Stonehenge

This seems to be the most interesting period of the stonehenge history. 30 enormous stones of about 25 tones each have been erected , each having a height of 4.5m and in a diameter of 33m, Lintels have been put over these stones with a tongue groove type joint. It is a wonder how these heavy stones were lifted to 4.5m and laid.

These structures are comparable to temple architecture in Tamilnadu, India. in the Tanjore Brihadeeshwara temple, the central attraction is the great Vimana built over the sanctum, which is 216 feet high. It has 14 storeys of intricate sculpting with pilasters and niches, and images of God. This is peculiar, because usually, the Gopurams (towers at the entrance) are generally higher than the Vimana in most temples. This style of high Vimana has a feel of the Orissa Temples in Bhuvaneshwar. The main sanctum of the temple is a Mahalingam, a huge lingam that is 23 feet in circumference and 9 feet high.

The Nandhi (the divine vehicle of Lord Shiva) is a monolith measuring 12 feet in height, 19.5 feet in length and 18.25 feet in width, it weighs about 25 tons.

These architectures are similar using heavy stones of about 25 tonnes. Stonehenge dates back to 2000 to 3000 BC whereas the temple architecture in Tamilnadu dates to about 1000 AD. Stone henge are not sculpted and architecture is not as advanced as in Tanjore temples. But heavy stones have been used and moved to heights and are still in place over long periods of time, having withstood many natural calamities like earthquake etc,