Is it now possible to construct a new temple like the Tanjore Brihadeeswar Periya Koil, constructed 1000 years back by the great Chola king, Raja Raja Cholan?

SANTOSH KULKARNI
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 Let’s start with an interesting discussion - Imagine we had built a temple and some archeologists surveyed it after 1000 years (ie,1000 years from 2022) - what can he learn from it??. What will be left for him to learn from it??

Firstly, the temple we build today should withstand 1000 years. I don’t think any of the latest technology can assure this durability. Our priorities are different now - quicker, easier and cost-effective. Our normal constructions can withstand between 50–70 years, better - 100 years, and at best - 150 years. That’s it. Let’s say we make use of the best of the best technology, manpower, and material to build this temple - the max it can withstand is 500 years, after spending heavily on maintenance.

This is because the materials we use today lack quality and durability. No technology can assure material quality since it’s factory-made. Even naturally sourced materials such as sand and rock stones lack quality as the sediments and titanium plates have altered a lot.

  • Some of the rocks are very deformed and altered due to continuous mineral deposits including alluvium and plant fossils. Their original form has been destroyed because of too much metamorphosis
  • Next - All prominent metallic minerals (iron, manganese, etc) are found in these rocks. So even if we extract these rocks, we would be minting minerals out of them, rather than wasting them in building a structure.

Nobody can give 1000 years warranty - even if it’s given, we aren’t going to verify that after 1000 years, not even in 100 years. Next, Environmental clearance - that’s not going to be easy. Religious and political outfits will stir their part. Someone will file a case somewhere in India just to drag the project for the next 20 years, thus shooting up the project cost.

Secondly, the kings showed interest to build temples to document their glory and lifestyle as stone descriptions. Archaeologists studied the kings, their territories, their glory, the people, their lifestyle, the battles and blood the kings faced, the glory of their army, and to some extent — the architectural style they followed. The kings believed the temple is the safest place to engrave their glory so that it doesn’t get destroyed even after 1000 years - and they were right. We can still read them on the stones of the temple.

What glory do we have to document now?? - We fight on twitter, we shed blood during communal riots and drink and drive road accidents, every political party has a fake ID army in social media, our lifestyle is ridiculous and hectic, and we keep paying taxes just like dropping salt in an ocean, the only documentation of our lifestyle is available as screenshots in phone gallery. Our data are digitalized and the server gets into fire accidents mostly before an election. In simple words - our era is full of propaganda, hypocritic, and controversy. Just imagine what an archeologist after 1000 years will think about us if he learns all this. Maybe their era is worst than us - but still, we’re bad. 2013 is when social media started to flourish in India rapidly and look where we are now.

Our era is flooded with narration backed up with controversy. No matter how good an archeologist is after 1000 years, the more he digs and reads about us, the more he’ll get confused. He needs to spend another 50 years trying to trace what is truly among the flooded fakeness. Or simply he narrates the fake as truth - Is this what we want to achieve??

Ok, we can build a temple to spread religion. But will the people after 1000 years be spiritually religious or politically religious??. Fertility rates are falling down which impacts religious followers. Hindus are declining in India.

I doubt whether future generations can understand spirituality. So the temple we build today will be seen purely as a heritage destination or a tourist spot for a weekend photo shoot after 1000 years (if it stands strong)

And finally - the gods themselves. Saivism which existed 1000 years before has evolved into Hinduism now. What will Hinduism be after 1000 years?? - We don’t know, we can’t guarantee.

There is only one permanent structure than did exist before 1000 years, can withstand 1000 years, and will withstand the next 1000 years - The gods. Even before temples were built, the god did exist in coins and weapons. That’s evident in archeological pieces of evidence that were dug during various civilizations.

At least they had coins, we have only bitcoins.

What do we have in this digital era to document the existence of gods and rituals to be passed on for the next 1000 years?? - None - that’s the blunt truth.

The servers we use now will be outdated and put to no use just like how floppy disk in the 1980s is of no use now. So where do we digitally store or document our existence??

We don’t even have proper documentation for our existence on earth in this era to be read after 1000 years. The archaeologists after 1000 years will find piles of plastic waste that we dumped.


Answering the original question - Is it now possible to construct a new temple like the Tanjore Brihadeeswar Periya Koil, constructed 1000 years back by the great Chola king, Raja Raja Cholan?

First, let us sort out whether it’s possible to construct evidence for our existence on earth that can withstand for the next 1000 years - without fake propaganda.

That will be the greatest glory our civilization can achieve !!!

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