I have been invited by the online platform Mythology Classroom to give a presentation on eclipse-related iconography found in South Indian temples and pavilions on Sunday 27th September 2020, at 10 PM Indian Standard Time. My presentation includes the art-historical … Continued
The material in my collection on eclipse iconography found in South Indian temples is extensive and complicated. Even though I have mainly been photographing it on the side – as it were – while pursuing other goals. I have been … Continued
The Thangi eclipse mandapa, an official monument Raja Deekshithar and I discovered this eclipse pavilion near Thangi in February 2010. It is located on the northern side of the road from Chengalpattu to Kanchipuram, near Thangi, at 12°48’12″N & 79°46’34″E. … Continued
With this video, I start a series of presentations detailing the astronomical encoding incorporated in the architecture of the ancient Khmer Angkor Wat temple in Cambodia. This presentation is based on the work of Dr.Eleanor Mannikka, who painstakingly unraveled this … Continued
Ujjain is literally the crossroad of Space and Time in India. This renowned and ancient city is famous for spiritual as well as scientific reasons. It has stood, quite literally, at the very centre of the development of astronomy as … Continued
Today is the day of the astronomical Vishu, the vernal equinox. Which means the sun rises exactly in the East, and day and night have equal lengths. It is one of the four important corners of the Year. A day … Continued
With the sun residing in the constellation Aquarius, or Kumbha, the full moon falls on the sign exactly opposite, in Leo or Simha. This year it is on the 11th and the 12th of March. In the Tamil Festival calendar … Continued
In a previous blog post I talked about how Ganga is received by Shiva as Gangadhara in his tresses before falling on earth. This purana is beautifully illustrated on the Kailashanatha temple in Kanchipuram. The relief makes clear Ganga is … Continued
This post about Shiva as Gangadhara, Carrier of the Sacred River Ganga, is dedicated to all the keepers of the Star Lore, and especially to Stella Wheildon, guardian of Australian matristic lore. Her reference to the “two heavenly dogs [or … Continued
I don’t quite remember when Raja Deekshithar told me about the Tree, the Pond and the Stone. It was one of those things said in passing, casually. But with a certain emphasis. He told a sthala, sacred place, has to … Continued