India is called the country of temples and pilgrimage centers. The reason for this is that

people in India believe in God so much that they do not hesitate to build huge temples. Many of these temples contain mysteries that remain unanswered to this day.

Brihadeeswarar Temple, located in Tanjore, Tamil Nadu, India is one such temple. It was built by emperor Raja Raja Chola I, who ruled between 1003-1010 AD.

The story goes that after seeing the Pallava Rajasimha temple in Kanchipuram, emperor Raja Raja Chola I had a dream of establishing such a huge temple for Lord Shiva. Brihadeeswarar Temple was the first among all the buildings, to use granite entirely and it was completed within 5 years from 1004-1009 AD.

This is probably the first and only temple in the world made of granite. It is famous worldwide for its grandeur, unique architecture and outstanding dome. This temple is part of the UNESCO World Heritage site Great Living Chola temple along with Brihadeeswarar temple, Gangaikonda Cholapuram and Airavatesvara.

This temple has 13 floors, about 66m high, located on an elevated area with an area of ​​320,000m2. It is worth mentioning that there is a block of rock at the top weighing up to 80 tons. So how could such a heavy stone be brought to the top of the temple in the 11th century? Until now, people have not been able to give exact answers to these questions.

An estimated 130,000 tons of granite were used to build the temple. Besides, the mystery of how the sculptors carved the 20-ton statue of the bull god Nandi on the 4.9m long, 4m high stone slab at the entrance also remains unsolved.