This is seventh in the series on the rich cultural heritage of temples in India. The ancient temples are richly carved and they behold ones attention for their craftsmanship.
Most of these temples have carvings of Lord Ganesh in various forms. Each of these sculptures are marvel stone in their own right.
The first two sculptures are beautifully carved on the external walls of the 12th century Hoysaleswara Temple at Halebid in Karnataka.
Above are from the temples of Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh on their external walls. On the left is from Lakshmana Temple and the right one is from Vishwanath Temple. This is one of the World Heritage Site.
This one again from World Heritage Site Hampi in Karnataka. This 8 feet idol is known as Sasivekalu Ganesha.
Above is 16th century sculpture of Lord Ganesha at ASI Museum, Shimoga. It is front and back of the same sculpture which has been damaged. Uniqueness of this idol is the hair style at the back which is commonly done by ladies in India.
Above one is the angry form of the Lord. This is a very rare form of sculpture and is at Boganandishwar Temple near Bangalore.
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Most of these temples have carvings of Lord Ganesh in various forms. Each of these sculptures are marvel stone in their own right.
The first two sculptures are beautifully carved on the external walls of the 12th century Hoysaleswara Temple at Halebid in Karnataka.
Above are from the temples of Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh on their external walls. On the left is from Lakshmana Temple and the right one is from Vishwanath Temple. This is one of the World Heritage Site.This one again from World Heritage Site Hampi in Karnataka. This 8 feet idol is known as Sasivekalu Ganesha.
Above is 16th century sculpture of Lord Ganesha at ASI Museum, Shimoga. It is front and back of the same sculpture which has been damaged. Uniqueness of this idol is the hair style at the back which is commonly done by ladies in India.
Above one is the angry form of the Lord. This is a very rare form of sculpture and is at Boganandishwar Temple near Bangalore.
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55 comments:
It never ceases to amaze me when I see ancient art like this that it was all hand made...just beautiful!
It takes a real master to carve those intricate statue, not an easy thing to do!
Wonderful Ganesh! I love looking at the temple sculptures ... amazing!
Rightly said! The craftsmanship is worth s note.
Beautiful.I have been told that the pictures /idols of angry form of Ganesha is not kept at home .Loved the ladies with gorgeous braids and other hair style.
Incredible India! Ganesha vigraha is something thats so adorable in its various forms.. I had heard of sasive kaLu ganesha but nice to see the pictures.. Thanks for sharing them...
The detail in this work is so incredible!
Beautiful! Poetry in stone is truly an appropriate title.;)
xoxo
amazing pics!!! never heard of the last two images!
When do you get time to travel all such places? I am bit jealous about you :-) Just joking of course. I am glad that you are enjoying these places and more glad that you are sharing with us the beauty and the joy!
They are quite beautiful!
I just love this post. Have always wanted to go to India. I am an associate of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth in Ky and they have missions in India for over 50 years. I know many of the sisters from India. They are over here a lot and I have many pieces of art from India. I love the fabrics and the batik. Will be following you since I found you. Blessings
QMM
All of these carvings are exquisite. Your last picture is beauatiful -- I've never seen anything quite like it.
Very interesting and different sculptures of Ganesha...the last one in particular. Thank you so much for sharing these!
Our grandson told me that Lord Ganesh is (among other things) the patron of writers! He gave me a tiny souvenir statue to keep by the computer. (I don't think it's working for me ;>) but I love looking at it of course.
The carvings as always are so beautiful, just incredible to me.
very interesting sculptures.
What amazing images! Thanks for sharing these! Happy Monday! ♥
marvelous Rajesh, you never cease to amaze me with your photos.. awesome!
Amazing work of art. Happy RT!
Mine's here.
Wonderful photos, Rajesh. Liked the lighting.
Rajesh!,Ur post of temples r inviting me to tour that place.Great post again.
What lovely stonework... that last statue does look a bit scary!
I liked this Ganesha special post with Ganesha Chaturthi at corner. Simply amazing!
love the intricate details of the sculptures.
Fantastic shots and thank you for the unusual Ganesha's. First time I see the hair tied in a plait!!
Gorgeous is the perfect word!
God's Marvelous Gift. Have a great day!
Fascinating carvings. Very informative.
love the first sculpture...apt post for ths occassion
The wreath made me smile!
ROG, ABC Wednesday team
Fascinating post and wonderful sculpture.
beautiful...I can keep looking at it for hours marveling at those artists talent...
Thank u for the beautiful snaps
All these carvings are so splendid!
Amazing photos!thanks, namaste, Carol (A Creative Harbor) from Ruby Tuesday
GORGEOUS intricate artwork! I never get tired of ancient architecture. Lovely post as usual.
Leslie
abcw team
These are some of the better photographs I have seen of temple carvings. I find it fascinating the how art of carving stone was perfected before the era of modern technology.
beautiful indeed and the last pic is amazing!
Amazingly gifted artwork.
Gorgeous stone carvings!! Love the statue of that idol with braided hair, just wonderful.
Another fascinating series for your temple series.
Lord Ganesha in the last photo is decorated with flowers. Is this part of the worship or is it to placate his anger?
What a great set of the gorgeous Indian carvings! Fantastic.
The people who built these buildings and the sculptures of these statues, must have been very hardworking and patient people. They were certainly creative.
Thanks for showing.
Marvellous sculptures, really interesting.
Thank you all for appreciating the beautiful sculptures.
I agree: The craftsmanship is exquisite! Such detail! Such devotion!
RAINBOW DITTY
Dibs of yellow and dabs of red—
Rainbow colors go to my head!
Dashes of gold and crimson too—
Painted like this I can’t feel blue!
© 2011 by Magical Mystical Teacher
Red Temple Fence
Amazing art!
My entries:
Moms...Check Nyo
Yummy-as-can-be
Love your post, Rajesh. Earlier today I did some reading and I found this:
"In the vedic tradition, all worship starts with the invocation of Ganesha, the elephant-headed deity. Ganisha creates the faith to remove all obstacles, forcing one to look beyond form, removing doubts and pointing out the spiritual side of everything.
"His mount is the rat which represents the demon of vanity. The conch stands for the sound that created space. In his trunk, Ganesha holds a sweetcake, which he offers to us as a symbol of the sweetness of true knowledge. He is adorned with snakes in reference to his father, Shiva. His hatchet cleaves the bondage created by desire, while his open hand grants fearlessness."
Isn't it amazing two people across the world from each other, can be studying the same thing on the same day, and make contact thru the internet? Thank you for sharing your lovely country with us.
Beautiful carvings--I can't imagine the amount of time it would take to carve them. Mickie :)
Beautiful Rajesh. Are those flowers marigold?
Pitcher Plant
Rajesh, this post was so very nice. I love all the carvings of Lord Ganesh. We even have him at our Asian Art Museum in San Francisco but not in such splendor as some of these. I must say that I prefer his countenance to be less angry! His benevolent side appeals to me more!
I also enjoyed reading Cheryl's information. I'm sure I will learn more about Lord Ganesh when I arrive in India.
Thank you all for appreciating the beautiful sculptures.
Kim: Yes, they are merigold flowers.
Simply awesome. Temples in India are mesmerizing!! Will be visiting them again this June :)
Nice work. keep on exploring. Do visit Akshardham temple if you haven't
Cool work
Lord Ganesha has a significant place in Hindu rituals, temples. Beautiful pictures which highlights the artistic talent we once had !
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