In my previous blog I shared with you my discovery of the identity of the two VOC officers depicted among the relief-portraits of donors on an eclipse mandapam near Sadras and Mahabalipuram on the ECR in Tamil Nadu, India. They … Continued
The mystery never stopped fascinating me. Two Western men depicted together with Indian donors on what seems at first sight an insignificant little pavilion by the wayside. Just after the bypass off Mahabalipuram on the way from Chennai to Pondicherry, … Continued
On the occasion of Vijaya Dasami 2018 I am presenting my first ever vlog, dancing and explaining Mushika Vahana, a short verse about Ganesha, his mount and his attributes. The past one-and-a-half year I had lots of time to think … Continued
In a previous post on the antiquity of the cave temple complex of Ellora and its Kailash temple, I presented the information C.M. Malet send to Sir John Shore, the president of the Asiatic Society of Calcullta in 1794. … Continued
There are many unanswered questions surrounding the Kailash rock-cut temple in Ellora. This post addresses one of those questions. I analyse the mysteries surrounding the waterspout or praṇāla of the main sanctum or garbhagriha.I don’t offer any answers this time. … Continued
Mahabalipuram and its iconic Shore Temple has been the subject of research and scholarship and countless publications for hundreds of years. One might ask, could there be anything left to discover? Sometimes the greatest mysteries are too obvious to … 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