R ARIVANANTHAM
CHENNAI, April 11
Since Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam returned to power in April 2021, it has spent a whopping Rs 664 crore on temple renovations as they are cultural, language and community developmental centres, says a senior minister.
Though the general perception is that the DMK is an atheist, after it came to power during last April, the government headed by Chief Minister MK Stalin initiated 957 development works in 509 temples across the state at an estimated cost of Rs 664 crore, said the Hindu Religious and Endowments & Charities (HR & CE) Minister Sekar Babu here on Monday.
The government led by the dynamic Chief Minister gave its green signal to continue Keezhadi archaeological excavation to unearth the age-old tradition of Tamil culture, the minister added.
- The book – The Introspection in Indian Architecture’ (Sthapatya Yoga) – elaborates on the principles of temple architecture and their association with linguistic principles that are beyond the confines of any one language
Releasing the book ‘The Introspection in Indian Architecture’ (Sthapatya Yoga) written in English by the renowned Sthapati Dr K Dakshinamoorthy, who is also a member of the Heritage Committee of HR & CE Department, appealed the author to bring out the Tamil version of the book.
The first copy of the book was received by the Commissioner of HR & CE Department J Kumaragurubaran.
In his felicitation speech, the HR & CE Commissioner Kumaragurubaran said that after a detailed study of the department for the past 9 months, the government took the initiative of documenting the history of Tamil Nadu temples across the state. He also said that along with the Minister P K Sekar Babu, he had visited over 150 temples and took steps to document them.
The book sheds light on the ancient shastras and techniques invovled in temple construction, architecture as a language and ‘sthapatya yoga’, the construction process that begins from envisioning temples in mind and culminates in the recreation of the mental models into tangible realities, said its author Dr Dakshinamoorthy.
The book would be a guide for many, including architects, engineers, historians, archaeologists, scientists, artists, anthropologists, philosophers and spiritual seekers, he added.
He said, “The heritage of Hindu temple architecture is a treasure trove of wisdom not only of architecture, but many other realms, including spirituality. My motivation in writing the book is to rekindle the interest in temple architecture and sculpture in the minds of the younger generation from all walks of life – for there is something for everyone in the traditional temple architecture.”
The book also elaborates on the principles of temple architecture and their association with linguistic principles that are beyond the confines of any one language. In this approach, the sizes of structures are likened to words while the materials they are composed of become meaningless.
The book priced at Rs. 400 per copy was offered at a discounted rate of Rs. 200 at the launch venue. The book is also available at the e-commerce platform Amazon.
Earlier, T Loganathan, Chairman, Indian Institute of Architects, Tamil Nadu chapter offered felicitation speech.
Sthapati’s temple officials and government officials took part in the book release event.
Retired HR&CE official S Nepoleon welcomed the gathering and D Pranav Bharathi, Architect, Innate Studio, Chennai proposed vote of thanks.
