West and South Sides of the Vimana Walls, Great Temple, Thanjavur

1858

West and South Sides of the Vimana Walls, Great Temple, Thanjavur, 1858. Captain Linnaeus Tripe (British, 1822–1902). Albumenized salt print from a waxed paper negative; image: 27.4 x 36 cm (10 13/16 x 14 3/16 in.); paper: 27.4 x 36 cm (10 13/16 x 14 3/16 in.); mounted: 45.3 x 57.3 cm (17 13/16 x 22 9/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 2020.210 This granite structure is part of one of the largest and most important examples of South Indian temple architecture and continues to this day as an active place of worship. Each niche contains a sculpted figure, and inscriptions run all around its base. It is dedicated to Shiva, one of three primary gods of Hinduism, whose followers recognize him as the ultimate deity who creates, preserves, and destroys everything in the entire universe. This is thought to have been the tallest structure in the world when it was constructed around 1000.