Sources for Illustrations
AIIS: American Institute of Indian Studies, Varanasi.
Case and Sandgren: Nat Case and Chris Sandgren, Hedberg Maps, Minneapolis.
Hudson: Private collection of Dennis Hudson, Northampton, Mass.
IFDI: Institut Française d’Indologie, Pondicherry.
Ramesh 1993: M. S. Ramesh, 108 Vaishnavite Divya Desams.
Volume One, plate 28: Divya Desams in Tondai Nadu.
Tirupati: M. V S. Prasad, Executive Officer, T. T. Devasthanams, 1993.
Rea 1909: Alexander Rea, Pallava Architecture, Archaeological Survey of India, New Imperial Series 34: Southern India,
Vol. 11. Varanasi: Indological Book House, [1909] 1970.
Rhie: Private collection of Marilyn M. Rhie, Northampton, Mass.
Sathya Seelan: Private collection of Ranvir Shah and the Prakriti Foundation, Chennai.
Figures
Frontispiece. The chakrabja mandala: “Mandala of the Wheel and Lotus”
I.1. The Paramecchuravinnagaram in 1909
I.2. Ground plan of Vishnu-house mandala within prakara wall, and added mandapa
I.3. Three sanctums on three floors facing west
I.4. Moat facing northeast
1.1. Nandivarman Pallavamalla’s acharya enthroned in a mandapa adjacent to a model of the vimana he designed
2.1. The mandala describing the brahman priest of shrauta sacrifices
2.2. The five layers of matter (prakriti) that constitute the human person
2.3. Mandala mapping of yogin’s vertical and horizontal alignments with his five material persons
2.4. The three sets of bodies
4.1. Pallava-style lions
4.2. Lion at Mamallapuram with Durga the Slayer of Buffalo inside its chest
4.3. Pallavamalla’s unction as Nandivarman ca.
4.4. Nandivarman enthroned as the sovereign of Pallavas
4.5. Nandivarman enthroned with people and ritual objects protecting his rule
4.6. Acharya enthroned
4.7. Nandivarman at the impaling of two men
4.8. The Krishna icon in the midst of battle, southwest prakara wall, lower register
5.1. The ground plan of the Vishnu-house
5.2. Reclining icon in middle-floor sanctum with goddesses Shri and Bhumi
5.3. Mandala of three sanctums on a single plane
5.4. The four vyuha formations facing their respective directions
5.5. Vaikuntha Perumal: The vyuha Vasudeva facing west
5.6. The vyuha Vasudeva facing west
5.7. Diagram of the bottom-floor sanctum and porch
5.8. Samkarshana, the Plower formation, facing north
5.9. Pradyumna, the Pre-eminently Mighty formation, facing east
5.10. Aniruddha, the Unobstructed formation, facing south
5.11. The two axes: Four cardinal directions and their presiding devas and occupants
5.12. Ahoratra: Daytime and nighttime on the mandala
5.13. The six bhagas and the twelve murtis on the middle-floor sanctum and porch
6.1. Figures north of the doorway of the porch on the middle floor
6.2. The two paths of the middle-floor sanctum
6.3. Two sequences of panels on the middle-floor sanctum
6.4. Panel 1: The murti Padmanabha stands on an altar
6.5. Panel 2: The seven seers or seven rishis
6.6. Panel 3: Damodara as Ashtabhujasvamin: The Lord with Eight Arms (prior to repair)
6.7. Panel 4: Krishna slays the asura Keshin in the shape of a horse
6.8. Diagram: Keshava and Akrura’s chariot
6.9. Panel 11: Krishna addresses the gopis from Akrura’s chariot
6.10. Panel 12: (A) Krishna sits with Balarama in Akrura’s chariot; (B) Krishna as “Hari the Ruler of Yoga” wrestles Chanura in Mathura as Kamsa watches; (C) Krishna stands as Victorious Madhava
6.11. Panel 12 A: Krishna and Balarama sit in Akrura’s chariot
6.12. Panel 12 B–1: Krishna wrestles Chanura
6.13. Panel 12 B–2: Kamsa, seated above the wrestlers, is alarmed
6.14. Panel 12 C: Krishna stands as victorious Madhava
7.1. Panel 5: Hari rescues Gajendra
7.2. Detail of Panel 5: Gajendra beneath Garuda
7.3. Panel 6: Rama disciplines Ocean on the way to Lanka
7.4. Panel 7: Hari as Ajita churns the Ocean of Milk
7.5. Bali holds Vasuki’s five heads (detail prior to repair)
7.6. Three devas behind Vasuki, the asura above flies away with the amrita pot (detail)
8.1. Visual representation of narrative frames
8.2. Panel 8: Narasimha grasps Hiranyakashipu
8.3. Panel 9: Narasimha rips open Hiranyakashipu at his navel
8.4. Narasimha holds Hiranyakashipu (composite, prior to restoration)
8.5. Narasimha rips open Hiranyakashipu (prior to repair)
8.6. Panel 10: Krishna dances on Kaliya the snake in a pool of the Yamuna River
9.1. Panel 13: The murti Hrishikesha (prior to repair)
9.2. Panel 14: Vamana the Dwarf at Bali’s horse sacrifice (prior to repair)
9.3. Panel 15: Vamana the Dwarf as Trivikrama the Thrice-strider (prior to repair)
9.4. Panel 16: Narayana protects Bali from Ravana (prior to repair)
9.5. Brahma with four faces (prakara western wall, top register, second panel)
9.6. Panel 23: Krishna leaps up to slay Kamsa
9.7. Balarama dances; Vasudeva sits imprisoned (prior to repair)
9.8. The disordered mandala
9.9. Panel 24: Yudhishthira dons boar-skin shoes at his rajasuya
9.10. Draupadi, Yajnavalkya, Yudhishthira, and Abhimanyu
9.11. Yudhishthira dons boar-skin shoes (detail prior to repair)
10.1. Pairing of bhagas along the north-south axis
10.2. Panel 17: Indra disrupts King Prithu’s horse sacrifice
10.3. Panel 18: Krishna enters Naraka’s palace where 16,000 royal virgins are held captive (prior to repair)
10.4. Two royal virgins (detail)
10.5. Krishna enters Naraka’s palace (detail)
10.6. The head prior to repair (detail)
10.7. The head in a drawing of 1909
10.8. The head after repair
10.9. Panel 19: Hari as Madhusudana, slayer of the asuras Madhu and Kaitabha
10.10. Madhusudana and the upper portion of the panel (detail)
10.11. The lower portion of the panel (detail)
10.12. Panel 20: Vishnu kills Mali, Sumali, and Malyavan on the shore of the Milk Ocean
10.13. The asuras Sumali in the middle and Malyayan on the bottom (detail)
10.14. The asuras Mali on the top and Sumali in the middle (detail)
10.15. Panel 21: Krishna slays Shishupala at Yudhishthira’s rajasuya
10.16. Panel 22: Krishna attacks Shalva and Dantavaktra
10.17. Krishna slays Shalva and Dantavaktra (composite, prior to repair)
PIII.1. Cosmography identified by sculpted panels on bottom-floor sanctum and porch
11.1. Bottom-floor vimana with collapsed porch
11.2. Bottom floor: Porch and vimana sculpted panels
11.3. Panel W1: Akupara, the Unbounded Tortoise
11.4. Panel W6: Brahma venerates Varaha to begin the Daytime of Boar (prior to repair)
11.5. Brahma’s western face and damaged southern face (detail; prior to repair)
11.6. Panel W2: The Bhagavan on Lokaloka
11.7. Panel W3: Kalki above Devapi of the Lunar Dynasty (prior to repair)
11.8. Panel W4: Kalki above Maru of the Solar Dynasty (prior to repair)
11.9. Panel W5: Surya the Sun flies over the continent of Plaksha
12.1. Panel SP1: Hari flanked by Rudra and Daksha (prior to repair)
12.2. Panel SP2: Dwarf crowned as Upendra with Bali and Indra (prior to repair)
12.3. Panel SP3: Vaikuntha appears to the Kumaras at the cursing of Jaya and Vijaya (prior to repair)
12.4. Panel NP1: Bhadrashravas worships Hayagriva in the region of Bhadrashva (prior to repair)
12.5. Panel NP2: The Person of the Sacrifice announces Rishabha’s birth (prior to repair)
12.6. The Person of the Sacrifice announces Rishabha’s birth
12.7. Panel NP3: The Person of the Sacrifice appears to Rishabha’s son Bharata with guardian on the west (prior to repair)
12.8. The Person of the Sacrifice appears to Bharata with guardian on the west
13.1. Panel N1: Vasudeva teaching as Vaikunthanatha
13.2. Panel N6: Ananta the Endless (prior to repair)
13.3. Panel N2: Naranarayana and Narada in the region of Bharata (adjacent to a dvarapala)
13.4. Panel N3: Hari announces Kapila’s birth to Kardama
13.5. Panel N4: Hari teaches Brahma the supreme secret of omniscience
13.6. Panel N5: Markandeya teaches about the rishis Nara and Narayana
14.1. Panel E1: Brahma worshiped on the continent of Pushkara and his four Kumara sons
14.2. Panel E6: Bhava on Kailasa venerates Pradyumna
14.3. Panel E2: The Bhagavan honors Dhruva with the Dhruva realm
14.4. Panel E3: Brahma flees to the Bhagavan from his asura progeny
14.5. Panel E4: Hanuman worships Rama in the Kimpurusha region of Jambu (prior to repair)
14.6. Panel E5: Kamadeva in the Ketumala region of Jambu plays “Krishna holding up Govardhana” (prior to repair)
15.1. Panel S1: Dattatreya sits with Soma and Durvasas
15.2. Panel S6: Mohini serves the Devas amrita as the asuras watch (prior to repair)
15.3. Panel S2: Krishna in Dvaraka teaches Uddhava the “Summary of the Brahman Doctrine”
15.4. Panel S3: The Avadhuta Dattatreya teaches King Yadu (prior to repair)
15.5. Panel S4: Prahlada worships Man-lion in the region of Hari
15.6. Panel S5: Goddess Earth worships Boar in the region of Uttarakuru (prior to repair)