CENTER FOR ART AND ARCHAEOLOGY

The deity enshrined in the Pasupatesvara temple at Allur is called in inscriptions Tiru Vadagudi Paramesvarar or Mahadevar. It is assigned to the age of Parantaka I (907 - 955 CE) on the basis of an inscription on the half hall (ardhamandapa). It is a single-storeyed stone temple. The crowning cupola (sikhara) is bulbous and is heavily stuccoed. All the divinity niche images (devakostha) are missing but the original figure of Dakshinamurti lies mutilated under a mango tree close by. Inside the entrance hall (mukhmandapa) there are sculptures of Bhikshatanar, Chandesvarar, Karttikeya and Surya. References: S.R. Balasubrahmanyam, 1971, pp. 12-15, D. Barrett, 1974, pp. 72-73.

Rachol, Baroque Architecture, Goa

Ramesvaram complex, Kollam, Kerala

The earliest inscriptions connected with the Ujjivanatha temple at Uyyakondan Tirumalai are found on the pillars of the inner enclosure. An inscription that can definitely be attributed to Parantaka's reign is from his thirty-fourth regnal year that is 941 CE. There are subsequent inscriptions from the time of Uttama Chola (971 - 988 CE) and Sembiyan Mahadevi as well. The principal deity of this temple is called Tirukkarkkudi Paramesvarar. References: M.W. Meister and M.A. Dhaky, 1963, p. 172, S.R. Balasubrahmanyam, 1971, pp. 22-23.