Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Indian Sculpture: The Samavediswarar Temple


When one talks of Indian Sculpture – and South Indian Sculpture in particular – the top tourist destination that springs into the mind is, probably, the Pallava sculptures at Mahabalipuram and, secondarily, the Kailashanatha temple at Kanchi. One may then cast an eye at the Chalukyan Sculptures in Aihole/Pattadakal/Badami or the Hoysala sculptures at Belur-Halebidu in Karnataka. Hampi of the Nayakas may also attract attention.
Yet South India is rich in innumerable temples dotting the landscape with a veritable treasure trove of sculptures waiting to be explored. It is, probably, this plenitude that seems to make the local populace totally indifferent to the artistic richness that lies amidst them. This indifference has, in turn, contributed to neglect and, thus, not only do these various temples housing sculptural marvels remain obscure but the sculptures also tend to be ruined by neglect.
In fact, the sculptural heritage of the Cholas and Pandyas is almost totally ignored – the major Chola and Pandya temples being visited mainly as grand temples or places of pilgrimage rather than for their sculptural heritage. Talk of the Cholas and the only thing of artistic merit that springs to the mind are the Chola bronzes. Yet, it is in their times that exquisite sculpting in miniature panels arguably reached their zenith. The panels of the latter age – the Hoysalas and Nayaks – do have lovely detail but they are normally larger and, thus, arguably do not give the same impression of intricacy that the Chola panels portray.
During my visit to Srirangam to explore the sculptural heritage of South India, I had the opportunity to visit a small temple – The Samavedishwarar temple in Tirumangalam near Lalgudi. This temple set in serene surroundings is an exemplar of the early Chola (8th to 10th Century AD) temple.
Take a look at the sculpture of the ‘Bikshadana’ in one of the niches.
 This is a portrayal of the Sankaranarayana in another niche.
 
Vishnu and Lakshmi in one of the pillar panels.
 
There was this lovely Ramayana series of miniature panels. You can see the Kabanda episode from the Ramayana in the miniature below. This was just above the basement and the sculptor does not seem to be afflicted by the so-called ‘chalta hai’ attitude considering his attention to detail in this miniature which is not in the most noticeable of positions.
 
That visit to the temple was one of the most rewarding experiences for me in this trip. You can get a virtual tour of the trip in the photographs of Arvind Venkataraman here, whose photographs have been used by me in this post as well.

More information of cultural interest may be seen here

51 comments:

  1. Amazing architecture in the temples down south!
    You may want to reduce the pic size as they are too large and overlapping with the sidebar.

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    1. Thanks DS! Done! And this is not even one of those world-famous places to visit - in fact even the locals hardly visit this place!

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  2. Wow! I was actually amazed to find a post of yours in photography section! This is beautiful, an enchanting tour through our rich sculptural heritage, a hidden gem!

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    1. I could not find any place for Indian culture, sculpture etc. in Indi and did not think Religion was appropriate for this. So, photography when not a single photograph is mine :)

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  3. Are these rock cut? i mean are the sculptures rock cut?

    i have never been to south anything beyond Bangalore and therefore my visits to temple is limited to eastern ,northern and western parts of the country...
    i have been to Ajanta, Ellora in the west and Konark temple in odissa...and the rock cut sculptures are really magnificent...lovely photographs and knowledgeable piece about the temples down south India...would love to visit...in the near future...!!!

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    1. Structural temples - these! You need to visit, Anjan!

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  4. those are some astonishing sculptures and it's amazing to know that those were built during 8th to 10th century! i usually spend a lot of time going through wiki pages to know about old temples, monuments, architecture. would love to know more about this temple. couldn't visit the link because of slow internet connection. will take a look at the photographs once i reach home.

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    1. It is a rewarding experience, Debs, to visit these places.

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  5. That was a quick refresher on historical sculptures of South India and a great bouquet of shots depicting some of those treasures. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Thanks Uma! There are innumerable such lesser known treasures.

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  6. Very nice should better say stunningly nice and what surprises me is the message that was communicated through the sculpture. But how to reach this place? I visited Sri Rangam but unfortunately could not see it. lease tell me how to reach here from Bangalore. In my next visit I shall definitely see this.

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    1. This temple is near Trichy Pradip! When you go from Trcihy to Lalgudi, you take the left before you hit Lalgudi town.

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  7. Thanks for covering Magabhalipuram, a treasure trove of time-honored sculptures. Very informative. Like the pictures.

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    1. If you had noticed Easwar, the piece is NOT about Mahabalipuram but about a lesser known temple near Lalgudi!

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  8. Fascinating. It is these understated treasures that never cease to amaze us. I wrote about one such- The Statue of Vishnu at Dive Agar in my blog www.therandomwalkaround.blogspot.com. Do read about it.

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    1. Thanks Rajesh - bur I suppose that the sculptors are the recipients of your praise!

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  10. Southern India is a treasure trove of stunning sculptures.

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    1. It is, indeed, but neglect seems to be destroying a lot of these treasures.

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  11. Brief, but excellent ! Chandru

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  12. Great post indeed! Lesser known places like this deserve to be brought to attention too! Nice work Suresh:)

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    1. This group I go with do this sterling job of bringing to light such unknown treasures.

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  13. Our ancestors really excelled in this art & that too with most simple instruments.Worth seeing !!!!!!!

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  14. wow ! lovely pics and thanks for details . Though I have not visited Samavediswarar Temple but have seen many other temples where the sculptures seen to be alive !

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    1. The south one may say is littered with temples like this.

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  15. formidable sculptures those are ! wonderful captures . Speak volumes about the ingenious ancient skills :)

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    1. This is one piece where I have little to contribute - it is the ancient skills and the skills of Arvind that have combined to bring those photographs here.

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  16. I have been to a few of these out-of-the-way, not-widely known temples, and it is absolutely amazing what precise, complex architecture and impossibly intricate art was achieved when people worked with nothing more than a chisel-hammer and their own two hands...

    And as you very rightly and profoundly noted, the locals barely acknowledge the beauty and majesty of what is practically in their backyard. It is true for most things in life that we take for granted.

    Lovely pictures. I especially liked the splash of yellow on grey-brown stone!

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    1. That splash of yellow may be the only modern contribution there :)

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  17. Nice. You have stirred up my interest in sculptures and architecture now. So many different thing to do, so little time. And what little we have is spent earning a living and the rest cribbing that we have to spend most of the time doing that.

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    1. That was precisely my feeling, TF! And that is why I never have regretted quitting my job!

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    2. Wish I could quit mine to do all the things my heart yearns to do Suresh!

      Anyways, a great post as always...!!

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  18. Unfortunately not many appreciate the artistic excellence of these temples and many of them have a dearth of care-takers...We should have a large influx of tourism with these....Our Incredible India folks need to promote them more!

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    1. Promote them, Jaish? First they need to take care of them better.

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  19. South Indian temples and sculptures always amazed me and still continue to do the same..I feel terribly bad for the state many of these structures are lying. How much of our heritage is being wasted?? It was good to learn about another new temple here..Thanks for sharing, Suresh.

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  20. I know...been a while and I apologise too..it would be a lie if I say I had been crazily busy as you can see me sometimes at other places :) Joined work and not being able to catch up every blog that I follow. Promise to catch up on all your posts sooner or later :)

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    1. Thanks! No reader owes any writer any apology :) It feels great to hear that you will catch up on all my posts!

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  21. Some lovely pictures there. I haven't been to this temple but having being to Belur-Halebidu, I will argue for the intricacy of the stonework in those places. They also have similar miniature images carved in the stones and I will say the artist has not spared any effort, unless they have been ruined by man/nature :)

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    1. That will always be a matter of debate, Ramakant! The point is that it requires greater attention and artistry with smaller panels - as is the case with the Chola temples. Also, the Hoysala temples are around the 12 century AD whereas the Chola temples are of the 8-10 Century and, thus, definitely take their place as precursors. There is no denying the artistry of the Hoysala temples, however.

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  22. my bad, you have been leibstered again dude. Now take deep breaths, I too am taking because i see my first two awardees already leibstered. I cannot retrace my steps now.
    http://likemymusings.blogspot.in/2013/03/leibster-award-ahoy.html

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  23. Suresh, thank you so much for this post. I haven't travelled much in Tamil Nadu and what little I have done has been with my parents and for pilgrimage purposes.

    I feel very strongly about our artistic heritage and your point about ignoring the sculptural heritage of the South is very well said. I hope to travel to Tamil Nadu early next year and will try and visit the Samavediswarar Temple

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    1. That's only a small sample temple and not something very prominent. You can find a lot of such similar temples close to Chennai - of the Pallava era.

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  24. Suresh, this post is great. Its really amazing the artistic level of these artisans...
    I'd love to find a Hindu style sculpture workshop or teacher, I want to come to South India to take a class practicing this wonderful art.
    Maybe you know of such a place??
    Much obliged
    Ron

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    1. Wonderful to learn of your interest, Ron! I am afraid I myself do not know people who could teach you but you could try that site tamilheritage.in and see if someone there knows of it.

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