THTIndoFest2022. Day 4. June 5, 2022. Evening Session. 6.00 pm. Eastern Gangas. Paramaras.

Tamil Heritage Trust’s Indology Festival 2022 (THT IndoFest-2022) focuses on the India from the 8th to 13th centuries when these trends were well established. The theme THTIndoFest2022 is “Temple Builders of Medieval India 8th to 13th C CE”. The Festival will be held online from Thursday June 2nd to Monday June 6th.

Day 4: Sunday, June 5, 2022. Evening Session. Topics and Speakers

Talk 1: Eastern Gangas and their contribution to Kalingan architecture: Dr Sanjay Acharya

Anantavarman Chodagangadeva the founder of the Ganga rule in Odisha came from Mukhalingam sometime around 1110 CE, after defeating the last Somavamsi king Karnadeva. It is worthy to mention that the Eastern Gangas had already established themselves at Mukhalingam by 496 CE..

The Eastern Gangas ruled over the whole of the modern-day Odisha as well as major parts of West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Their rulers defended their kingdom from the constant attacks of the Muslim rulers. This kingdom prospered through trade and commerce and the wealth was used in the construction of temples.

With the coming of the Gangas the Kalingan style of temple architecture enters its phase of maturity and grandeur. They brought in some new features and we see the creation of temples like the Jagannath temple at Puri and the Sun temple at Konark, with a profusion of sculptures and motifs. This talk covers the key kings of Eastern ganga dynasty , unique features of Kalinga style as a variation of Nagara temple architecture and some of the iconic temples enhanced or built afresh by Eastern Gangas

The Speaker: Dr Sanjay Acharya

Dr Sanjay Acharya was the professor and HOD of Ancient Indian History department of Utkal university till 2022. He completed his MA in Ancient Indian History, M.Phil and then Ph.D. for "Mukteshwara Temple - A study of its architecture and sculptures", all from the same University. After a brief stint in NCERT, he returned to Utkal university in 1994 and retired as HOD in 2022. He has mentored 26 students to their PhD Award and 67 students for their M Phil.

He has published three books "Ganesha in Orissan Art" {2012}; "Jagannath : Lord of the Universe" {2015}; "Pratna Bharatam - Glory of Archaeology, Art, Epigraphy and Protection of Cultural Heritage" {2016} . He has published papers on varied subjects and given numerous presentations on his passion "Art and architecture of Odishan Temples" and "Maritime Heritage of Odisha".

He has also taken part in excavations at Narisho as principal investigator and Radhanagar as consultant for Dishan Institute of Maritime and South East Asian Studies, Odisha Govt.

Talk 2: The Paramaras of Malwa-The Patrons of Bhumija Temples : Dr Shrikant Ganvir

The Paramaras of Malwa are famous for their immense contribution to the genesis and development of the Bhumija style of temples. They ruled over large territories in Central India from the mid-tenth century to the late thirteenth century CE. Bhoja, the celebrated Paramara king, composed an important text titled Samaranganasutradhara, which throws light on the unique Bhumija temple style, known for its elegant shikhara. Although the style emerged in the land of Malwa under the patronage of the Paramaras, it flourished in different regions of the country predominantly in the Deccan. Udayeshvara temple at Udaipur, patronized by the Paramara king Udayaditya, the temples at Un, Omkara-Mandhata, Jamli, and Nemawar are aall noteworthy and shed light on different aspects of temple architectural and sculptural art that flourished during the rule of the Paramaras of Malwa.

The Speaker: Dr Shrikant Ganvir

Dr Shrikant Ganvir is Assistant Professor in the Department of AIHC and Archaeology, Deccan College Post-Graduate and Research Institute, (Deemed to be University), Pune. He is a visiting faculty at Department of Pali and Buddhist studies, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune.

He was a co-director of the Excavations at Nagardhan (2015-18) and Phanigiri (2018-19). He also participated in the Rajagala Archaeological Research Project, Sri Lanka in 2018. He has co-edited three books including ‘A Preliminary Report of the Excavations at Nagardhan (2015-16) [ISPQS and Govt. of Maharashtra, 2020]. He has published 32 research papers in both national as well as international journals. His research areas include Archaeology of Religion, Rock-cut Architecture and Religious Paradigms of the Deccan

He has been an academic consultant to the Buddhavanam Project, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Government of Telangana during 2018-21. At present, he is a Principal Investigator of the joint project titled ‘Junnar: Archaeological Research and Tourism Development Project’, funded by RUSA, Maharashtra in collaboration with PAH Solapur University.

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