Talk:Chandragupta Maurya (ruled from 322–298 BCE) & Guru Cāṇakya:Rājārāja Cola I (985–1014 CE)
By Vishal Agarwal
The Cholas were one of the most ancient ruling dynasties of the Hindus. They are first mentioned in the Tamil Sangam literature, which is perhaps more than two thousand years old. Two of the greatest emperors of this dynasty were Raja Raja Chola I and his son Rajendra Chola I.
Raja Raja Chola I had initially refused to become the king after his father, King Parantaka II, because his uncle (father’s brother) wanted to be the ruler. Out of respect for his uncle, Raja Raja allowed him to ascend the throne of the Chola kingdom when his father passed away. His uncle was deeply touched by his nephew’s gesture, and after he passed away, Raja Raja I finally became the Chola king seventeen years after the death of his own father.
Raja Raja Chola defeated most of the kings of South India and also invaded Sri Lanka, occupying the island nation. His navy also conquered islands called Maldives, which is today an independent country. Although he himself worshipped Shiva, he had great respect for people worshipping Vishnu and also for the Buddhist religion.
In the year 1010 CE, he completed the construction of the Brihadeeshvara Shiva temple, one of the grandest Hindu temples ever constructed. The mandir is 216 feet high and is topped by a giant stone that weighs several tons. The Shivalinga inside the mandir is two stories high.
One day, the king visited the temple while the chief architect was sculpting a mūrti. The sculptor did not notice that the visitor was the king himself and thought that it was his servant boy. The sculptor said, “Make me a paan.” The king respectfully rolled betel nuts in a paan leaf and gave it to the sculptor, who took them without realising that it was the king’s hand that had given him the paan.
After chewing the paan for a while, the sculptor wanted to spit out some saliva and said, “Boy, please bring my spittoon.” The king humbly and quietly gave it to the sculptor. When the sculptor had spat into the spittoon and raised his head, he was shocked to see that his ‘servant’ was none other than the king. Terrified, he fell at the king’s feet asking for forgiveness. But the humble king lifted him from the ground and, with a smile, said, “It was my honour to serve a great sculptor like you. Do not worry, because I was not offended by your orders to me at all.”
For constructing the temple, workmen and sculptors were brought in from all over the country. They worked hard all day, digging the earth and chiselling stone. By evening, they were completely exhausted. Near the site of the temple, there lived an old woman called Alagi. Although she was weak and in poor health, Alagi wanted to do her bit for her king and for Shiva.
As she wandered around the site, she saw that the labourers became exhausted under the noonday sun and could hardly lift their heads. Every day, Alagi made buttermilk with spices, poured it into pots, and served the artisans with her own hands. Refreshed by the drink, the men found energy to work better and for longer hours.
Many rich merchants and nobles competed with one another to contribute to the temple. Lavish gifts and ornaments were given by the king’s family. Alagi also wanted to make a contribution. So she went to the chief mason and asked him to use a granite stone she had at the back of the house. Her neighbours laughed at her foolishness, but the mason, who had seen her serving his people for many long years, agreed to use it as a coping stone (stone at the top of the temple).
Six years later, the temple was complete. The king fixed an auspicious day for its inauguration, and hundreds of priests, cooks, and entertainers were called up for service. The night before the ceremony, however, the king had a dream. Bhagavān Shiva appeared before him and said he would be pleased to reside under the shelter provided by Alagi. The king was astounded. It was he who had planned and executed the temple project. His family, friends, and allies had generously gifted money, images, and jewels. Who was this Alagi that Shiva was speaking of?
The next day, the king went to the temple, thinking that she lived there. But she was not to be found. He sent out a search party for her. She was soon found, living in a small hut. The emperor learned of her tireless efforts in taking care of the workers for several years during the hot afternoons, day after day, and her humble offering of a stone. Humbled by her devotion, the king went with folded hands to her hut and respectfully brought her to the temple himself. He honoured her before the crowd gathered for the inauguration ceremony. He proclaimed that her simple devotion had won favour in the eyes of the Lord, over and above all the material riches that made up the temple. Alagi accepted the recognition of her services to Bhagavān Shiva with great humility and chose to spend the rest of her life serving the temple and the temple employees.
The second great contribution of Raja Raja Chola I was that he got the writings of the Nayanmār saints collected. Some priests, who preferred Sanskrit, opposed the collection of these writings because they were in Tamil. By his action, Raja Raja Chola I showed that sacred writings do not have to be in Sanskrit — they can be in any language, because many Hindu saints praised Bhagavān in other languages too. He persuaded them to bring out ancient manuscripts that were locked inside secret temple rooms. These hymns were carefully compiled into nine volumes. A century later, a twelfth volume was added to them. These twelve volumes, collectively called ‘Tirumurai’, are regarded as holy books by Tamil-speaking worshippers of Shiva.
Till his times, Hindu temples had images of Devis and Devatās only. But thanks to Raja Raja Chola I, temples began to install mūrtis of Shiva and popular Hindu saints too. As a result, Hindu dharm became very strongly rooted in South India.