Minor Divinities in Padalisvarar Temple in Tamilnadu: Iconographical Significance

Abstract

There are around two millions temples in India; each year the number increases considerably. From the architectural perspective, two major temple-styles in the country are Nagara and Dravida, the former in the north and the latter in the south. However, there is another style known as Vesara, which is nothing but the combination of the Nagara and the Dravida style. In eastern India, there has prevailed an overlong tendency to focus on the temple art and architecture of the Aryavarta (the Indo-Gangetic Plain) in academic writings, which naturally gives an incomplete picture of India and its history. The present paper is an attempt at paying particular and deserving attention on the art history of South India – specifically speaking Tamil Nadu - through looking into the sculptures of minor divinities as found on the Padalisvarar Temple in the town of Thirupathiripuliyur under Cuddalore District in the state of Tamil Nadu.