Text Pradeep Chakravarthy Photographs Vikram (1 results)

Contents Foreword 1 Of Granaries and palaces a short history of Thanjavur?s rulers 2 The sacred and the secular A unbroken tradition of painting in Thanjavur 3 Manuscripts and melodies Thanjavur as the cradle for Carnatic Music 4 Rituals as rhythms dance and drama in Thanjavur 5 Zest for the good life crafts in Thanjavur 6 Thanjan?s wish Thanjavur today and tomorrow 7 Photographers of Thanjavur in the 19th century Appendixes Bibliography and suggested readings Glossary A word of thanks IndexIn this fascinating study in words and images Pradeep Chakravarthy and Vikram Sathyanathan narrate the cultural history of Thanjavur starting from its early days of grandeur in the Chola empire when the Chola king Raja Raja I built the Rajarajeswaram Temple now known as Brihadeeswara temple which celebrates its 1000th year of consecration in 2010They weave together known and unknown histories of various rulers of Thanjavur - the Cholas the Nayaks the Marathas and the British into a rich tapestry of cultural heritage that is Thanjavur They reveal to the reader the treasure house that is Sarasvathi Mahal Library lead the reader into the narrow lanes or sandhus where the painters who created the now famous Thanjavur style lived along with bangle-sellers the textile merchants perfumers and the devadasis They also take the reader along a trip on the fertile river banks of Kaveri where Carnatic music and Bharatanatyam as we know them today were created and flourished alongside drama forms like the bhagavata mela and yakshagana The temples the palace the bronzes the paintings the frescoes cuisine the weapons of war ivory dolls the kalamkaris and literary genres like the abhyudayamu prabandham and kuravanji are all brushstrokes that make up a colourful painting that tells the story of the city of Thanjavur 224 pp.