Andra Pradesh > Kadapa > Pushpagiri Kadapa
The book is devoted to a study of the architectural, sculptural and iconographical wealth of the temples at Pushpagiri in the Cuddapah District of Andhra Pradesh. Dr V V S Kumar has given exhaustive descriptions of the temples of Pushpagiri (ranging from eleventh to sixteenth centuries AD) like Indranadhesvara, Rudra pada, Bhimesvara, Sakshimallesvara, Uma-mahesvara, Santanamallesvara and Chennakesava temples. The temples of Pushpagiri abound in narrative sculpture of the Vijayanagar period dealing with episodes from the Ramayana, Mahabharata and Bhagavata, besides some interesting episodes relating to saivite mythology. A sincere attempt has been made to give exhaustive descriptions of as many narrative sculpture as possible. This book makes a highly informative and useful contribution to our knowledge of the architectural, sculptural and iconographical achievements of the Vijayanagara artists. Illustrated with one hundred and twenty seven photographs and three ground plans, this is a very useful book to Museums, Archaeologists, Historians, Research students and others interested in the subject. Chapter 1: Historical Background, Chapter 2: Temple Architecture at Pushpagiri, Chapter 3: Sculpture and Iconography: Siva, Chapter 4: Sculpture and Iconography: Vishnu and Other Deity Figures, Chapter 5: Narrative Panels, Chapter 6: Conclusion. Pushpagiri Situated on the banks of river Pennar, it is famous for the temples that sit atop a hill devoid of all vegetation. The largest and best known among them is the Chennakesava Temple, which according to the earliest inscriptions found in the temple complex, dates back to 1298 A.D. It has a lofty Gopuram, sculptures depicting scenes from the epics, floral motifs and elaborately engraved pillers. The dancing Ganapathi and Krishna preaching the Bhagwad Gita to Arjun, are remarkable pieces of art. The annual temple festival is conducted for 10 days in March-April. Other temples of interest here include Trikuteswara, Durga, Shiva, Rudrapada and Devi, which are remarkable for their architectural precision and exilant images of Dasavatara figures. A visit to the Amrita Sarovar would be a thrilling experience, as according to the local legend, human bones tossed in to the tank soon turn in to Jasmine flowers. Pushpagiri is also known as a seat of arts and literature and is the only place in Andhra Pradesh where the holy Peetham of Sankaracharya is located.
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