The Sri Vimana of the Thanjavur temple is designed with some fundamental agamic principles and is unique in many aspects. Keeping aside the false ‘prides’ of one stone 80 tonne, shadow not falling on ground etc. let us look at some of the key aspects of the design of the Vimana.

The Vimana sits on 30 Sq.m Athishtana with the Sanctum at the bottom. The inside of Vimana is hollow. If somone draws a straight line from the centre of Shivalinga at the top, all the way up, it will end in the centre of the Kalasa atop the Shikara. That is the kind of engineering skill the Chola Shilpis had. The Vimana raises like a Pyramid from the square base but also ends in a square top. Then there is Kirivam, Shikara & Kalasa atop. The total height is 60 m from the ground. There are 13 Avaranas (stories) in the Vimana which has some beautiful scuptures. At the bottom of the Vimana, there is another wall adjustant to main wall and there is a circumambulatory passage in between these two. This is called as Santharam, which is about six feet wide. At the first level, these two walls are joined by another passage. In this, the Vigrahas of Rudramurthy is seen on South, Nruthamurthy is seen on the West and Manonmani is seen on the North. Here is where one can see the Chola and Nayakar period Murals. On the second leve, the Karana sculptures which depicts the 108 Karanas from the Bharathamuni’s Natya Sastra are sculpted. However, only 81 are in complete state and the rest has only the stones which are intended for the remaining. The entire temple along with the Sri Vimana is based on Makutagama. One of the inscriptions in the temple says :

Sri Rajarajeswaram udayarukkum Dakshina Meru vidangarukkum dhoopaththodu kaattum deepaththukkum karpoora thiriyittu eriyavaitha polisai kaasum

In this, Sri Rajarajeswram udayar is the Shiva in the sanctum. Dakshina Meru Vidangar is the Nataraja in the Vimana. It must be noted that the Chidambaram temple, where the presiding deity is Nataraja, is also based on the Makutagama. Rajaraja was inspired by that temple and built the Thanjavur temple with an enhanced version of Chidambaram. It must be recalled that in Chidambaram, the Dikshitars will move a curtain and show the ‘space’ which is known as Chidambara Rahasyam. Chidambaram is the kshetra of Akasa, the space. Rajaraja brilliantly brings the ‘Space’ aspect into the Thanjavur temple by constructing the entire Vimana which is hollow inside. By this construction, he symbolises the entire Vimana like a Shivalinga with space inside. He uses the below principle from the Makutagama which says.

Above Brahma is Vishnu, above Vishnu is Rudra, above him is Maheswara and then Sadashiva. Above him is Bindu & Nada. Above him is Sakthi and above all is Thandaveswara. This is exactly what is done in Thanjavur temple. The Shivalinga in the sanctum has the Brahma, Vishnu & Rudra parts. Above the Shivalinga in the Santara Maheswara & Manonmani are depicted. Above them, in the second story where the Natya karana Sculptures are there, Nataraja was housed. It ‘was’ because now the Vigraha is not found as it would have been destroyed during invasions. But the very fact that the Natya karana scultures are seen around the passage, it is clear that this place belong to Nataraja, the cosmic manifestation of Shiva. The entire Vimana symbolises the Sadashiva as given in the Makutagama. To confirm this one can see the Pancha Shiva Murthies on the Avarnas of Vimana. They are Thathpurusha, Agora, Satyojatha, Vamadeva and Esana Murthies. On top of it, the Sadashiva Murthy is also depicted in the Vimana. So apart from the sanctum, the Vimana also a deity in this temple which is unique.