Stories in Stone

The monuments and temples in India abound with exquisite sculptures based on the epics. This is a humble attempt to explain some of them.This is no scholarly work.I have only collected these from several sources- oral, printed and on-line. There can be no authentic version of such stories as there are many variations and interpretations . I have left out the complex explanations and debates to just give an overview of episodes depicted in stone. All photographs by (C) V.Harihara Subramanian.

Thursday, July 30, 2015

Lepakshi Nandi

The nandi is situated about 200 meters from the main temple. The sixth praakaram originally extended upto the nandi. Now streets and town houses (and an APTDC guest house) intervene.

The Granite nandi measuring 8 M length and 6 M high is considered to be the largest Nandi in the world. The one in Thanjavur is second. Even among monoliths, it stands on top, second only to Gomateswara. I did a rough calculation of the mass of the bull. At 8x5x 2.5 (aprox) it should weigh at least 250 tonnes considering density of granite to be 2.5 T/ Cu.M

The crouching bull is facing the Naga linga at the temple and strikes a very natural and elegant pose. The garlands, kaasu malai and mani malai are remarkable for their exquisite finish.

4 comments:

SantoshJuly 30, 2015 at 7:23 PM
Good pictures and a good write up. I had read too that it is the largest Nandi in the world. Built during the Vijayanagar dynasty?
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Shutterbug IyerJuly 30, 2015 at 7:28 PM
Yes. It was during the reign of Achyutaraya. The temple was built by Veeranna, one of his officials. (treasurer)?
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Shutterbug IyerJuly 30, 2015 at 7:28 PM
Yes. It was during the reign of Achyutaraya. The temple was built by Veeranna, one of his officials. (treasurer)?
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magiceyeAugust 5, 2015 at 6:39 AM
Wow!! That is amazing indeed!!
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