Posts

Adi Narayana Perumal Temple, Pulicat

By -
Image
Ten heads flare in defiance. A single bow is drawn in response. A deer glows deceptively. Brothers clash in a forest duel. A vanara kneels before a sorrowing queen. Flames rise. A coronation follows. This is not unfolding in a sprawling Chola complex. Not in Hampi. Not in a monument celebrated in every history book. It is in Pulicat. Or, to call it by its older name, Pazhaverkadu. Yes...the same Pulicat near Chennai, better known today for lagoon sunsets, migratory birds and weekend boating. Step inside an unassuming temple here. Do not look straight ahead. Look up. Across the laterite roof cross-beams runs an entire epic, carved in miniature. Miniature figures march across horizontal panels, episode after episode, as though the Ramayana chose to live quietly above our heads rather than on towering walls. Welcome to the Adi Narayana Perumal Temple of Pazhaverkadu . A Ramayana in Miniature The most astonishing sculptural programme of this temple is not on its façade. It...
Post a Comment
Read more

Kanheri Caves - Part 16

By -
Image
This is the 16th article in my series on the Kanheri Caves . In the earlier parts, I explored the architectural layout and sculptural grandeur of Cave No. 1, 2 and 3, covering their majestic entrances, imposing pillars, colossal Buddha images, donor couple sculptures, extensive sculptural panels along the verandah walls, stupas, lion crowned pillars, votive stupas, some of the earliest Buddha figures and much more. In this part, I now move slightly northward from Cave No. 3 to cover Cave No. 4 . This cave shares the same rock mass as Cave No. 3, yet its character is entirely different. To reach Cave No. 4, one has to ascend a good number of steps. The climb itself creates a subtle transition from the expansive grandeur of the Chaitya hall of Cave No. 3 to something far more intimate. At the top of the steps lies a small circular chamber. Inside this compact cell stands a solid stupa. The space is modest, the chamber is circular, and the stupa almost fills it. There is no elaborate faç...
Post a Comment
Location: 6W53+4WV, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400066, India
Read more

Adi Varaha Cave Temple, Mamallapuram – The Living Pallava Shrine Few Get to See

By -
Image
When we speak of Mamallapuram , the mind usually goes to the Shore Temple, the Five Rathas, or the great relief often called Arjuna’s Penance. But there is one monument here that many visitors miss. Not because it is insignificant. Not because it is hidden. But because it is alive. The Adi Varaha Cave Temple is a living shrine. The early Pallava inscriptions within the cave, along with later Chola records referring to the shrine as Parameshvara-Mahavaraha-Vishnu-Griham , indicate that it has remained in active worship from the time of its creation. Even today, the temple opens only during fixed pooja hours in the morning and evening. For the rest of the day, it remains closed. For long periods in the past, entry was restricted to foreigners. That limited access explains why the temple finds little mention in early European travel accounts and why it continues to remain outside the usual tourist circuit. Yet architecturally and historically, this cave is among the most complete and b...
2 comments
Location: Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu, India
Read more

Kanchi Kailasanatha Temple - Part 1

By -
Image
If you visit India and miss Tamil Nadu, you have missed a civilizational chapter. If you travel across Tamil Nadu and skip Kanchipuram , you have missed a sacred capital. And if you walk through Kanchipuram, see its many celebrated shrines, but do not stand before the Kailasanathar Temple , then you have not truly seen Kanchi. In fact, I would say something stronger. Even if you visit only the Kailasanathar Temple and return without seeing any other shrine in Kanchipuram, you can still proudly claim that you have understood the essence of this ancient city. Such is the stature of this monument. Where Does One Even Begin? I have written about vast temple complexes, cave shrines carved into living rock, and towering Chola masterpieces. Yet, when I stand before Kailasanathar, I find myself pausing. Should I begin with its architecture, one of the earliest surviving large structural temples in Tamil Nadu, built entirely in sandstone? Or with its sculptures, countless forms of Shi...
3 comments
Location: Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu 631502, India
Read more