The beautiful temples that dot the South
Indian state of Tamil Nadu have lent the
state the sobriquet of "land of temples".
The glory of Tamil temple architecture reaches
its pinnacle in the Meenakshi temple at
Madurai. The temple with its profusion of
sculpture and magnificent proportions, the
thousand-pillared mandapas and the pillars
of stone, towering gopurams (gateway) and
larger-than-life-sized reliefs speak highly
of the architectural skills of the Tamil
sculptors.
The sculptor's fine sense of balance and
skill is also displayed in the other temples
of the state. At Chidambaram, one finds
beautiful panels depicting the 108 karanas
of the Natya Shastra while Kanchipuram houses
a number of the temples starting from the
earliest Pallava times to the Nayak period
and even later. The artistic achievements
of the Tamil sculptors are also displayed
at the grand Ekambareshwara Temple and the
Varadaraaja Temple. The granite carving in Tamil Nadu is confined
to the area around Mamallapuram (also Mahabalipuram)
and Chingleput. This may be attributed to
the fact that the government has set up
the Mamallapuram School of Sculpture here.
Just as in bronze, the 20th-century sculpture
has not yet evolved an idiom of its own
and many of the carvings are copies of the
earlier periods.
The quality of the material is an extremely
important part of the sculptural process.
Just as the Shilpa Shastra set out the measurements
and techniques of sculpting, the sculptors
here have also gone into a detail regarding
the quality of stone, its maturity, texture,
color and other things.
The artists out here work with the indigenous
varieties of the stone available in the
state, as it is extremely durable for construction
purposes. Also the homogeneity of the stone
is important for the stability and durability
of the final form. The stones are selected carefully for their
texture and the lie of the stone (or the
direction of the growth). This lie also
defines the quarrying technique employed.
The dynamiting of rocks is not recommended
when the stone is supposed to be used for
sculpture. Dynamiting forms cracks on the
stone thereby making it unfit for use. The
stone is cut by moving a series of wedges
about 5 to 7.5 cm deep. These wedges are
driven carefully with heavy 4 kg hammers,
resulting in the rocks breaking apart with
clean edges.
A good stone is supposed to have no flaws,
whether kalanga or stains, rekha or patch,
bindu or spot. The themes for most of the
sculptures have always been religious in
nature. Much of the elaboration has a strong
basis in the mythology and Puranic tradition
of India. There is an elaborate use of symbolism
to convey the meaning of abstract truths.
After the sculptural work is complete,
a ceremony called as nayanon-milan is held.
In this ceremony, the image is invested
with sight, life and breath, thus making
it a virtual living force. Only then is
the image ceremoniously placed in the Garbhagriha
or sanctum sanctorum.
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