 |
Kadavallur Sree Rama temple, Kerala. commons.wikimedia.org
|
 |
Kadavallur Sree Rama temple, Kerala. commons.wikimedia.org
|
Above image: The Kadavallur Rama temple has a square-plan with a mukha mandapam, namaskara mandapam, koothambalam (Hindu temple theatre), temple water tank,etc. The Rama shrine is surrounded by a nalambalam. The temple has over 25 beautifully carved Hindu deities in wooden brackets made from wood.....................
 |
| Kadavallur Sree Rama temple, Kerala/ mediaoneonline.com |
.jpg) |
| Kadavallur Sree Rama temple, Kerala/m.facebook.com |
Above images: Kadavallur Shri Rama temple, Kerala. This temple is known for excellent woodwork and decorations. Look at the lathed -turned wooden pillars supporting the wooden roof frame ...........
Kadavallur, a small village in Thrissur district of Kerala is well known for exquisite sculptures of Rama and other deities. They are at the old Sri Rama temple that stands as a model of all traditions of Kerala.This temple (belonging to 10-11 century CE as per temple record -Vattezhuthu, presumably pallava period) has a main tower with a sloping roof, two enclosures and an impressive entrance tower.
 |
| Kadavallur Sree Rama temple, Kerala justdial.com |
This place of worship, dedicated to God Vishnu (in the form of Rama), has a rare distinction of blending divinity and architecture. Architecturally and esthetically the style followed here is that of native Kerala with extended sloping tiled roof, support beams, cross beams and rafters and wooden bracket figures at certain places. Quality wood is mainly used here as in other temples of Kerala, Kerala has one of the largest lumber industries in this countries as the state has extensive wooded areas. The advantage of wooden structure/frame for the roof is it reduces the over-bearing weight on the basement and the surrounding walls. The roof itself is made of metal simulating tiled slopes.The base of the main shrine is made of granite to give extra strength to the structure while the wall of the superstructure is lateritic rock plastered and carefully embellished with designs. Laterite rock, a product of chemical weathering, rich in iron-oxide gives extra strength to the walls and is stronger than conventional masonry work with brick and lime-sand mortar.
The temple is known for intricately carved wooden brackets in the form of images, Brackets are added below the beams, etc to enhance aesthetics and majesty of the structure. A bracket is a weight-bearing functional architectural element often used as a structural or decorative feature and it juts out of the wall to support the weight. It can be made of wood, stone, plaster, metal, or other media. It normally projects from a wall, to carry weight and sometimes to ''strengthen an angle". corbel or console is type of brackets and it is is a structural piece of stone, wood or metal jutting from a wall to carry a superincumbent weight, a type of decorative bracket. A corbel is a solid piece of material in the wall, whereas a console is a piece applied to the structure. A piece of timber projecting in the same way was called a "tassel". Brackets are often in the form of architectural sculptures with reliefs of objects and scrolls supporting many structural items such as balcony, parapets, eaves, the spring of an arch, beams,etc.
In many temples of south india stone brackets or corbel in the shape of a strange animal like yali on the pillars or beams are attractive features in the pillared halls of the prakara. On either side of the hall they look identical and in correct alignment with others.
 |
| Ramappa temple, Warangal, Telangana en.wikipedia.org |
 |
| Ramappa temple bracket figures, Telangana. whc.unesco.org |
Above images: The UNESCO World heritage site Ramappa Hindu temple (13th CE) dedicated to God Shiva of Kakatiya style located in Palampet village Telangana is a good example of bracket figures.......
The following are the wooden bracket figures of Kadavallur Sree Rama temple, Kerala:
 |
The Kadavallur Shri Rama temple, Kerala twitter.com
|
 |
| Kadavallur Shri Rama temple, Kerala, hreadreaderapp.com |
Above images" wooden bracket image, Kadavallur Shri Rama temple, Kerala. the image is doing tapas on one leg? The boar, the shivalinga and what looks like a bow on her side. top one; Ten avatars of God Vishnu in bracket form supporting the the decorative feature above, Each bracket figure is being supported by corbel below jutting out from the sides .........
 |
| Kadavallur Shri Rama temple, Kerala,hreadreaderapp.com |
Above image: The bracket figure of 10 headed Ravana on his pushpaka vimana at Kadavallur temple,Kerala........ |
| Kadavallur Shri Rama temple, Kerala,threadreaderapp.com/ |
Above image" wooden bracket image, Kadavallur Shri Rama temple, Kerala; woman dancer holding a flower pot............  |
| threadreaderapp.com/ |
Above image" wooden bracket image, Kadavallur Shri Rama temple, Kerala. top of the image supporting the wooden beam, but it stands on the corbel..........,
 |
| threadreaderapp.com/ |
The remarkable features of this temple are the wooden bracket figures that represent sculptures of different god an ten avatars of god Rama. They carry the stamp of of early wooden sculptures in the true Kerala style. The ten-headed Ravana on his chariot which is shown almost like a boat, the dancing pose of the girl with flexible body .
.jpg)
