Opening Kailasanatha

The Temple in Kanchipuram Revealed in Time and Space

Padma Kaimal

$139.25

Hardback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

University of Washington Press
08 March 2021

Religious buildings; History of architecture; Asian history; History of religion; Hinduism

Stone figures hardened by ascetic discipline and heroic effort face north in deep shadow. There they meet the gazes of the same gods and goddesses but with gentler bodies enacting grace, warmth, seduction, and marriage, drenched in sunlight, facing south. These figures adorn the eighth-century Kailasanatha temple complex in southeastern India, built by rulers who were both warriors and ascetics, engaged in the work of this world and in spiritual quests. They designed their temple as an exuberant visual feast to sustain both modes of being.

In Opening Kailasanatha, Padma Kaimal deciphers the intentions of the monument's makers, reaching back across centuries to illuminate worldviews of the ancient Indic south. She reveals how circling the complex in a clockwise direction focuses the mind and spirit on worldly engagement; in a counterclockwise direction, on renunciation and ascetic practice. This pairing of highly charged, complementary pathways enabled devotees to grasp these counterpoised opportunities in their own listening, gazing, moving bodies. By focusing on the material form of the complex-the architecture, inscriptions, and sculptures, along with the spaces they carve out that guide light, shadow, sound, and footsteps-Kaimal offers insights that complement what surviving texts tell us about Shaiva Siddhanta ideas and practices, providing a rare opportunity to walk in the distant past.

By: Padma Kaimal
Imprint: University of Washington Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 254mm, Width: 178mm,
Weight: 748g
ISBN: 9780295747774
ISBN 10: 0295747773
Pages: 288
Publication Date: 08 March 2021
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Padma Kaimal is Batza Professor of Art and Art History at Colgate University and author of Scattered Goddesses: Travels with the Yoginis.

Reviews for Opening Kailasanatha: The Temple in Kanchipuram Revealed in Time and Space

[W]orks to reimagine how the temple may have been experienced—“how the monument lived” (p. 15)—in the eighth century... Kaimal aspires to address the temple in its entirety—from its architectural plan, to the inscriptions and sculptures, to the superstructure—seeing it as an evolving monument that is contin-ually being transformed. Kaimal’s unique contribution is that she reveals patterns that are more or less consistent across every carved surface and throughout the temple compound. * Journal of Asian Studies * Padma Kaimal leads the reader through this temple complex and uncovers the many patterns and pathways available for experiencing Shiva and Pallava worldviews...One major contribution of this study, and there are many, lies in the new conceptual frameworks it offers for understanding the dynamics between art and its patrons, makers, and users. * Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians (JSAH) * The book's text and design converge to make the complex subject much easier to understand. The text is unusually clearly written and in a style that is lively and fresh...[A]n engaging and scholarly study of the temple that will serve college students as well as interested travelers. * Archives of Asian Art *