CONTENTS : Preface vii Acknowledgements ix List of Illustrations xiii 1. BALUSTRADE SCULPTURES OF KERALA 1 2. HOYSALA INFLUENCE ON VIJAYANAGAR ART 7 3. THE ROLE OF TEMPLE IN THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC LIFE OF THE PEOPLE 11 4. TEMPLES, THE TREASURE HOUSES OF SCULPTURES 19 5. TEMPLES AS PATRONS OF DANCE 24 6. ANANDA COOMARASWAMY, THE VERSATILE SCHOLAR AND ART-HISTORIAN 27 7. ANANDA COOMARASWAMY ON EARLY INDIAN ARCHITECTURE 33 8. THE ART HERITAGE OF KANCHI 38 9. BRONZE ICONS OF SRI VAISHNAVA SAINTS 49 10. A DATABLE SCULPTURE OF NAMMALVAR 54 11. VISHNU TEMPLES OF TAMIL NADU-RELIGIOUS AND SOCIAL INTERACTION AND ARCHITECTURAL EXPANSION 56 12. HANUMAN-THE SYMBOL OF SERVICE, SACRIFICE, VALOUR AND WISDOM 63 13. JAINISM IN TONDAIMANDALAM 67 14. SOME RARE CHOLA SCULPTURES FROM KUMBAKONAM 77 15. SOUTH INDIA'S CONTRIBUTION TO INDIAN ART HERITAGE 80 16. HERITAGE IN CLAY 90 17. SOME HERO-STONES IN THE PANDYAN COUNTRY 93 18. RAMA TEMPLES AND TRADITIONS IN TAMIL NADU 97 19. SOME MANDAPA TYPES AND FUNCTIONS IN SOUTH INDIA 106 20. FOLK CULTS AND PRACTICES- THE UNDER-CURRENT OF CULTURAL UNITY OF INDIA 112 21. THE ECOLOGICAL TRADITION IN TAMIL LITERATURE AND EPIGRAPHY 117 22. SACRED TANKS OF TAMIL NADU 125 23. PILGRIMAGE-INDIAN CONCEPT AND PRACTICE 132 24. LAKSHMI (TIRU) FROM TAMIL SOURCES 141 25. VILLAGE GODDESSES OF SOUTH INDIA 153 26. SOME ASPECTS OF GOPURA : TIRUMALAI AND TIRUPATI TEMPLES IN THE LIGHT OF EPIGRAPHICAL DATA 161 27. VIJAYANAGAR PAINTINGS AT KANCHI 167 28. THE ART HERITAGE OF THE PANDYAS 170 29. GOPURA SCULPTURES FROM VRIDDHAGIRlSVARA TEMPLE 177 30. SAKTI WORSHIP IN TAMIL NADU- A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE 190 31. ROYAL PORTRAIT SCULPTURES OF SOUTH INDIA 200 32. IMPRINT OF INDIAN ART IN SOUTH-EAST ASIA 204 33. INDIAN INFLUENCES IN SOUTH-EAST ASIA AS REFLECTED IN THE PERSONAL NAMES 210 34. INDIAN INFLUENCES ON THE PLACE-NAMES OF SOUTH-EAST ASIA 236 35. DEITIES AND TEMPLES OF CAMBODIA- INDIAN INFLUENCES ON THE NAMES AS SEEN IN THE INSCRIPTIONS 252 36. BALI-LAND OF ENCHANTMENT 262 37. THAI-INDIA CULTURAL TIES 266 38. INDIAN LINKS WITH LAOS-SOME RECENT FINDINGS 271 39. INDIAN LINKS WITH VIETNAM 274 40. INDIAN CULTURAL LINKS WITH INDONESIA 278 Select Bibliography 283 Index 287 Illustrations