Recent Studies in Indian art have amply established the regional character of the style as well as model in architecture. The pan-Indian art history provided the framework within which spectacular centres of religious art and architecture had been nurtured by a galaxy of royal and lay promoters. Of these, by common consent, Tamil Nadu and Kerala form a perennial source of attraction for scholars and connoisseurs the world over. The present book seeks to correlate the art growth of this region with the socio-political history, to bring out the impacts, movements and epicentres, and it is perhaps the first attempt for this region in his direction. Against the evolving art-matrix of the region, the book lays out the vista and mannerisms of temple arts, under five sections dealing with history, socio-cultural status, forms, canons and cults, striving to emphasise the cultural growth of the region as a variant harmonised with the national ethos, in spirit and in art. The advent of canonical art norms as an essential sequel to the early pervasive acculturation with south bound northern cultural stream mingled with the individuality of the regional art; itself a by-product of geography, raw materials and an indigenous outlook, producing a fabric of integrated texture. An easy running account of the mainstream of the regional art of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, which meanders through many signal and visually satisfying landmarks on its course, is the key feature of the book. The art developments from the early historic to the later medieval times are woven into a unified scheme, illustrated, with charts, drawings and photographs, coverage culptural
art, bronzes and murals as well as the basic manifestations of the structural architecture of the region.
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