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

27/08/2026

GORGEOUS DAKSHINAMURTHY AT GOPURAPATTI:
The Gopurapatti Dakshinamurthy stands as a magnificent testament to ancient Chola stone craftsmanship, capturing the supreme teacher of wisdom in an aura of profound tranquility.

Seated beneath the sacred banyan tree, the deity is depicted with a gentle, benevolent smile that radiates calm and universal compassion. Rather than a stern or detached ascetic, this form embodies an approachable master whose silent presence imparts the highest spiritual truths.

The Sacred Banyan & Wildlife: The tree canopy is carved with remarkable naturalism. Peering quietly from a hollow within the trunk is a watchful owl, coexisting alongside a meticulously rendered lizard and snake—capturing the harmony of nature resting peacefully under the divine aura.

Ascetic Realism: Suspended subtly from the branches is a detailed carving of a 'kaipai' (cloth bag), an intimate detail reflecting the modest everyday essentials of an ascetic's life.

Artistic Harmony: The artisan effortlessly balances spiritual transcendence with acute observation of the natural world, turning hard granite into a living forest scene.

This interplay of divine serenity and delicate micro-details makes the Gopurapatti sculpture not merely an object of devotion, but a timeless masterpiece of temple art.

PLACE: Sri Amaleswarar Temple (also known as Amaneeswarar), Gopurapatti (near Manachanallur), Tiruchirappalli District, Tamil Nadu

PERIOD: Early Chola Period, 10th Century CE

16/08/2026

AMALESWARAR TEMPLE, GOPURAPATTI: AN EARLY CHOLA ARCHITECTURAL GEM:

Set against a serene, rural backdrop, this modest yet historically rich temple stands secluded amidst vast acres of lush green agricultural fields, isolated from modern concrete structures.

Epigraphical evidence found within the temple reveals that it was constructed in 975 CE during the reign of the Chola king Uttama Chola.
Queen Sembiyan Mahadevi: Mother of Uttama Chola and consort of Gandaraditya Chola, donated perpetual standing brass lamps (nilai vilakku) to the temple.
The temple walls house significant inscriptions spanning the reigns of Uttama Chola, Rajaraja Chola-I and Rajendra Chola-I, documenting royal endowments and local administrative details.

PRESIDING DEITIES:
Shiva as Amaleswarar / Amaneeswarar
Goddess Parvathi as Avudai Nayagi

Outer Niches (Devakoshtas)
South Niche: A serene Dakshinamurthy depicted with a gentle, benevolent smile. The intricate stonework behind him portrays natural and ascetical life—an owl peering from a hollow in the tree, alongside detailed carvings of lizards, a snake, and a small hanging bag (kaipai).

West Niche: A finely sculpted Harihara (the composite form of Shiva and Vishnu). The subtle iconographic division is reflected in the drapery: the left side (Vishnu) features a garment extending down to the ankle, while the right side (Shiva) ends at the thigh.

North Niche: Brahma (the Four-Faced Creator, accompanied by an adjacent niche on the Ardhamandapa wall housing Durga / Mahishamardini.

Decorative Torana: The Makara Torana above the niche features an exquisite depiction of Gajasamharamurthy (Shiva slaying the elephant demon).

Adhisthana (Basement Plinth): Adorned with a continuous frieze of miniature bas-relief sculptures narrating scenes from the Ramayana, stories of Lord Krishna, and episodes from the Shiva Purana, along with various manifestations of Shiva.

PLACE: Sri Amaleswarar Temple (also known as Amaneeswarar), Gopurapatti (near Manachanallur), Tiruchirappalli District, Tamil Nadu

PERIOD: Early Chola Period, 10th Century CE

26/07/2026

TIRUCHENDURAI CHANDRASEKHARA SWAMY TEMPLE:
Located on the banks of the River Cauvery in Tiruchendurai, the Chandrasekhara Swamy Temple. It features a five-tiered rajagopuram, a jackfruit-shaped lingam and holds significance as a ‘Thevara Vaippu Sthalam’

The temple stands as a testament to early Chola architecture and stone construction. It is an exquisite 9-10th-century early Chola stone temple (Katrali). Built with Two tier Nagara style Vimana adorned with elegant sculptures, this temple is celebrated for its rich epigraphical history.

While initial brick/mortar structures may date to Aditya Chola I in the 9th century, the stone temple (Katrali) was built in the early 10th century CE by Pudi Aditta Pidari (பூதி ஆதித்த பிடாரி), the daughter-in-law of Parantaka Chola-I, wife of Arinjaya Chola, and daughter of the Kodumbalur Velir chief Tennavan Ilangovelar.

The temple houses over 50 stone inscriptions documenting grants, land gifts, and patronage across multiple dynasties—including Parantaka-I, Rajendra Chola, Kulottunga-I, Vikrama Chola, and the Vijayanagara Empire. In her inscriptions, Pudi Aditta Pidari explicitly takes pride in constructing the stone shrine: "Naan Eduppicha Katralip Perumaanadigalukku" ("நான் எடுப்பித்த கற்றளிப் பெருமானடிகளுக்கு").

Presiding Deity: Shiva as Sri Chandrasekhara (கற்றளி பெருமானடிகள்)
Goddess: Maanendiya Valli (மானேந்தியவல்லி literally, "She who holds the deer in her arms") - Mrigadharambika

Temple: CHANDRASEKHARA SWAMY TEMPLE, Tiruchendurai , Tiruchirapalli District
Period: 9-10th-century, Chola

#திருச்செந்துறை

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

Address

Pollachi
642002

Telephone

+919486411113

Website

http://madhujagdhish.blogspot.com/

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