A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Brihadeeswarar Temple in Thanjavur is one of the biggest and most exceptionally prized engineering destinations of India, known for its beauty and scale. This temple is a perfect illustration of the great heights achieved in the field of architecture by the Chola rulers. It is a homage paid to Lord Shiva and is a display of power of Raja Raja Chola I. It was built in the year 1010 AD by the mighty Chola Emperor Raja Raja Chola I. It is said the king received commands to build the temple in his dreams. The first temple to be built in granite, this temple tower has an elevation of 66 meters. Vimana is one of the tallest temple towers on the earth. History says there is no granite quarry for nearly 50 kilometers of circumference around the temple. Hence, the massive sized stones employed in the temple construction should have been brought from far off places. Even the expert architects marvel at how the octagonal shaped cap stone weighing about 81 tons was lifted and placed on top of the temple tower!