There
is a small tower 55 feet high on a base of 45 square feet, dedicated to Lord Subrahmanya;
the great historianFerguson has said it to be "as exquisite a piece of architecture
as is to be found in the south of India and almost divides admiration with the temple
itself." The workmanship is considered to be a perfect gem of carved stone work the
tooling of the stone in the most elaborate patterns remaining as dear and sharp as on the
day it left the sculptor's hands. Ferguson says: "Chola artists conceived like giants
and finished like jewelers".
The outer structures are decorated with fine and
minute sculptures, which proclaim the immense labor and precision that have
gone into their production. Even a ring worn on the tiny figures can be moved even now
after 1000 years, in spite of complete exposure to sun and rain and weather conditions;
the figures are vivid and life-like. |
