The article identifies the temple at Thanjavur and its Shaiva dedication. This record does not copy the building history. Tripe’s 1858 photographs are not stored. Later photographs are a separate source.

Open source