TN to observe Raja Raja Chola's birth anniversary as State event

Hailed as the great, the birth anniversary of Raja Raja Chola-I 985-1014 CE is celebrated as Sathaya Vizha by shrine authorities on the premises of the big temple in Thanjavur. The emperors birth star is Sathayam in the Tamil month of Aiyppasi October-November and this year the 1037th anniversary event falls on November 3.

The birth anniversary of Chola emperor Raja Raja Chola-I would henceforth be celebrated as a government function, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin announced here on Wednesday.

Stalin said, ''this year and in the years to come,'' Raja Raja Chola's birth anniversary would be celebrated as a government event. This decision was taken following representations from various quarters, he said. Also, the king's memorial (Manimandapam in Tamil) in Thanjavur would be refurbished. Hailed as 'the great', the birth anniversary of Raja Raja Chola-I (985-1014 CE) is celebrated as 'Sathaya Vizha' by shrine authorities on the premises of the 'big temple' in Thanjavur. The emperor's birth star is 'Sathayam' in the Tamil month of 'Aiyppasi' (October-November) and this year the 1037th anniversary event falls on November 3. The Tamil term ''Sathaya Vizha'' denotes both the star and celebrations. The 10-day celebrations, that began with a ceremony on October 25 on the temple premises, is set to culminate on November 3, a local holiday in Thanjavur District. While sections of some communities have time and again claimed to be the descendants of the Chola king and his warrior tribe, his name and memory is also invoked as a symbol of the Tamil pride.

The recently released multilingual movie Ponniyin Selvan-I based on renowned writer Kalki Krishnamurthy's (1899-1954) popular Tamil novel of the same name, was inspired by the history of the imperial Cholas. A world heritage site, the big temple was built by Raja Raja Chola and it is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is a protected monument under the Archaeological Survey of India. The Brihadeeshwara temple or big temple is popularly known in Tamil as 'Periya Kovil.' A statue of the emperor is situated near the temple.