The book is based on extensive survey of Vijayanagara-Nayaka temples in the Natunatu sub-division of Tamilnadu, the topographical entity that covers the land falling in between Tirukkoyilur in the west to the Bay in the east. The history, architecture and iconography of the temples examined are those of Trivikrama (Tirukkovalur), Vrddhagirisvara (Vrddhacalam), Varadaraja (Panrutti), Vaidhyanathasvami (Tittakuti), Tirukkamesvara (Villiyanur), including the Cola temple at Bakur and so on. Most temples examined in this book are unreported. It is based on excellent field work. Nearly 1,000 photographic illustrations were collected for the purpose of which about 100 are illustrated. Though most of the temples claim hoary antiquity, all these attained full-fledged form under the Vijayanagara-Nayaka rulers of Tamilnadu; particularly the Nayakas of Tancavur, Cenci and Maturai.
The history of the temples is mainly based on literary and epigraphical sources. An important contribution is that all the hymns of the Alvars (Visnu) and Nayanmar (Siva) bearing on the temples have been brought to English.
The present work is an authoritative account of the Nayaka temples in the region mainly reflecting on architecture and iconography. The author is a creative sculptor and speaks in the language of a silpacarya.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR M. Ragunathan
Dr M. Ragunath is basically trained in the western-turned-Indian modern art faculty. He took his BFA (Bharathiar Palkalaikoodam, Pondicherry University) and MFA (Chitrakala Parishath, Bangalore University). He chose to do his M.Phil.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Raju Kalidos
The Editor of the book, Professor Raju Kalidos, is Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Chairman of the Department of Sculpture and Art History of the Tamil University of Thanjavur. Born in August 1947, Raju’s contribution to the nation is fitting if we look into the title and the sectarian trends of Indian politics at the time of the golden jubilee celebration of independence. Dr. Kalidos is an authority on South Indian art and Tamil literature, especially its bearing on iconology. The Editor has to his credit four books and a number of articles in internationally reputed Journals, published from Rome, Cambridge (U.K.), London, Nepales, Copenhagen and Osle. He has participated in international conferences at home and abroad; especially of the International Association of the Historians of Asia (Hong Kong and Thailand) and International Congress of Asian and North African Studies (Hong Kong). Publication in Journals of national level touch a centum. The associates of Raju Kalidos are equally meritorious, all having contributed/published in the international Journals. The are R.K.K. Rajarajan, S. Gopalakrishnan, V. Latha and A Meeneshwari. J. Rangasvami is Reader in the Department of Philosophy of the Tamil University. S. Ganeshram is Lecturer in the S.R. Naidu College, Sattur. Both of them are associated with the Editor in research projects for a pretty long time. V. Balambal was Professor of History in the University of Madras. A major UGC project, completed by Raju Kalidos on the Iconography of Early Medieval South India is being published by the Sharada Publishing House in five volumes.
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