Early Chola Temples
by S. R. Balasubrahmanyam | 1960 | 105,501 words
This volume of Chola Temples covers Parantaka I to Rajaraja I in the timeframe A.D. 907-985. The Cholas of Southern India left a remarkable stamp in the history of Indian architecture and sculpture. Besides that, the Chola dynasty was a successful ruling dynasty even conquering overseas regions....
Temples in Koyil Tevarayanpettai
Matsyapurisvara temple
Since the publication of Early Chola Art Part I, I was able to visit some more early Chola temples. One is Koyil Tevarayanpettai (E.C.A. I pp 179-183). This temple is much better preserved than I had imagined. The original temple consisted of the garbhagriha and the ardhamandapa. The devakoshtas have Ganapati, Dakshinamurti, Vishnu, Brahma and Durga. There are koshta-pancharas on both sides of the devakoshtas in the garbhagriha. There is an animated frieze of elephants and yalis over the cornice (kodungai) and a bhutagana frieze below it(Suppt. to E.C.A.I, Pis. 1-6).