“Gangaikondacholapuram may be a small village these days, but it is from where the Cholas once ruled most of Southeast Asia,” he observes.
This film also inspired the creation of a The “Ponniyin Selvan” trail.. This three-day tour, developed by the Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation, takes visitors from Chennai, the capital city of Tamil Nadu, to highlights of Chola history such as Brihadisvara Templein Thanjavur, or Veeranam Lake.
Travelers interested in charting their own path can drive an hour southwest from Gangaikondacholapuram to the remote village of Swamimalai. There are several millennial bronze casting the Chola’s will allow them to get an idea of how utsava murtis in bronze (portable idol) blessing the lost wax techniquea process perfected and popularized by the Chola.
(India’s cultural heritage in 23 photos.)
“You will definitely find at least one or two of these chola bronzes in an internationally renowned museum like Metropolitan Museum of Art from New York andAshmolean Museum Oxford,” said S. Vijay Kumar who, as part ofThe Pride of India Projectlead a team of internet detectives whose goal is to recover stolen artifacts.
Kudavayil Balasubramanian, former curator Saraswati Mahal Libraryone of the oldest libraries in Asia, located inside Thanjavur Maratha Palaceadding that an important collection of chola statues in bronze and stone, was produced from 9e on 13e century, look at art gallery From the palace.
Rich in their delicate murals depicting epic tales, their finely carved granite sculptures or their towers and their arrows soaring through the sky (some are still counted today among the tallest in India), the temples of 11e and 12e centuries that have been grouped under the name “Great Living Chola Temple” offers a unique perspective on the evolution of Chola art and architecture over the centuries.
Listed as UNESCO World Heritage in 1987, the giant temple of Brihadisvara in Thanjavur, Airavatesvara temple in Dharasuram, and Gangaikondacholisvaram in Gangaikondacholapuram, have remained active places of worship where people have enjoyed the same rituals for thousands of years.
A short walk from the Brihadisvara Temple in Thanjavur, tourists can visit the workshops where India’s national musical instruments, saraswati vinawho takes her name from the goddess of scholarship, arts and wisdom and who descends from yazhan ancient harp-like instrument found during the Chola dynasty.
For Vijay Kumar, this experience is just the tip of the iceberg.
“The naval skills of the Cholas are a surprisingly neglected field of study, while it cannot be denied that the South Indians, and especially the Tamils, were pioneers of seafaring for a longer period, he notes. Excavations in Malaysia, Indonesia and even Burma may hold more surprises for us. »
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