ARTICLE
Chola Bronze Sculptures
Bronzes also grew to become a crucial aspect of temple worship as a result of evolving ideas of the role of the enshrined god. While the deity of the temple was initially believed to be resting within the garbhagriha, from the eleventh century onwards, they came to be seen as a corollary of the monarch. Thus, among the roles played by the deity were giving audiences to their devotees, inspecting the temple, participating in festivities celebrating their birth and marriage anniversaries, and undertaking processions and parades. As deities became an active part of socio-religious life, these portable bronze representations became a stand-in for the immovable images in the garbhagriha.
As of writing, artisans in Tamil Nadu continue to produce bronze sculptures in a tradition descended from that of the early mediaeval period, and bronzes continue to be extensively used in temple processions in the region.
Bibliography
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Huntington, Susan and John C. Huntington. “Later Schools of the Deccan and the South.” The Art of Ancient India: Buddhist, Hindu, Jain. University of Michigan, 1985.
Kaimal, Padma. “Early Cōḻa Kings and “Early Cōḻa Temples”: Art and the Evolution of Kingship.” Artibus Asiae, vol. 56 (½), 1996. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3250104