Lecture | Masterclass IIAS/LIAS
Seventeenth-century depictions of sacred sites in the Kailasanathar Temple at Nattam, Tamil Nadu
- Date
- Thursday 6 October 2022
- Time
- Address
- International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS)
Rapenburg 59
2311 GJ Leiden
This masterclass for students is taught by Professor of Indian Art Anna L. Dallapiccola. We warmly invite students from the Leiden Institute of Area Studies (LIAS) and other students with a particular interest in the topic to join this masterclass free of charge.
Please note that this is a live event on location only.
The masterclass
The sacred landscape of the Tamil region, with its intricate network of temples was created by the poet-saints - the Vaishnava alvars and the Shaiva nayanmars - who wandered through the region in the 6th-9th cent. CE, singing the praises of Shaiva and Vaishnava sacred sites. The travels of the saints as expressed in their songs bring together in one framework the isolated shrines and local mythologies of the region. Although well-known in the Tamil devotional literature, pilgrimages to these sacred sites became popular only from the mid-fourteenth century. The iconography of a sacred site is based on four elements all of which may, or may not, be present in any one representation: the murti, or the representation of another form of the god who dwells in the temple, the geographical aspect of the site, the sacred tree and the tirtha or important water source associated with it. The depiction of holy sites, the myths and religious personalities connected with them is one of the major sources of artistic inspiration during the Nayaka period. This tradition continues up to the present.
To register, please visit our website at Seventeenth century depictions of sacred sites in the Kailasanathar Temple at Nattam, Tamil Nadu
After registration, we will send you a digital syllabus with some background readings to prepare for the masterclass.
The masterclass is followed on 7 October by a free public lecture in the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam by the same speaker: 'Piety and devotion. 16th-century murals in the Virabhadra Temple in Lepakshi, India'.
Registration
To register for this lecture, please visit the IIAS website at https://www.iias.asia/events/piety-and-devotion-16th-century-murals-virabhadra-temple-lepakshi-india