Photo 212/4(15)

Genre: Architectural Photography

View looking over the exterior wall, towards the gopuras of the Brihadishvara Temple at Tanjore (Thanjavur). 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: '384 - The celebrated Pagoda is situated inside the smaller of the two forts. The distance from the bungalow is nearly a mile, and before entering it will be as well to keep the road to the left which passes along the outer wall of the fort, as it is here only that a photograph can be obtained, combining all the principal features of the temple in one view, as here shown. The two Gopuras on the right are the first and second gateways of the temple; and beyond is seen the great pyramidal tower of the temple itself. The fortifications in front were erected by the French, when they held the place against us, in the middle of the last century. They also built up the windows of the front gateway in the manner shown in the Photograph.' Another copy at Photo 1000/30(3033).