Archive for August, 2007

  • A lion and a bull

    A lion and a bull

    You have to admit that there is something charming about a lion who sticks out his tongue. Shiva rides on a bull named Nandi. Nandi seems pretty happy about it.

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  • From vision to reality

    From vision to reality

    Walking around, we saw this beautiful drawing of an elephant just sketched on a wall. And then turning the corner, we saw the artist’s vision in three dimensional stone. And of course, the detail is stunning.

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  • Adi Shankara

    Adi Shankara

    The first (adi in Sanskrit) Shankara seated on a lotus teaching. As beautifully carved as it is, this is just a minor detail on a pillar. As we were walking around our guide pulled aside a plastic sheet and beneath it was this beautiful carving of Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati. It was surprisingly lifelike because it [...]

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  • The dancer…

    The dancer…

    Note the amazing detail in her hair.

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  • Details…

    Details…

    The detail work on the pillars was magnificent. The horse (above) and the rider…

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  • Temple plans

    Temple plans

    As we walked around the site we came across this architectural drawing of the design for the temple. The long hall that extends to the right is seen below. The gopuram (tower) will extend up 90 feet and has not been built yet. There is no concrete being used in the construction at all. It [...]

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  • Temple under construction

    Temple under construction

    One of the highlights of the trip was our visit to a special temple that has been under construction for the past 5 years. The temple is for the beloved Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati who was the Shankaracharya in Kanchipuram from 1907 to 1994. His influence in Tamil Nadu was immense because of the purity of [...]

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