View of Madura from the east with the Minakshi temple and palace-1783

Pen and ink drawing of a view of Madurai from the east with the Minakshi temple and palace, by George Waight, c. 1783. Inscribed: 'A view of Madura, from ye Garden House at Tipocolum. Trees too conspicuous'.

Tirumala Nayaka (r. 1623-59) was one of the most important rulers of the Nayaka dynasty and was an ambitious builder; the Minakshi Sundareshvara Temple complex which dominates the centre of the town dates to his reign. The temple is contained within an enclosure of high walls entered through tall pyramidal gopuras (gateways). Within the enclosure there are colonnades, columned mandapas, tanks, shrines and two temples dedicated to Shiva as Sundareshvara and his consort Minakshi. The Tirumala Nayaka Palace was built in 1636 and was intended to be one of the grandest palaces in South India. Yet shortly after the palace was completed in 1659, Tirumalai's grandson Chokkanatha took the Nayaka throne and transferred the capital to Tiruchirapalli, dismantling large parts of this palace. This drawing was probably made after Colonel William Fullarton gained control of Madurai in 1783. Waight, the artist, served in the Madras European Infantry and a detachment of the regiment was positioned with Fullarton during the campaign.

Water-colour painting of Dindigul with an English officer, perhaps MacKenzie, and an Indian in the foreground. Inscribed on the front in ink is: 'View of Dindigul (?) 1790.'. This image is from the MacKenzie Collection.

The rock fort at Dindigul occupies a commanding position 85 metres (280 feet) above the surrounding plain. It was strategically important due to its location at the head of the passes between Madurai and Coimbatore and has been fiercely contested by several ruling powers. The fort figured prominently in the military operations of the Mahrattas in the 17th and 18th centuries and was taken by the ruler of Mysore, Haider Ali in 1755. It was captured by the British three times (1767,1783 and 1790) and was ceded to the East India Company in 1792. The Nayakas of Madurai accomplished the first series of fortifications in the 17th century when the outer and inner gateways were constructed. To increase its’ defensive capabilities the fort also had parapets pierced by embrasures for cannon while the entrance gateway was protected by a robust barbican within which was a long passage and a right-angled turn. As a defensive work the fort must have been quite formidable.






Plate 17 from the fifth set of Thomas and William Daniell's 'Oriental Scenery' called 'Antiquities of India.' The group of structures in this print are close to the Gangadhareshvara temple, south of Bangalore. The Daniells wrote, 'The neighbourhood of Bangalore is remarkable for the frequent appearance of the remains of antient Hindoo architecture. Nearly in the centre of this view is a temple, but at present without an idol. On the left is the Chackra or Discus of Vish-noo placed horizontally, supported by a pillar, both executed in stone: and on the right is a pavilion very neatly executed, which probably was the place for exhibiting to the multitude the idol belonging to the adjoining temple. Further on to the right is a stone pillar, on the top of which on particular occasions was placed the sacred fire.'


Engraving by Letitia Byrne (1779-1849) after the painting by Thomas Daniell (1749-1849) entitled 'View in the Tinnevele District, East India', (Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu), published in 1809. Between March 1792 and April 1793 Thomas and William Daniell travelled through South India, which at that time had been little explored by the British, and were extremely impressed by the great temples and grandiose scenery of this part of the country. At the beginning of the 18th century Tirunelveli was under the control of local chiefs who eventually succumbed to the Nawabs of Arcot. The Tirunelveli District, the last phase of the Daniells journey southwards, was ceded to the East India Company in 1801 and surveys were carried out from 1806 onwards.



This photograph of the Lal Bagh Gardens was taken by Albert Thomas Penn in the 1870s and is from an album entitled 'Views in Bangalore', part of the Vibart Collection. The Lal Bagh gardens were created in the late 18th Century by the Rajas of Mysore Haider Ali Khan, (c.1722 - 1782) and his son, Tipu Sultan (1753 -1799). This royal retreat was stocked with many rare and exotic varieties of plants and trees brought from Persia, Afghanistan and France. In early 19th century the gardens were taken over by the East India Company and converted into a botanic garden.


Plate14 from the second set of Thomas and William Daniell's 'Oriental Scenery'. Madurai was capital of the Nayaka dynasty, which ruled the southern-most part of the Tamil area in the 16th and 17th centuries. This stone pavilion was built by Tirumala Nayak, the most famous of the Madurai rulers, on the east side of the Fort and was used during religious festivals. This view particularly attracted Europeans as the motif of the pavilion was later reproduced on Staffordshire-ware and on French wallpapers.



Plate 21 from the second set of Thomas and William Daniell's 'Oriental Scenery'. The Daniells wrote, 'The fort of Tritchinopoly belongs to the nabob of the Carnatic, but is garrisoned by the English. Its walls are nearly four miles in extent, and surrounded by a broad and deep ditch'. A small pavilion and a shrine dedicated to Ganesa crowns the top of the rock, and thatched huts are grouped around a sacred bathing tank east of the rock.



Photograph of the south west of the Chantappa Nayaka Tirumal Temple , Bhatkal taken by Henry Cousens in either the 1880s or the 1890s. Bhatkal was a small town when Cousens visited, yet the large numbers of ruined temples found there, suggested that it had once been one of the most important religious centres in Maharashtra. Unusually, many of these temples, including the example pictured here, incorporated sloping roofs into their design, similar to temples in Nepal. . Cousens tells us in his report written at the time, that the sloping roof was necessary because Bhatkal is located only a few miles from the sea. Coastal rainfall is greater than in the nearby hills and this type of roof would allow more efficient drainage. The walls of the temple are made from a hipped and railed screen



Photograph of the four-pillared mandapa and gopura of the Kailasanatha Temple at Tiruchengodu in Tamil Nadu, from the Archaeological Survey of India Collections, taken by an unknown photographer in the 1870s. The town of Tiruchengodu is situated at the foot of Nagagiri ('Serpent Hill'). The Kailasanatha Temple dates back to the Chola period but most of its architecture belongs to the Vijayanagar period. The entrance gopura, or gateway, was built by Vijaya Ranga Chokkalinga Nayakka of Madura in 1664.




Photograph of a group of six ruined temples near the village of Anjaneri, Nasik District taken by Henry Cousens either in the 1880s or the 1890s. Anjaneri is situated in northern Maharashtra. A large number of temples were built here independently of one another, unusual for temples of such a small size. They are not clustered around a central shrine in the manner that most small Indian temples are, instead each stands alone and is dedicated to a different deity. The Brahmanical shrines have been damaged very badly and probably on purpose whilst the Jain shrines have been better preserved. This photograph show a number of different shrines, most probably dedicated to both Jain and Brahmanical deities. The shrines face in different compass directions and the deliberate damage to many can be seen in this photograph particularly affecting the Shikara or tower.