Brihadeeswarar Temple (Brihadisvara Temple / Rajarajesvaram)

Brihadeeswarar Temple (also historically Rajarajesvaram and locally Thanjai Periya Kovil / Peruvudaiyar Kovil) is a principal Shaivite temple constructed under Chola emperor Rajaraja I between 1003 and 1010 CE. It is an exemplar of Chola architecture and monumental stone temple design and is included in the UNESCO World Heritage listing 'Great Living Chola Temples'. The temple's inscriptions and material culture have been subjects of scholarly study, including metallurgical and epigraphic research. Visually notable features include sculpted multilevel carved waterspouts (sometimes compared to gargoyles) which function as roof drainage and display creative sculptural solutions dating to the temple's construction era. The supplied sources do not record any supernatural occurrences, hauntings, named spirits, apparitions, curses, or paranormal events associated with the site. Practical and architectural details (for example, the carved waterspouts) are documented and discussed in functional and artistic terms; occasional questions in visual archives about the story behind such features are phrased as inquiries rather than as folkloric or supernatural claims. A Wikidata label references a 1997 fire associated with the temple, but the provided excerpt contains no supporting detail; that incident is therefore noted as uncertain in the supplied material. The temple received national-level commemoration in 2010 marking approximately one thousand years since its construction (Extraordinary Gazette coinage rules).