Photo 212/4(1)

Inscription: Numbered '370' in the negative.

Genre: Architectural Photography

Close view, from an elevated position, of the richly sculptured gopura of the Athmanathar Temple. 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 Tripatoor, the distance to Avadea Covill is said to be twenty-five miles. The road is fair for the first ten miles, but after that one of the worst in India, and twenty-four hours will probably be required before Avadea Covill is reached. It is a good plan to have had a tent pitched at Aurantaughy, a village about eight miles from Avadea Covill, where breakfast and a few hours' rest will be very acceptable. There is a good camping-ground just outside the village, but the situation is unhealthy, owing to being surrounded with rice fields. The temple is on the east side. Its peculiarity consists in being entirely built of a peculiar black, or rather very dark grey soap, said to be a mixture of trapstone and hornblend. It is marvellous to think how such exquisite work, as may be seen here, could ever have been carved out of a stone said to be so hard that no chisel can now be found to cut it. Doubtless it has much indurated with age; still it is impossible not to be struck with admiration for the untiring and patient industry which must have been spent on this little temple. 370 - This Photograph shows the Pyramidal Tower over the entrance to this temple. The large portico, which has been built outside the entrance, and the large thatched shed in front of the portico, completely hide the tower from view, and it is only by ascending to the roof of one of the side porches that this Photograph could be taken. The stone roof of the outer porch is also here seen in the foreground, and to the left a portion of the small tower at the entrance to the sanctuary, the same as shown in Photograph No. 381. Though there is a considerable admixture of Vishnave sculpture in this temple, the bulls on the upper storeys of its gateways, and other emblems, prove that it was originally, as now, dedicated to the worship of Shiva.'