Sunday, November 2, 2014

Poetry in Stone - 24

This is twenty-fourth  in the series on the rich cultural heritage of temples in India. The ancient temples of India are richly carved and they behold ones attention for their craftsmanship. 


In the Chennakesava Temple of Belur there are several pierced stone screens  created in 1175 A.D. through which sun light enters the temple. They have been pierced by squarish holes at intervals and interspaces are carved with ornamental designs and figure sculptures.



One such interesting sculpture is on the middle panel of first screen to the south of east doorway depicting a seated King Vishnuvardhana in durbar with long hair, trimmed bearsd, twirled moustaches and royal dress and ornamentation. 



To his left is seated is the Queen Santaladevi with her hair tied up in butterfly knot in addition to usual dress and ornamentation and heavily tasseled waist belt.  



Here is a beautiful sculpture of entwined snakes along with other beautiful sculptures on the external walls of Sun Temple at Konark.



In the above the first two one below the other are sculptures of Lord on the walls  underneath the Natataraja Temple at Chidambaram.  In the next set the top one is on the walls of Vishwanatha Temple at Khajuraho. The remaining two beautiful sculptures are from Kandariya Mahadev Temple at Khajuraho. There are many more such beautiful carvings, we will explore some other time.

35 comments:

Sushma Harish said...

These sculptures have stories we have no idea about.

eileeninmd said...

Hello Rajesh, another lovely series on this temple..The carvings are always amazing to see. Great photos, thanks for sharing.. Enjoy your week!

Snap said...

Amazing artisans.

Jackie and Joel Smith said...

Loved that last mosaic photo. And what an interesting post -- the history is amazing!

Deb @ Frugal Little Bungalow said...

It's hard to imagine the time and talent that goes into carvings like these. Stunning!

Ranjana's craft blog said...

Very nice. Loved that Vishnuvardhana darbar. Everything is very clear, even the hairstyle of Rani Shantala Devi

Forest Dream Weaver said...

These are quite amazing,like lace....

Enjoy your week!

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Incredibly beautiful Rajesh. I love this series.

Sharon Wagner said...

So intricate. Thanks for the tour.

Al said...

This is so impressive, I can't imagine the time and skill that went into making these.

Anonymous said...

Simply gorgeous!

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

Interesting carvings! The ones in the third panel are very unusual.

Leovi said...

Yes, indeed, wonderful pictures, I like this poem in stone! Fine sculptures!

Gattina said...

What beautiful sculptures !

lotusleaf said...

Great photos!

MaR said...

Always fascinating! impressive carvings.

q is for...

Trubes said...

Wonderful carvings in the stone, such detail.

best wishes,

Di,

Abcw team.

http://joshidaniel.com/ said...

so beautiful :)

Roger Owen Green said...

QUALITY stuff, as usual.

ROG, ABCW

Reader Wil said...

Your temples are among the highest qualified buildings in the world!
Wil, ABCW Team.

Jeevan said...

Simply incredible in details!! Beautiful captures

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

whenever I come to your posts, I wonder if there are still such skill people nowadays.

Rajesh said...

Ann: Yes, we still have such skillful artisans.

Kokila gupta said...

Intricate and beautiful ...

Madhukumar Malladi said...

It shows great workmanship and craftsmanship , which is widely seen in many parts of India. from centuries , rulers, king encouraged and artisans worked very hard. we should thank them for having presented with such great heritage.your contribution to make it known to others is commendable.

Unknown said...

The detailed illustrations created centuries ago still hold us in awe.

Ravish Mani said...

Great capture of grand magnificence. It's indeed poetic. :)

magiceye said...

Amazing art!

D.Nambiar said...


Nice pictures. And awesome series, Rajesh.
I visited Belur earlier this year and it was MINDBLOWING!!

Yogi Saraswat said...

Really The stones are singing a melodious song !!

Unknown said...

Incredible India :)

Unknown said...

Amazing capture ...

http://thetalesofatraveler.com/2015/08/08/day-trip-from-bangalore-to-kotilingeshwara-temple/

indu chhibber said...

Amazing talent they had and cutting stones to let in light is a unique idea.

Maniparna said...

Beautiful stone carvings...amazing architecture indeed... :-)

Unknown said...

What a legacy the ancient Indians left. Sadly, present day India is still living in their reflected glory.