CENTER FOR ART AND ARCHAEOLOGY

Tirunaraiyur is called so because of the sweet fragrance of flowers growing here in abundance (narai = sweet smell). The Siva temple here is called the Siddhanathasvami temple. The Tamil saint, Sambandar (7th century) devoted a decad to the Lord of Siddhisvaram. The earliest inscription in this temple is an incomplete one but from the contents it can be assigned to Uttama Chola (971 - 988 CE). The temple is an early Chola temple, reconstructed in the days of Uttama Chola. The original temple consisted of a sanctum sanctorum (garbhagriha), the foyer (antarala) and a half-hall (ardhamandapa). Further up, there is a front hall (mukhmandapa). This temple has a Natraja bronze of the Sembiyan age. Reference: S.R. Balasubrahmanyam, 1971, pp. 178-79.

Siroda, Baroque Architecture, Goa

Sitaram temple complex, Kaithal

Digitization of this collection has been possible with financial support from the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. 

Sarnath attracted Buddhists from Burma all the way east to Japan who, over the twentieth century, established national monasteries on the periphery of the excavated site and developed educational institutions there. This collection of Prof. Asher includes Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai monasteries, Mulagandhakuti Vihara, Sarnath Railway station, Naya Tal and Sarangnatha Mahadev Temple-presumably the origin for the name ‘Sarnath’. 

Siva Mandir, Kalanaur