Celebrating Antiquity

This book has been published in the thousandth year of the consecration of the Brahadisvara temple, as have many other books, conference proceedings etc, across the country. These celebrations while on a lesser scale than the euphoric celebrations of Tagore’s 150th birth anniversary, have drawn the attention of Indians to the Cholas and the historic heritage of Thanjavur and the Brahadisvara temple. This makes this volume part of a larger exercise of cultural revival.

This reviewer would however like to go beyond the obvious and recommend the book for other reasons, the most important among which are its readability and pleasing appearance. It looks expensive and I am sure the price will bear out its glossy good looks. However, unlike most coffee-table books, this is a book I would actually read and enjoy. So would many ‘affluent’ book lovers.