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 Muvarkoyil

The age of Muvarkoyil is a matter of keen controversy. The term Muvarkoyil designates the temple of three shrines of which only two have survived.

Each of these two shrines has a garbhagriha which is a square 21 ft. (6.4 m) side. The ardhamandapa is 18ft. (5.5 m.) square. It is roofless. There are traces of a mukhamandapa (91 ft. by 41 ft.—27.7m. by 12.5 m.), the nandimandapa, the balipitham and the dhvajastham-bham. There are traces of about fifteen (or sixteen?) subshrines with a madil enclosing all of them.

A description of this monument will be found elsewhere. Plastic art may be said to have attained in this age a very high degree of excellence and the sculptures on the vimanas of the two existing shrines are among the finest products of Dravidian Art (Pis. 93-102).

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