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PAINTINGS - Temple Murals

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Jul 2021
One of the best displays of murals is the Chitrasabha or the hall of pictures. As the name Chitrasabha suggests, the very structure is a house of paintings. The Chitrasabha is a stand alone structure, that is located a few blocks away from the Kutralanathar temple at Kutralam in southern Tamilnadu.  It is a wooden structure , every inch of whose walls are lined with murals depicting scenes from the epics. From the outside, the Chitrasabha resembles mandapams seen in Keralite temples. The Chitrasabha or the hall of pictures is used for worship only during Margazhi Tiruvadirai where an image of Nataraja is brought into the sabha. Chitrasabha is considered to be one of the 5 sabhas, or the Cosmic Dance Halls of Shiva Nataraja in the southern state of Tamilnadu.
Source: Temple Murals, templenet.com


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The Brihadeeswarar temple in Thanjavur which dates back to the 11th century CE has many murals within. The enclosure surrounding the sanctum here has brilliant works of art, both in terms of sculpture and painting. The ancient Chola murals once covered all the walls and ceilings of this enclosure. Later 17th century paintings of the Nayak period were added over them; however some of the older Chola murals have been restored. Seen in this enclosure around the sanctum is an image of the monarch Raja Raja Cholan who was primarily responsible for temple centered cultural growth shown with his preceptor Karuvoor Devar. Mention must also be made of a mural (in this enclosure) that depicts grand cosmic dance of Nataraja at Chidambaram. Depicted in this mural are images of Rajaraja Chola and his queens. There is also a gigantic painting of Shiva as Tripurantaka, depicted on the northern wall of the enclosure.
Source: Temple Murals, templenet.com