In 2021, India is home to 38 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. A new, lavishly illustrated book with 250 color illustrations, co-published by Mapin Publishers and Hirmer Publishers (Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de, Amazon.fr), presents all 38 iconic Indian UNESCO sites of natural and cultural significance, representing the subcontinent’s diversity and reflecting the very soul of India. The photographs are by Rohit Chawla, one of the country’s leading photographers. The texts are written by eminent specialists.
The Ellora Caves
Here just a few remarks on some of the sites. Amareswar Galla writes that the Ellora Caves comprise 34 monasteries and temples dug into the walls of a high basalt cliff in Maharashtra, spread over two kilometres. The uninterrupted sequence of monuments is dating from 600 to 1000 CE. With its multi-faith sanctuaries, the Ellora Caves illustrate the spirit of tolerance characteristic of ancient India. They represent the three principal religions of early India, illustrating the complexity of societal belief systems that center on Jainism, Theravada to Mahayana Buddhism, Brahmanical faiths such as Shaivism and Vaishnavism, as well as a togetherness of diverse faith groups.
On a north-south axis, there are twelve Ellora Caves in the Buddhist group (seventh to eighth century CE). Apart from monasteries, there is also a large hall of worship (Cave 10). There are twenty-six caves in the Brahmanical group (seventh to tenth century CE). This group includes the best-known caves, the Dashavatara Temple, or the “Cavern of the Ten Avatars” (Cave 15) and, in particular, the Kailasa Temple (Cave 16). Then there are the caves (Caves 30–34) of the Jain group (ninth to early tenth century CE) of the Digambara sect.
The group of monuments at Mahabalipuram
Mahabalipuram, or Mamallapuram (the city of Mamalla), was established by Narsimhavarman I in the seventh century CE. Mahabalipuram was a celebrated port city of the Pallava dynasty. The group of monuments at Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu, south of Chennai, consist of rock-cut cave temples, monolithic temples, bas-relief sculptures and structural temples as well as the excavated remains of temples. These monuments were carved out of rock along the Coromandel Coast in the seventh and eighth centuries. Janhwij Sharma stresses that the site is known especially for its rathas (temples in the form of chariots), mandapas (cave sanctuaries), giant open-air reliefs and numerous beautiful temples, with thousands of sculptures to the glory of Shiva.
The Khajuraho group of monuments
Janhwij Sharma writes that the Khajuraho group of temples were built during the reign of the powerful Chandela dynasty who reigned over central India from the ninth to the thirteenth century CE. Although their reign is credited with the construction of many forts, palaces, temples and tanks, they are most renowned for the construction of around eighty-five temples in and around their capital city, Khajuraho, of which only twenty-five survive today.
World famous are the erotic scenes, e.g. carved on the outer wall of the Kandariya Mahadeva Temple in the Khajuraho complex. Rohit Chawla photographed an exceptional sculptural panel on the Kandariya Mahadeva Temple showing a couple in perfect union, which was carved alongside other panels depicting daily rituals.
The Kandariya Mahadeva temple is considered the finest and the most evolved example of temple architecture in North India. Its main shikhara has a rhythmic ascendance of eighty-four miniature
shikharas that lend it a strong visual expression. Janhwij Sharma concludes that this temple is the most ornate in terms of sculptural profusion on its exterior and interior walls, columns and ceilings.
This and much more you can discover in the lavishly illustrated book: India. UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Hardcover, 25.2 × 30.5 cm, Hirmer Publishers, 2021, 240 pages with 250 color illustrations and contributions by A. Baig, E. Falt, A. Galla, S. Ghosh, S. Jain, R. Jigyasu, K. Joshi, V. B. Mathur, J. P. Sharma, J. Sharma, V. S. Oberoi. Order the English version of the book from Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de, Amazon.fr.
India. UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Hardcover, 25.2 × 30.5 cm, Hirmer Publishers, 2021, 240 pages with 250 colour illustrations and contributions by A. Baig, E. Falt, A. Galla, S. Ghosh, S. Jain, R. Jigyasu, K. Joshi, V. B. Mathur, J. P. Sharma, J. Sharma, V. S. Oberoi. Order the English version of the book from Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de, Amazon.fr.
And here the alphabetical list of India’s 38 UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Agra Fort, Uttar Pradesh; Ajanta Caves, Maharashtra; Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara at Nalanda, Bihar; Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi, Madhya Pradesh; Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park, Gujarat; Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Maharashtra; Churches and Convents of Goa; Elephanta Caves, Maharashtra; Ellora Caves, Maharashtra; Fatehpur Sikri, Uttar Pradesh; Great Himalayan National Park Conservation Area, Himachal Pradesh; Great Living Chola Temples, Tamil Nadu; Group of Monuments at Hampi, Karnataka; Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu; Group of Monuments at Pattadakal, Karnataka; Hill Forts of Rajasthan; Historic City of Ahmadabad, Gujarat; Humayun’s Tomb, Delhi; Jaipur City, Rajasthan; Kaziranga National Park, Assam; Keoladeo National Park, Rajasthan; Khajuraho Group of Monuments, Madhya Pradesh; Khangchendzonga National Park, Sikkim; Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya, Bihar; Manas Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam; Mountain Railways of Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal; Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks, Uttarakhand; Qutb Minar and its Monuments, Delhi; Rani-ki-Vav (the Queen’s Stepwell) at Patan, Gujarat; Red Fort Complex, Delhi; Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka, Madhya Pradesh; Sun Temple, Konârak, Odisha; Sundarbans National Park, West Bengal; Taj Mahal, Uttar Pradesh; The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier, Chandigarh; The Jantar Mantar, Jaipur; Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai; Western Ghats in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra.
For a better reading, quotations and partial quotations in this book review are not always put between quotation marks.
India book review added on August 2, 2021 at 00:48 Swiss time.
