Stories in Stone

This is from Sri Govindrajaswamy temple , Thiruppathi, consecrated by Sri Ramanuja in 1130 CE.

The intriguing geometry appears on the ceiling slab of a massive gopuram vaasal (gate).

Here is the gopuram:

Here’s a bottom-up view of the ceiling and the stone slabs:

Here’s a close-up of the geometry:

Look at those straight lines. They appear to be the edges of two polygons shifted and superimposed. Right, eh?

Well, they are not. Start from any node, go down or up and trace the edges without lifting the hand – you’ll return to the starting point!!!

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These salabanjika‘s (a common motif at the entrances) would walk away with the crown for beauty, poise and grace any day anywhere!!

All credits to Amar Reddy for the photographs.

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A Race Unfinished?

No school sports is complete without sack race:

Looks like it wasn’t different in those times!! This race was flagged off some 500 to 700 years ago:

From: Periyanayagi Amman temple at Devikapuram of Vijayanagara period (1336 – 1672). Source: Mohan Hariharan andRavichandran Kp

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The Women Knew About It All Along!

The Ramappa Temple near Warangal so uniquely named after its architect was constructed in the 13^th century during the rule of Kakatiya’s. Its richly embellished sculptures rival the feast laid out by the Hoysala’s in Belur (12^th century).

Here are just a few snaps of the icons and panels available on the net:

Musicians and Dancers in ecstatic postures:

A long chain of 523 elephants walking around, sculpted all differently on the base of the temple:

And here’s our lady wearing high-heels!

Unfortunately, there are no video clips I could find in English explaining the sculptures and their intricacies.

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