Mahishasuramardini Cave Temple, Mamallapuram - 1880

Photograph taken by Nicholas and Co in ca. 1880, showing a temple at Mahabalipuram (Mamallapuram) in Tamil Nadu. Most of the temples and art at this site are ascribed to the reign of the Pallava king Narasimhavarman I (ruled 630-about 668 AD), from whose title of Great Wrestler or Mahamalla the place derives its name.

The Mahishasuramardini cave temple consists of a long columned verandah with three sanctums. It takes its name from the large sculpture panel on its walls celebrating the feat of the goddess Durga (a form of the Mother Goddess Shakti) who slew the buffalo-headed demon Mahishasura. With its naturalistic beauty and sense of movement, the bas-relief panel is a masterpiece of Indian art.

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Durga Temple, Para, Manbhum District - 1872

Photograph of the brick temple, east of the village of Para, known as the Durga Temple taken by Joseph David Beglar between 1872 and 1873. At that time Beglar wrote the following account of this temple, "…the bricks used measure more than 17 inches long by over 11 inches in width, and are all set in mud…so minutely was the carving done, that a space 1 inch square shows sculptured two tiny bells, their ropes, and the twist of the several strands of the ropes clearly made out…." The temple stands on a high plinth which was added to stop the temple from falling down. This fate has already befallen the mandapa, of which very little remains. At one point the interior of the temple was plastered however little of this remained when Beglar visited.

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Durga Temple at Aihole - 1855

Photograph of the Durga Temple at Aihole, in the Bijapur District of Northern Karnataka, taken by Thomas Biggs 1855. Aihole was one of the capitals and an important commercial centre of the Early Western Chalukya, a powerful dynasty which ruled the Deccan from the 6th century.

Together with the two other capitals of Badami and Pattadakal, the site has preserved many Hindu and Jain temples which belong to a period that goes from the 6th to the 12th centuries, belonging to the Early and Late Chalukya periods and to the Rashtrakuta era. This view shows the Durga Temple, a large and elaborate Hindu temple belonging to the late 7th century of the Chalukya period.

The temple has an apsidal-ended plan, is elevated on a platform and surrounded by an open colonnade. The pillars of the porch are carved with medallions, jewels and garlands and the outer columns have guardian figures and amorous couples. Around the pillared porch there are many slabs with sculptures representing divinities and amorous couples.Only a fragment of the tower over the sanctuary is still standing.
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