CENTER FOR ART AND ARCHAEOLOGY

S Tome, Baroque Architecture, Goa

Sahasralinga Talav, Patan, Gujarat

The Christians of Hisar had their own church called St. Thomas’s Church located on Delhi-Hisar Highway. It has been declared as a historical monument by Indian National Trust of Art & Cultural Heritage (INTACH) recently. The foundation was dug on 3rd December 1860, and it was ready by May 1864. However, it was consecrated by the Bishop of Calcutta, G.E.L. Cotton on the auspicious day of 31st December 1865. The church is built in Victorian style of architecture. The bell of the church which chimes on Sunday and on special occasions was made at Roorkee in 1874.

The sacred precincts of Tirumiyachchur contain two stone temples, one main shrine and other adjoining smaller temple or b?l?laya; both replace earlier structures. The main shrine is called Mayarcindesvara and the adjoining b?l?laya shrine is called Sakalabhuvanesvara. No inscriptions have so far been published. The date of the temple must therefore be determined on the basis of style. The main temple was probably erected in the last quarter of the tenth century during Sembiyan Mahadevi’s time. This suggestion is based on the general style of sculptures and the iconographic scheme. Reference: M.W. Meister and M.A. Dhaky, 1963, p. 192.

The fabric of the Saksisvara temple at Tiruppurambiyam and the style of the sculptures suggest a date in Uttama Chola's (971 – 988 CE) reign or at least during the life of Sembiyan Mahadevi. The temple was probably rebuilt in stone before 995 CE. The superstructure (vimana) of this temple is more ornate than other temples at this time and the pillars in the half-hall (ardhamandapa) have a rather unusual composite structure – they are square at the base, octagonal and then 16-sided at the top. Reference: M.W. Meister and M.A. Dhaky, 1963, pp. 187-188.

Sakti Kund, Akhaj, Gujarat