Darasuram: Architecture and Iconography

Part of ’Architectural and Religious Heritage of South India’ project

Objectives

The temple of Airavatesvara in Darasuram (Tamil Nadu), dating from the second half of the twelfth century is one of the 4 biggest temples erected by the Cola Dynasty with those of Tanjore, Gangaikondacolapuram and Tribhuvanam. Remarkable monument for its architecture and its great decorative wealth, it has been registered in the world heritage list of the UNESCO in 2004. This CD-Rom provides a near exhaustive documentation on the architecture and iconography of the complex made-up by the temples of Shiva and of the Goddess, completing that of the book of Françoise L’Hernault published by the EFEO in 1987. Other temples of Darasuram are also represented, as those devoted to Virabhadra, Kamaksi, Cakkrayi, Dharalamma and Molaccalaya, for example.

Keywords: Darasuram, temple, architecture, sculpture, iconography, cola, database

Material and Methods

The photographic documentation (approximately 2000 clichés, in black and white and in colour) has been drawn from the vast collection of the IFP’s photo library. The shots are spread over a 50-year or so time span (1956-2006), therefore allowing to notice the damages and restorations that the monuments have undergone. The CD-Rom also includes plans and drawings of the buildings, information relating to photography (identification, site, description and miscellaneous information), as well as a search engine enabling to find images that match the criteria defined by the user.

Partners

Teams from the Geomatics Laboratory and the Photo Archives of the IFP

Funding

• French Institute of Pondicherry
• École française d’Extrême-Orient

Team

• F. L’Hernault, K. Ladrech – Project Leaders
• K. Ramesh Kumar – Photography and Image Processing
• N. Murugesan – Archivist
• K. Dee – Data Typing
• F. Borne – Technical Coordinator
• S. Georget – Technical Advisor
• K. Iswarialakshmi- Programming
• N. Ravichandran - Design

Output

• Darasuram : architecture and iconography. [CD-ROM]

Edited by Karine Ladrech, IFP/EFEO, Collection Indologie nº 108, 2007.
Language: English. 350 Rs (13 €).

The temple of Airāvateśvara in Darasuram, dating from the second half of the twelfth century, is one of the major temples erected by the Cōḻa Dynasty. This CD-Rom provides a near exhaustive documentation on the architecture and iconography of the temples of Śiva and of the Goddess, completing that of the book of Françoise L’Hernault published by the EFEO in 1987. The rich photographic documentation spans fifty years (1956-2006), rendering modifications of the monuments observable. Also included in the CD-Rom are plans and drawings from the 1987 book. Each image is accompanied by a note as to: identification, location, and description, and a search engine gives access to images corresponding to criteria defined by the user.

Keywords : Darasuram, architecture, iconography, Cola