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Temples of peace

The style of the Solanki temples is at its grandest in the Surya temple built by King Bhima I at Modhera in Gujarat.

TEXT & PHOTOGRAPHS BY BENOY K. BEHL

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Images of change

The art of Hampi, the capital of the Vijayanagar empire, celebrates a period of great prosperity and the meeting of cultures.

TEXT & PHOTOGRAPHS: BENOY K. BEHL

Voice of reason

Ziauddin Sardar’s voice comes as a ray of hope for Muslims who feel that there is a need for reform in the manner in which Islam operates.

VIKHAR AHMED SAYEED

Tallest of them all

In the mid-13th century, a grand temple dedicated to Surya, the sun, was built at Konark, Orissa.

TEXT & PHOTOGRAPHS BY BENOY K. BEHL

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Glorious blend

The Hoysalas borrowed freely from the Chalukya and Chola traditions and created a style unique in many ways.

TEXT & PHOTOGRAPHS BY BENOY K. BEHL

Beauty of devotion

One of the most splendid temple cities in the history of the world was created by the Chandella kings at Khajuraho.

TEXT PHOTOGRAPHS: BENOY K. BEHL

Colour of peace

In the vast lands of the trans-Himalayas, the temples of the Second Diffusion of Buddhism are like an oasis of colour.

TEXT & PHOTOGRAPHS BY BENOY K. BEHL

More stories from Art

Vishnu, Sri Pratap Singh Museum, Srinagar. This image of Vishnu mounted on Garuda displays the characteristic features of Kashmiri art, including the style of the crown and the depiction of pectoral muscles. It also has the sense of joy that pervades the art of Kashmir.-

Mountain magic

In the valleys of the Himalayas, in Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal, art and architecture give expression to beauty and joy.

TEXT & PHOTOGRAPHS: BENOY K. BEHL

Siva and Parvati, c. 9th century, Government Museum, Chennai. The Indian artist relives the eternal truths each time he creates deities. The themes are eternal.-

Tradition in bronze

By about the 8th century, in the temples of Tamil Nadu, utsava murtis began to be made in bronze.

TEXT & PHOTOGRAPHS: BENOY K. BEHL

Remains of Nalanda University, in present-day Bihar. Nalanda finds mention in Buddhist texts as a place frequently visited by the Buddha. It became known for its famous monastery during the rule of the Guptas in the 5th century A.D. Monks and scholars came here from all over Asia. Scholars such as Guru Padmasambhava and Santarakshita, who were responsible for spreading Buddhism across Asia, are known to have studied here.-

Thought and images

The bronze images of the Pala period, found in large numbers at Nalanda and Kurkihar, are among the finest ever produced.

TEXT & PHOTOGRAPHS: BENOY K. BEHL

Siva and Parvati, Kailasanatha temple. The dance of Siva as Nataraja is the cosmic dance of creation, nurture and destruction. Amid all the dynamic movement, the peace upon Sivas face represents the stillness at the centre. In a fine philosophic conception, Parvati is the eternal witness to the dance, and the dance cannot take place without her to look upon it.-

Royal shrines

Pallava reliefs are the earliest surviving royal portraits in India after the Kushana images of the 1st century.

TEXT & PHOTOGRAPHS: BENOY K. BEHL

SHORE TEMPLE, 8TH century. It is one of the finest examples of Indian structural stone temples. The Nandis along the outer wall seem to greet and invite one into the sacred space within.-

Living rocks

Mamallapuram, to the south of Chennai on the Tamil Nadu coast, is a marvellous town of temples carved out of rock.

TEXT & PHOTOGRAPHS: BENOY K. BEHL