CONDITION USED GOOD, RAJARAJESVARAM , THE PINNACLE OF CHOLA ART , B. VENKATARAMAN , HARDCOVER, 1985

Rājarājēśvaram: The Pinnacle of Chola Temple Architecture by B. Venkataraman is a comprehensive and richly illustrated study of the magnificent temple built by the Chola Emperor Rājarāja I at Tanjāvūr (Thanjavur) in A.D. 1010. Originally consecrated to the deity Rājarājēsvaram Udaiyār—later known as Brihadīśvara or “The Great Lord”—this monumental temple stands as one of the crowning achievements of Indian art and architecture.

The book explores the temple as a “frozen chronicle in stone,” vividly depicting the social, cultural, and artistic life of the Chola era. Through inscriptions, sculptures, and architectural details, it reveals insights into the period’s art, music, dance, drama, trade, and everyday life—making it a living document of early medieval South India.

Comprising eleven detailed chapters, thirty-two appendices, notes, and numerous line drawings and photographs (both black-and-white and color), the work not only examines the architectural brilliance of Rājarājēśvaram but also situates it within the broader sweep of Chola history and the reign of Rājarāja I.

Authored by B. Venkataraman, a distinguished scholar and civil servant trained under his father, the noted archaeologist Prof. S. R. Balasubrahmanyam, this volume represents decades of research in South Indian temple art and stands as a definitive study of one of India’s greatest architectural masterpieces.