Paper presented at the Conference on "Indian Painting : The Lesser Known Traditions", held at Houston in March 2008.

Kanchi, the ancient capital city of the South, teems with historic temples of great beauty and grandeur. The magnificent temple of Lord Varadaraja, situated in Vishnu-Kanchi, has played a remarkable part in fostering the growth of Sri-Vaishnavism and has justly been ranked with the famous temples of Srirangam and Tirupati as the holiest of the holies. This is the first comprehensive and illustrated treatise on this hoary temple, focusing attention of the various aspects like the origin and the growth of the temple, critical review of the temple traditions, the role of the temple in the growth of Sri-Vaishnavism, the association of the acharyas like Ramanuja with the temple, besides the pivotal role the temple has played in the social and cultural life of the community. The vast literature that has grown round the temple and the five hundred and odd inscriptions that crowd the wall-spaces of the shrines provide a sumptuous source material for this study. One of the largest temple complexes of South India, the temple presents interesting variety of architectural and sculptural styles of different schools. The temple is particularly rich in Vaishnava iconography. The book provides a detailed study and interpretation of these features with the help of hitherto unpublished photographs and drawings. The book also brings to light the presence of fine paintings of the Vijayanagar times that are found in the dark cloister around the sanctum. The book is a distinct contribution to the field of historical and architectural studies of ancient Indian temples.

The first major exploration of the mural tradition in early modern South India An astonishing variety of murals greet visitors to the temples and palaces of southern India. Beautiful in execution and extensive in scope, murals painted on walls and ceilings adorn the most important spaces of early modern religious and political performance. Scene by scene, histories of holy sites, portraits that incorporate historical figures into mythic landscapes, and Tamil and Telugu inscriptions that evoke the imagined topographies of devotional poetry unfold before the mobile spectator. Body, History, Myth reconceives the relationship between art and devotion in South India by describing how the extraordinary sensory experience of a viewing body in motion unfurls a sacred narrative exquisitely designed to teach, impress, and inspire. Anna Lise Seastrand offers new insights into the arts of early modern southern India, bringing to life one of the most culturally vibrant yet least understood periods in Indian art. She shows how temple visitors become active participants in the paintings through their somatic engagement with visual stories and devotional landscapes. Seastrand highlights the significance of textuality in early modern South Asia by examining the status of professional scribes and the prominence given to authorship of religious literature and art. Her insights are presented alongside new translations of the texts that accompany mural paintings. Featuring a wealth of stunning images published here for the first time, Body, History, Myth provides a multidimensional reading of temple art that fundamentally reframes the artistic, intellectual, religious, and political histories of early modern India.

Art Shrines Of Ancient India Deals With The Art Treasures Of Selected Archaeological Sites In The Various State.5 Of India. The Sites Dealt With Are: Sarnath, Sanchi, Kanchipuram, Mamallapuram Cmahabalipuram) , Temples Of Chamba, Aihole, Badami, Pattadakkal, Elephanta, Euora, Ajanta,Nalanda, Konarak, Halebid, Belur, Khajuraho, Suchindram, Mandu, Madurai, Chittor And Mount Abu. Profusely Illustrated, The Book Peeps In~O The Historical And Mythological Past Of Each Site And Evaluates The Artistic Contri- Butions Of The Various Ruling Dynasties: The Mauryas, The Sungas, The Guptas, The Pallavas, The Chalukyas, The Rashtrakutas, Thepalas, The Senas,. The Gangas, The Cholas, The Hoysalas, The Chandellas, The Pandyas And The Nayaks. The Book Also Deals With The Siva-Sakti Theme And Homage To The Sun In The Art Of Ancient India And Indicates How These Are Depicted In The Various Temples Of I!Ldia. This Book Will Be An Invaluable Guide To All Tourists, Especially Foreigners And Non- Resident Indians, Who Want To Savour, In A Short Time, The Rich Artistic Heritage Displayed In The Famous Temples And Archaeological Sites In India.

This is a heritage book which takes readers on a spiritual voyage of legends, mythology, saints, temples and dynasties. It presents vignettes of India’s rich cultural background. As one of the seven mokshapuris (centers of salvation) and the nerve-centre of vedic schools, Kanchipuram has always been a role model. Adi Sankaracharya, brought religious renaissance in the country by providing a new meaning to sanatana dharma. He established the KanchiKamakotipeetham which continues to be a center of learning and devotion. The town is credited with having around one thousand temples at one time. While Pallava rulers built most of these temples, these were extensively renovated later by Cholan and Vijayanagara kings. Exhaustive Annexures about the various rules and dynasties are also provided. The book is amply illustrated with maps and photographs, which will be of great interest to general readers and to tourists and pilgrims in particular.

Papers presented at the Seminar: Nagareshu Kanchi, held at Chennai.