SNIPPETS OF INFORMATION
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
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