3.30 p.m.
Temples of Chennai
Chitra Madhavan

09-09-09

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Abstract

Chennai is known for its temples, both big and small, dotting almost every street and road. However, not many know that many of these temples are very ancient, as attested to by literary sources and the inscriptions etched on the walls of these shrines. Some of these historical temples, such as the Adipurishwara temple in Tiruvottiyur and the Parthasarathi Svami temple in Tiruvallikeni, which are in active worship today, date back to the Pallava times of the 5th-6th centuries A.D. Many other temples of the subsequent Chola era are also seen in this city and plenty more of the medieval times as well. This illustrated lecture will focus on the art, architecture and inscriptions of the famous as well as the little-known temples of Chennai.

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About the speaker

Chithra Madhavan completed her M.A. and M.Phil. from the Department of Indian History, University of Madras and her Ph.D from the Department of Ancient History and Archaeology, University of Mysore. She was awarded the Junior Fellowship in Archaeology by the Department of Culture, Government of India for her post-doctoral research. She is the author of four books, History and Culture of Tamil Nadu (as gleaned from Sanskrit Inscriptions) in two volumes and Vishnu Temples of South India (Volumes I and II) has co-edited a book `South India Heritage-An Introduction'. Chithra is currently working on another post-doctoral dissertation with a Fellowship from the Indian Council of Historical Research, New Delhi