Photo 212/3(13)

Genre: Architectural Photography

General view of temple gopura. Lyon's 'Notes to accompany a series of photographs prepared to illustrate the ancient architecture of Southern India' (Marion and Co., London, 1870), edited by James Fergusson, gives the following description of this photograph: 'Leaving Kaloogoomulla, the road is nothing but a tract for the first ten miles, and at least eight hours will be necessary for its accomplishment; it then joins the main road to the South; and the journey to Tinnevelly, a distance of 32 miles should be done in 10 hours. Here there is a civil and military station called Palamcottah, - the native village of Tinnevelly in which the temple is situated, being about 2 miles distant. 343 - This view shows the Pyramidal Tower over [the] gateway at the principal entrance to the temple; it exactly faces any one arriving from Palamcottah. It has been too carefully and too frequently whitewashed to enable its date to be made out, but from its style, is probably as early as the 14th century. There is also another entrance on the same side about fifty yards to the left, and in an outer portico, on each side of both, about ten feet from the ground, are three rows of figures carved in wood, beautifully executed, but so obscene, as to be a disgrace to the place. They may, however, be very old. Entering the temple immediately in front is the sanctum; a little to the right, under a canopy, is an enormous bull, with his head as usual towards the sanctum; it is made of brick, and covered with whitewash. Immediately in front of the sanctuary, but with their backs towards it, stand four colossal figures, about twenty feet high, and each carved out of one block of black hornblend stone, now so hard, that the natives declare, that to attempt to cut it, destroys all their chisels. The carving is excellent, and when the nature of the stone is considered, surpassing any to be found elsewhere. The names of them are as follows: No. 344, Pagade; 345, Kuman ; 346, Argunan ; 347, Vevrabadvan. The general dimensions of the whole enclosure are 580 feet by 756; the larger dimension being divided into two equal portions of 378 feet each; the one being dedicated to Shiva, the other to his consort Parvati. The temple or sanctum is surrounded by triple colonnades; but the whole of the buildings in this temple, except that between the entrance and the sanctuary, are very low, and so infested with rats, that the stench is quite overpowering. The pillars are nearly all covered with yellow wash, picked out with red and other colours.'