Temples of South India: A Study of Hindu Jain and Buddhist Monuments of the Deccan

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The present work entitled "Temples of South India (A Study of Hindu, Jain and Buddhist Monuments of the Deccan)" based on multiple original and secondary sources as well as vigorous field work incorporates a comprehensive study of the temples of Karimnager district in Andhra Pradesh (India). It is the first of its kind in survey, subject-matter, treatment and interpretation. It covers all the dimensions of the temple sites and enlightens the readers on the architectural, sculptural, religious, social, cultural, economic and in stitutional aspects. It brings out not only the countrywide similarities in art forms and styles of architecture in great detail but also focusses our attention on the regional distinctiveness. It provides an encyclopaedic information on the temples, which is of vital interest both to the scholars and general readers.

J. Ramanalah is a teacher of long standing and is connected with yarious educational and cultural organisations. He visited almost all the important temples in India from Kanyakumari to Kashmir. He got his M.A degree in History from the Osmania University, Hyderabad in 1963. In the midst of his teaching career, he joined as a research scholar in the Central University of Hyderabad under Faculty Improvement programme of the University Grants Commission, Government of India, New Delhi. He was awarded M. Phil. degree with distinction in 1983 and obtained his Ph.D. degree in History from the University in 1988. At present he is working as a senior Lecturer in History at S.K.N.R. Government Degree College Jagtial, district Karimnagar, Andhra Pradesh.

The present work incorporates a full length and comprehensive study of the temples in Karimnagar district (Andhra Pradesh), built during the reign of the Chalukyas of Vemulavada, the Western Chalukyas of Kalyani and the Kakatiyas of Warangal.

The Karimnagar district, by virtue of its proximity to the river Godavari, has been the cradle of culture through centuries, dating back to the early dim phases of the dawn of history. The recent archacological operations at Dhulikatta. Peddabankur and Kotilingala have thrown ample light on the history of the Satavahanas in the district. Yet the district has not been sufficiently explored from the research point of view by any scholar for the study of the temples, which are of great architectural and artistic value. This region is historically potential and the present work is an attempt at a thorough and expository study mainly based on the epigraphs and an on-the- spot investigation of all the Buddhist, Jain and Hindu religious edifices in various aspects viz., historical, structural, sculptural, religious, social, economic and cultural. The results of my continuous study and researches are precisely presented in the present work, which, I am sure, will help in understanding the temple monuments in their true perspective.

Curiously enough Karimnagar District is studded with numerous magnificent temples, big and small, rich in variety and splendour. So far no authentic work has been dene on these temples, hence the need for the present work.

I have great pleasure in introducing the present work to the world of scholars. It incorporates a comprehensive study of the temples of Karimnagar district in Andhra Pradesh. The district of Karimnagar, though very rich in archaeological sites, discovery of artifacts and architectural monuments bearing sculptural beauty and elegance, hitherto remained ignored for any scholarly study. The work of Dr. J. Ramanaiah fulfils this vacuum and throws extensive light and projections on varied unexplored areas of historical and cultural significance. It bears the stamp of his originality and scholar- ship in dealing with the subject matter. The work based on a multiple of original and secondary sources, is the first of its kind in survey, subject-matter, treatment and interpretation.

The author did vigorous field work to identify the Hindu, Buddhist and Jain monuments as well as in discovering the relevant epigraphs of the area under study, during his tenure as a research scholar in the university of Hyderabad under the Faculty Improvement Programme of the University Grants Commission, Government of India, New Delhi.

The first two chapters are introductory, while the third one vividly describes the sites of the temples and thus forms the nucleus of the study. The rest of the chapters deal with the architectural and sculptural features of the monuments, the role played by the different religious sects in the growth and development of these monuments and bring out the role of the temple as a socio-cultural institution as well as the concomitant economic functions of the temple. A lively picture of the polity, society and economy of the period has been drawn on the basis of a deeper analysis of the data. Thus the present work has attempted to provide a total pageantry of the period under study.

The work, while bringing out the countrywide similarity in most of the sculptural pieces and architecture, has also projected the regional distinctiveness in the art forms and styles of architecture. Thus it provides the readers with an encyclopaedic information on all aspects of the temples in Karimnagar district.

I congratulate Dr. J. Ramanaiah for this distinction in research and have no doubt to state that none else could do justice to such a comprehensive study.

Book's Contents and Sample Pages