The Saiva and Vaishnava bhakti literature in Tamil form a rich repository of religious, spiritual, cultural and historic knowledge. Written around the fifth to the ninth century CE, these were composed by the Saiva Nayanmars and Vaishnava Azhwars, poet-saints who traveled widely to sacred towns on pilgrimage, singing about their temples. The entire Indian sacred topography is measured by these verses that describe the city, the flora and fauna and the people of the lands the poets visited. These verses were a milestone in the development of Tamil literature and played a significant role in popularizing the language.
Prolific speaker and heritage enthusiast, Madhusudhanan Kalaichelvan introduces these important works and delves into what makes them special, in his Talk on "Tamil Bhakti Literature: An Introduction".
The online Talk in English is at 5.30 pm IST on Saturday, September 7, 2024.
About the Speaker:
Madhusudhanan Kalaichelvan, an architecture graduate and a gold medalist in his post graduation, specializes in conservation and architectural research. He has been an academic for a decade, mentoring students of popular schools of architecture. He is currently pursuing his doctoral research on “Temple Town Planning” and also serves on Government instituted panel for conservation of temples in Tamil Nadu.
He is an active heritage enthusiast and his contributions have earned him several awards and accolades. He is well versed in fields of art, architecture, heritage, cultural studies and vernacular practices. He is also a popular speaker on a wide range of topics associated with heritage, religion, culture, and literature.
He is the youngest recipient of the coveted Vedavalli memorial award for outstanding service by a young achiever in the field of south Indian heritage(2018). He received the title, “Ilakkiya Chemmal”, recognizing his mastery over Tamil literature (2019) and "Saiva Thamizh Arignar"(2022) from his acharya Sri Dharumapuram Adheenam. He is the first recipient of the THT-Prof Swaminathan Heritage Award (2020) for his service in the field of heritage and culture.
Madhusudhanan curates and conducts tours to places of architectural & cultural heritage since 2012. He has been writing columns on popular print media covering subjects like epigraphy, not so popular temples and archeology. He has been nominated as a member of academic council of Tamil Nadu Dr J Jayalalitha Music and Fine Arts University.
Dr Ajay Pratap. "An Introduction to the Rock Art of the Eastern Vindhyan Fringe". 3 Aug 2024
Titled "Art for Art's Sake, Memory Store or Early Historic Sense: An Introduction to the Rock Art of the Eastern Vindhyan Fringe", this talk walks us through the earliest reports of rock art in this area, the current research findings on the distribution and antiquity of the art as well as the narratives and designs that were depicted in them
About the Speaker:
Prof. Ajay Pratap took his B.A (Hons.) in History from St. Stephen’s College, University of Delhi, an M.A. in Ancient Indian History and Archaeology, from the Deccan College, Pune University, and an MPhil and PhD from the Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge.
Since 2004, he has taught Ancient Indian History, Tribal History of India, History of Ancient Science, Technology and Medicine, and Research Methodology, at the Department of History, Faculty of Social Sciences, Banaras Hindu University.
He has conducted two research projects, and authored several research papers, four books, and two edited volumes. His monographs include “The Hoe and the Axe: Ethnohistory of Shifting Cultivation in Eastern India” in the year 2000 published by Oxford University Press, Delhi, “Indigenous Archaeology in India: Prospects for an Archaeology of the Subaltern”, “Rock Art of the Vindhyas. An Archaeological Survey” and "Ideas and Images: A Historical Interpretation of Eastern Vindhyan Rock Art, India” all published by Archaeopress, Oxford.
He has carried out field explorations in the Rajmahal Hills (1981-84), and the Eastern Vindhyas (2009-2024), to document shifting cultivation, and rock art, respectively.
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