A thread on #krishnapuram temple, near Thirunelveli, TN. Even in a land full of ancient temples full of sculptural treasures, the Arulmigu Venkatachalapathy temple at Krishnapuram stands out for its unique sculptures. #TamizhTales
Located barely 8 kms from Thirunelveli, the #krishnapuram temple is a storehouse of exquisite sculptures carved during the Madurai Nayaka period. Inscriptions say the temple was built by Krishnappa Nayak, after whom the place is named. #TamizhTales
The temple is spread over an area of 1.8 acres. Originally, the temple had three praharams, built from granite. But the outermost praharam was demolished by an Izlamic general Chanda Sahib at the orders of Nawab of Arcot. The stones were used to build the fort of Palayamkottai!
The temple has several mandapas built over the years, many of whom are decorated with larger than life exquisite sculptures based on Puranic themes as well as secular life. The sculptures are carved out of one of the most difficult mediums, hard granite, #TamizhTales
This Murti of Rati is exquisite. See how her left cheek has swollen slightly as she is chewing on thamboolam. Her hairstyle n jewellery is exquisite. Notice how the Shilpi has carved her fingers holding the mirror. All this is done in one single block of granite! #TamizhTales
This Murti is of Kuravan, a gypsy, carrying a prince on his shoulders. See the grace in his stance. The shilpi has caught him mid-motion. The Murti looks like he is going to complete the movement any moment, notice his ribs, the curve of his calves. #TamizhTales
These are different pics of the Murti of Arjun, the warrior. You can see the bamboo grooves of his bow, the proud half-smile on his face, his armour and his warrior like stance. #TamizhTales
The temple is a serene, beautiful place, where Shri Vishnu is worshipped as Venkatachalapathy. Sadly, the temple has ugly iron railings that are supposed ‘protect’ the Murtis, but serve as an eyesore! The gift of the HRnCE dept of Tamil Nadu govt that ‘looks after’ the temple!
I wish our temples are managed better, by people who have both devotion and a sense of Hindu aesthetics. Our ancestors went to great trouble to carve such exquisite Murtis, the least we can do is to look after them. Please visit #krishnapuram if you can. Pics by @asdiwakar and me

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More from @ShefVaidya

11 Nov
#Thread on #divyadesams. Divya Desams are Sri Vishnu temples which the 12 Vaishnava saints or the Azhwars have sung in their hymns in praise of Sri Vishnu. There are 108 Divya Desams, 106 can be visited in mortal life. The other two are in the celestial abode of Sri Vishnu. Image
#azhwar means ‘immersed’. Azhwars are considered to be devotees of Vishnu who have fully immersed themselves in #bhakti. They lived between 5th-8th centuries CE, composing hymns in praise of Sri Vishnu. Their songs are compiled as #DivyaPrabandham containing 4000 verses.
106 #DivyaDesam temples one can visit in this life are located in TN (85), Kerala (11) Uttar Pradesh (4) Uttarakhand (3) Andhra (2) Gujarat (1) and Muktinath in Nepal. It is the dream of every Sri Vaishnava to visit Divya Desams in his/her lifetime. SS via shaktipeethas.org Image
Read 7 tweets
28 Oct
A #Thread of #lovejihaad cases in the last year. Providing links so that some blabbering secular mor0n doesn’t accuse me of peddling ‘fake news’. These cases are from different parts of India. Have only one thing in common, the victim is a Hindu woman, the kiIIer is a Muslim man!
On 26th October 2020, 21 year old Nikita Tomar was shot dead at a point blank range by Taufeeq outside her college in Faridabad in broad daylight. Nikeeta had lodged a complaint of molestation and stalking against Taufeeq a few weeks ago.

timesnownews.com/india/article/…
On 17th October 2020, K. Radhika is kiIIed by ‘boyfriend’ Syed Mustafa and his brother Jameel in Hyderabad, Telengana. They use a butcher’s knife to slit her throat.

swarajyamag.com/ideas/hyderaba…
Read 10 tweets
26 Oct
#thread My children helped in the making of the #9Days9Weaves videos. While shooting the clips, my daughter asked, ‘there are many people in India who deserve and need help, why have you chosen weavers?’ Her question had me thinking.
Handloom textiles are our original #makeinindia craft. Our ancestors had mastered the art is cultivating cotton and flax, spinning yarn, colouring yarn using vegetable n mineral colours using mordants to fix the dye and the craft of weaving on a loom.
Weaving has survived in India despite so many foreign invasions, brutal colonial rules and economic suppression. Under Hindu rulers, weavers enjoyed the status of an artist. They had their own guilds or श्रेणी and even the King had to treat weavers guilds with due respect.
Read 12 tweets
19 Oct
Making a #thread of my series on the handlooms weaves of India - #9Days9Weaves series on @zindagiwidricha with @richaanirudh, so people can access it easily. First three episodes are about #jamdani #kanchipuram and #gadwal
Episode 1 - #jamdani. Do watch as I talk about the history, specialty, price points and places to source an authentic #jamdani of Bengal. Do watch and share widely. #9Days9Weaves

Episode 2 of #9Days9Weaves. Know all about the beauty of the regal #kanchipuram saree. 9 days 9 weaves - Kanchipuram/Kanjivaram via @YouTube
Read 10 tweets
18 Oct
#thread about unfair practices in textile selling, one at the lower end, by vendors selling on mass online e-commerce platforms like @myntra @amazon @Flipkart and @snapdeal and the other high end by small entrepreneurs who sell via FB/insta etc. cc @smritiirani @TexMinIndia
This is important because both indulge in unfair practices, which ultimately hurts the genuine weavers, who invest time, efforts and craftsmanship in their work. Let me start with the low end guys. They sell cheap synthetic powerlooms at very cheap prices on online platforms.
The pricing would be fine if these vendors declared that they were selling synthetic powerlooms. But they blatantly mislead consumers by calling their products ‘pure silk’ and use names of traditional weaves like Banarasi and Kanchipuram, when these are cheap knock-offs.
Read 12 tweets
23 Aug
#Thread. I took time to think this through. As a contracted writer with @BloomsburyIndia, I am aghast at the crass, unethical way in which @BloomsburyIndia has behaved with @advmonikaarora , backing out from publishing her book on #AntiHinduDelhiRiots a week before the launch.
The publisher had a contract with @advmonikaarora. @BloomsburyIndia went through all stages of publishing, going through manuscript, editing it, suggesting changes and finally, printing it. The book is in print and now they are backing out bowing to pressure from literary mafia.
It is noteworthy that @BloomsburyIndia is still going ahead with a book on the #CAA protests that reflects the point of view of the Izlamists, citing ‘freedom of speech’. @BloomsburyIndia has capitulated to a literary mafia consisting of Izlamists and Communists. This is shameful
Read 9 tweets

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