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
The eclipse pavilion at the edge of the brickworks in the village of Palur was in good shape when we visited in January 2010. This mandapa faces south, towards the river Palar, which flows about 150 meter south (when there … Continued
This eclipse pavilion is located by the side of the Varasiddhi Vinayaka temple on the Western side of the East Coast Road just South of Mahabalipuram. It is the typical setup found with the eclipse pavilions: a four by six … Continued
On the East Coast Road from Chennai to Pondicherrry, just South of the Mahabalipuram bypass and the exit to Chengalpattu, on the western side of the road, there is a small pillared pavilion right next to a Ganesha temple named … Continued
What is pramana, ratio, and its importance in understanding Hindu temples. Explaining how the meaning and doctrine of a Hindu temple is encoded in the pramana, the ratio, based on the body of the king who sponsors the construction of … Continued
Part 2, the importance of astronomy in temple doctrine The second installment of my series on Eleanor Mannikka’s book on Angkor Wat describes the importance of astronomy in Hindu (Sanatana Dharma) temple doctrine. The role of astronomy in the calendar/panchangam, … Continued
The VOC officer Carel Hartsinck fathered two sons with his Japanese consort during his stay at Hirado in Japan. The youngest, Willem Carel Hartsinck, followed in his father’s footsteps and had a distinguishing career with the VOC in Asia. The … 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
In this series of posts, I present to you the life and careers of three extraordinary individuals, Carel Hartsinck and his sons Pieter Hartsinck and Willem Carel Hartsinck. All three had remarkable lives and careers in the 17th century. Connecting … Continued
