Photo 212/4(12)

Inscription: Numbered '381' in the negative.

Genre: Architectural Photography

View of the mandapa of the Athmanathar Temple, with the sculptured roof of the sanctuary rising beyond. 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: '381 - Passing through the gateway into the inner court, in front is the Porch shown in this Photograph; and over the entrance to the sanctuary, which is at the other end of the porch is the small Pyramidal Tower here shown. The whole of the pillars and also the roof of the porch, are of the same hard dark stone before alluded to. The carving of some of the figures on these pillars is wonderful, but, owing to the roof overhanging, the light is not sufficient to get a Photograph. The cornice which surrounds this, as well as some other of the porticoes in this temple, is one of the most masterly pieces of stone carving to be found anywhere, and it is with difficulty, when viewing it from below, to realise the fact that it is actually executed in stone. It will be observed in the Photograph that the shape of the cornice is a double curve, and this curve has also been followed inside, the stone having been cut away to less than an inch in thickness. This was deemed necessary to prevent so deep a cornice from toppling forward with its own weight. But as it was also a source of weakness, a horizontal framework of bars eight or ten inches apart was left, connecting the outer edge of the cornice with the walls. The ends of these bars are seen in the Photograph, but three others run parallel to the cornice for the whole length, and where they intersect, a nob is left representing a bolt, making the whole so like a piece of carpentry, that it requires to be touched in order to feel sure that it is of stone. The labour of cutting away the stone between the curved part and this flat frame must have been immense, as well as cutting the horizontal web into so elaborate a framework. These deep double-curved cornices are very common in the architecture of Southern India, but from their not generally possessing these horizontal struts, many of them have fallen forward and been ruined. The Brahmins tell a story of an English gentleman coming to the temple while shooting, and who, doubting the assertion of the extreme thinness of the stone of the cornice, paid the Brahmins the sum of one hundred rupees, or ten pounds, to be permitted to fire at the cornice, and the round hole is shown exactly the size of the bullet through the stone; and thus an opportunity is afforded of verifying their assertion, and the exact thickness of the stone - rather over half-an-inch - is at once seen.' Another copy of this print at Photo 1000 (3030).