Madhu Jagdhish - Sculpture Enthusiast

Name: Madhu Jagdhish - Sculpture Enthusiast
Address: Pollachi, 642002, IN
Telephone: +919486411113
Price range: Not Applicable
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Madhu Jagdhish - Sculpture Enthusiast

I am a Heritage Enthusiast having great passion in Nature and Temple Architecture Photography
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Travel Photography, Temple Sculpture Architecture Enthusiast, Heritage Photography & Documentation

31/05/2026

SRI VAITHEESWARAR TEMPLE - CHINTHAMANI NALLUR:

Nestled in the quiet village of Chinthamani Nallur in the Villupuram district of Tamil Nadu, this architecturally stunning Shiva temple stands as a testament to the heights of later Chola craftsmanship.

Inscriptions reveal that the primary deity (Moolavar) was originally named ‘Kulothunga Chozheeswaramudaiya Mahadevar’, consecrated by Vikrama Chola in honor of his father, Kulothunga Chola-I.

The name of the village, 'Chinthamani', traces back to Kulothunga Chola-I’s queen, Madhurantaki, who carried the royal title ‘Dheena Chintamani’. Over the centuries, the village came to be known as Chinthamani Nallur.

Devotees who prayed to this temple’s Shiva Lingam experienced miraculous recoveries from various ailments. Because of its reputation for curing diseases, the deity came to be revered as Vaitheeswarar (the Lord of Healing).
Consort: Sri Thaiyal Nayagi

NICHE DEITIES(Koshta Murthis): The walls feature exquisite carvings of Vinayakar, Dakshinamurti, Lingodhbhavar, Brahma, and Durga, Urdhva Tandava Murthi, Uma Sahita Murti (Shiva with Parvati), Bhikshatanar and Kala Bhairavar.

The southern stone walls of the Maha-mandapam preserve Vikrama Chola's royal inscriptions. These ancient texts primarily record donations made to maintain perpetual lamps (Nandhavilakku) inside the complex.

PLACE: Chinthamani Nallur, Villupuram District, Tamil Nadu
PATRON: Vikrama Chola (son of Kulothunga Chola-I)
PERIOD: 1127 CE

24/05/2026

SOMNATHPURA - Absolute Zenith of Hoysala architecture:

Nestled on the banks of the Kaveri River, about 38 kilometers from Mysore, sits the Chennakesava Temple of Somnathpura. Completed in 1268 CE under the patronage of Somanatha, a high-ranking commander of the Hoysala Empire.

While the temple’s triple-shrine (trikuta) design is a structural marvel, it is the breathtakingly intricate soapstone sculptures covering every square inch of the monument that elevate it to a masterpiece of world heritage.

A cinematic storyboard depicting epics like the Ramayana, Mahabharata, and the Bhagavata Purana.

As a Vaishnava temple, one can find spectacular variations of Vishnu's avatars—from the fierce, half-man half-lion Narasimha to the cosmic posture of Varaha rescuing the earth.

Names like Mallitamma, Baleya, Chameya, and Marniya are etched directly into history. Mallitamma, in particular, was a prolific master sculptor of the 13th century; records show he carved over 40 of the main wall panels here.

Unfortunately, this breathtakingly beautiful temple is no longer used as a place of worship, as the idols here have been damaged and the temple was desecrated by the invasion of the Delhi Sultanate.

Location : Chennakesava Temple, Somanathapura, Karnataka

Period : Completed in 1268 CE, by Somanatha, a Commander of Hoysala King Narasimha III (1254-1291CE)

12/04/2026

BRIHADEESWARA TEMPLE, GANGAIKONDACHOLAPURAM
Dedicated to Shiva, this gigantic temple in granite was built by Rajendra Chola (1014–1044 CE) as a replica of the his father’s magnum opus Brihadeeswara Temple at Thanjavur, but with great craftsmanship in sculptures.

GANGAIKONDA CHOLAPURAM:
To commemorate his triumphant conquest to the Gangetic plains, in 1023CE, Rajendra Chola-I built a new city 'Gangaikonda Cholapuram'. The tongue-twisting name means ‘the city of the Chola who conquered the Ganga’.
For 250 years this city remained as the Capital of Chola empire which extended from Tungabhadra in the North to SriLanka in the South and was celebrated in the Tamil literatures of 'Muvar Ula'(மூவருலா) of Ottakutthar and 'Kalingattuparani'(கலிங்கத்துப்பரணி) of Jayankondar.

THE TEMPLE :
It was the desire of Rajendra Chola-I to consecrate a temple as the replica of the Big Temple at Thanjavur built by his father Rajaraja Chola-I and this resulted in this Brihadeeswara Temple, Gangaikondacholapuram.

The entrance does give an impression that there might have been a gopuram here. The British (1902) carried away huge chunks of Granite stones from this temple's outer walls to build Lower Anicut Dam across river Kollidam, but the temple still preserves its glory.

The presiding deity is Shiva in form of 'Linga' (13.5 feet height placed on a Avudayar of 60 feet circumference) and is one of the largest for any Shiva temple.

NOTABLE SCULPTURES
Gigantic Dwarapalakas (guardian deities), elegance in ornate sculptures in the niches are connoisseur's delight. These gigantic (upto 18 feet height monolithic in hard granite), muscular, awesome, handsome, fearsome and smiling Dwarapalakas are one of the striking features of Gangaikondacholapuram.

The most striking sculptures are the Nataraja, the dancing Ganesha, Chandesa with Shiva and Parvati, Gnana Saraswathi and the Ardhanariswara.

Shiva in various forms (Kalanthaka, Madananthaka, Alingana Murthi, Bhikshadanar) are depicted in the outer walls. Reason for some unfinished sculptures in parts of walls still remain a mystery.

PLACE: PERUVUDAYAR TEMPLE (Brihadeeswara Temple), Gangaikonda Cholapuram, Ariayalur District, Tamilnadu
PERIOD: 1035 CE by Rajendra Chola-I

08/02/2026

KOSHTA SCULPTURES OF SOMANATHAR TEMPLE:

This is one of the temples that reached the pinnacle of the Later Chola art tradition.

The sculptures of Kalyana Sundarar, Gajasamhara Murti, Urdhva Tandava Murti, Veendadharar, Ardhanariswara, Tripura Samharamurthi and Bhikshatana in the exterior niches of this temple, along with the stone windows and the elegant appearance of the archways, captivate all who see them.

Presiding Deity: Sri Somanathar (Shiva as Someswarar | சோமேஸ்வரர்)
Consort: Sri Soundarya Nayaki (சௌந்தர்ய நாயகி)

The historical information about this temple is astonishing. This temple was built in 1182 CE by Srikanta Sambu, the royal preceptor of Kulothunga Chola-III. Inscriptions of Rajaraja Chola-III, dating back to 1237 CE (the 21st regnal year mentioned in the inscription), are found here.

This temple still proclaims the culture of the Chola kings, who honored sculptros by granting them appropriate recognition and titles. They have been honored with titles in the king's name, namely ‘Kulothunga Chola Perunthachan’(குலோத்துங்க சோழப் பெருந்தச்சன்) and ‘Someswara Perunthachan’(சோமேஸ்வர பெருந்தச்சன்).

PLACE: Somanathar Temple (சோமநாதர் திருக்கோயில்), Achuthamangalam, Nannilam Taluk, Thiruvarur District, Tamilnadu

PERIOD: 12th century CE

22/01/2026

THIRUCHENGATTANKUDI UTTARAPADEESWARAR TEMPLE:

This temple sung in sacred Thevara hymns, is 79th Shiva temple among the temples located on the south bank of river Cauvery (காவிரி தென்கரைத் தலம்).

It is mentioned in the Puranas that when Sri Vinayaka killed demon Gajamugasura, this whole area turned red due to the flood of blood from the monster's body, hence the name ‘Sengadu – Chengatangudi’ (செங்காட்டங்குடி).

Presiding Deity: Uttarapadeeswarar (Shiva) / உத்தராபதீஸ்வரர்
Consort: Sulikambal / (குழலம்மை)

Narasimha Pallava, who invaded the Chalukya country in 642 C.E., defeated the Chalukya king Pulakeshin-II and captured their capital VATAPI (modern-day Badami in Karnataka).

At that time, his commander Paranjothi brought the idol of Ganapati from Vatapi and installed it in Thiruchengattankudi, which is enshrined in a separate shrine named "Vatapi Ganapati". This Ganesha is seen with a sticky stomach.

After the victory over the Chalukyas, Paranjothi bid farewell to the Pallava king and decided to do religious service with the name ‘Siruthondar’.

The postures of Dakshinamurthy, Lingothpavar, Brahma and Ardhanareeswarar grace the ‘koshtas’ and intricate works in ‘Thronas’ are very attractive.

Chola period inscriptions on outer walls of sanctum sanctorum, mention various grants made to the temple in 11-12th Century by Chola Kings Rajarajan-I, Rajendran-I, Kulothungan-I, Rajarajan-II, Rajathirajan-II and Rajarajan-III.

This temple is under the control of Velakurichi Atheenam.

PLACE: Uttarapadeeswarar Temple, Tiruchengatangudi, Nagapattinam District, Tamilnadu

27/10/2025

BANTEY SREI – An Artistic Treasure:

Made of pink sandstone with very fine carvings, the sculptural elegance of this temple is unmatched in any other Cambodian temple. It is no exaggeration to say that every entrance ‘torana’(ornamental gateway) is an artistic treasure.

The splendor of the sculptures depicting the events of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, and the fine carvings will enthrall the onlookers.

A series of motifs of lotus flowers, vines, garlands, dragons, decorations are arranged with great artistic precision.

The following complex reliefs in the toranas are a must-see part of this temple.

PLACE: Banteay Srei, 32km from Siem Reap city, Cambodia.

PERIOD: Consecration in the year 967 CE as per the inscriptions at the temple, patronised by Yajnavaraha, a courtier and guru of Kings Rajendravarman-II and Jayavarman-V.

12/10/2025

THIRUKOZHAMBIAM KOKILESWARAR TEMPLE:

This temple is the 35th Shiva Temple among the South bank temples on River Cauvery and has the honour of having the reference in Thevaram hymns.

It is believed that this temple may have been converted into Granite Temple during the period of Paranthaga Chola-I, 1100 years ago.

This is one of the temples restored by Sembian Madevi, the Queen of Kandaraditha Chola.

Uttama Chola, Rajadhiraja-I, Kulothunga Chola-I, Vikrama Chola, Vijayanagara Emperor Krishna Deva Rayar made many contributions to this temple.

The Koshta (niches) in the outer walls of the sanctum are adorned with Bhadra, Makara and Chitra thoranas and contain elegant sculptures of Vinayagar, Nataraja, Sage Agasthiyar, Dakshinamurthy, Lingotpavar, Brahma, Arthanareeswara, Mahishasura Marthini with Navakanda Veeran and Bhikshatana.

This temple with its exquisite sculptures is no wonder attract every art lover.

GOD: Shiva as ‘Kozhambanathar’ worshiped as 'Gokileswarar'
CONSORT: Soundaranayaki

TEMPLE: Kogileswarar Temple, THIRUKOZHAMBIAM, (திருக்கோழம்பியம் கோகிலேசுவரர் கோயில்), Thanjavur District, Tamilnadu

#திருக்கோழம்பியம்

18/08/2025

Beautiful Bhikshatana

04/05/2025

LINGARAJA TEMPLE:

The Lingaraja temple is the largest temple and one of the oldest temples in Bhubaneswar dedicated to Shiva.

The temple in its present form dates back to the last decade of the 11th century CE.

As per some accounts, the temple is believed to have been built by the Somavanshi king Yayati I (1025-1040), during the 11th century CE.

There is evidence that part of the temple was built during the sixth century CE as mentioned in some of the seventh century Sanskrit texts.

James Fergusson (1808–86), a noted historian rated the temple as "one of the finest examples of purely Hindu temple in India".
Fergusson believes that the temple might have been initiated by Lalat Indu Keshari who reigned from 615 to 657 CE.

The Assembly hall (jagamohana), sanctum and temple tower were built during the 11th century, while the Hall of offering ('Bhoga-mandapa') was built during the 12th century.

The 'natamandira' was built by the wife of Salini between 1099 and 1104 CE

PLACE: Lingaraja temple, Bhubaneswar, Odisha

06/04/2025

TWIN TEMPLES OF KEEZHAIYUR:
Keezhaiyur was part of Pazhuvur, the capital of the Pazhuvettarayars (பழுவேட்டரையர் சிற்றரசர்கள்), who were the chieftains under the mighty Chola Emperors.

The name of the town was then referred as 'Avani Gandharvapuram' ('மன்னு பெரும் பழுவூர் / 'அவனி கந்தர்வபுரம்').

There are two Shiva temples in the 'Avani Gandharva Ishwara Griha' complex here. The temple on the north side is called 'Vada Vaail Sri Koil' (வட வாயில் ஸ்ரீ கோயில் / Chozhicharam) and the temple on the south side is referred as 'Sree Temple at the South Gate' ('தென் வாயில் ஸ்ரீ கோயில்' / Agatheeswaram).

Chief Deity of one temple is Agastheeswarar - Consort Abhidakujambikai. And another temple is Chozheeeswarar - Consort Manonmani.

The temples were built during the reign of the Pazhuvettarayar Kings Kumaran Kandan and Kumaran Maravan (end of 9th century - beginning of 10th century AD). These temples are excellent examples of early Chola architecture.

In the Deva Koshtas surrounding the sanctum, East: Murugan, North: Brahma, South: Shiva, the grandeur of the sculptures are awe-inspiring.

In Vimana Koshtha, a rare sculpture of 'Para Siva' (பாரசிவன் – Shiva carrying lingam) and Dakshinamurthy are worth mentioning.

Miniature figures in Gajasamharamurthy, 'Urdvajanu' (Dance form with Lifted knee) Makara Toranas are a feast to the eyes.

PLACE: TWIN TEMPLES, KEEZHAIYUR, Ariyalur District, Tamilnadu
Period: Late 9th - Early 10th century

Address

Pollachi
642002

Telephone

+919486411113

Website

http://madhujagdhish.blogspot.com/

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