Adding on to this idea of earning religious favor, “On the Merits of Building a Temple” explains that additional merit was given to the builder if the temple included images and was made of stone (p. 145). By looking at images of the Rajarajeshvara Temple, it can be seen that it is made of stone and there are images on the outside, so Rajaraja Chola I would have earned more merit for its creation. Using a secondary source by Dr. Arathi Menon, I was able to learn a few more things about the temple, including that Rajaraja Chola I had built. This source also shared the images adorning the temple and its surroundings, and what they might mean. One image within the temple enclosure is a large stone statue of Nandi, a bull who was Shiva’s mount, or vahana. On the outer walls of the temple, there are many different depictions of the god Shiva, arranged in stacked