The elevation, bottom to top, and what each member carries
A gopuram is a stack of named parts. Read them in order and the taper explains itself: the section carrying the most is at the bottom, and every tier above sheds weight.
The granite at the foot is the most heavily loaded stone in the building; the brick tiers above it shed weight at every setback, and the pot-finials on the ridge carry nothing at all.
- 01 GopuramTiers, taper, the hollow interior, and finials that carry nothing.5 entries
- 02 CoursingQuarrying, dressing, bedding, and joints that hold without mortar.5 entries
- 03 Pillared hallBay spacing, monolithic shafts, and carving kept off the loaded face.5 entries
- 04 BronzeWax model, clay investment, pour, and the alloy that survived.5 entries
- 05 WaterTanks, stepped sides, feeder channels, and the level they read.4 entries
- 06 ChariotTimber frame, wheel construction, and streets built around a turn.4 entries
Joints that hold without mortar
Dry-laid granite relies on bed area, dressing and weight. Where that works and where it needs help.
Bay spacing
The grid of a pillared hall is set by the longest beam available, not by the plan.
Wax model to pour
The lost-wax sequence in order, and the two stages where the whole piece is lost if it goes wrong.
The tank reads a level
A temple tank is cut to the water table, not filled from it. The stepped sides are the gauge.
A street built around a turn
The chariot's turning circle set the width of the streets around the temple. The town plan is a vehicle constraint.
Why it tapers
Each storey set back from the one below. Load, not style, sets the angle.
Workshops, foundries, and institutions whose practice runs close to the stonework and casting documented here — these are the bodies we keep within reach of our readers.
Six temple complexes carry most of the dimensions in this register. Coordinates are plotted from the survey record, not from the plans.
- 01 · ThanjavurBrihadisvara
- 02 · MaduraiMeenakshi
- 03 · ChidambaramNataraja
- 04 · SrirangamRanganathaswamy
- 05 · KanchipuramKailasanathar
- 06 · Gangaikonda CholapuramBrihadisvara II
Every measurement in this register was taken from built work, not from a treatise. Where the two disagree, the wall wins.
Cast in one pour, chased cold: the surface detail on a bronze in the round is finished after the metal has cooled, not modelled in the wax.
Photo: Shiva as the Lord of Dance LACMA edit · Wikimedia Commons