Anna L. Dallapiccola – författare

The V&A has the world's most important collection of nineteenth-century temple hangings from South India, but only one of the smaller pieces has ever been published. For the first time these amazing objects have been documented and made public. The hangings are of two main types: large narrative pieces from Andhra Pradesh which tell stories from the Ramayana, the exploits of Krishna or tales connected with South Indian deities, and smaller pieces from Tamil Nadu. A single extraordinary Ramayana hanging from Sri Lanka is also included. All of the pieces are illustrated in their entirety, along with ample details that highlight the remarkable skill and regional styles of the narrative artists. Each piece is accompanied by a brief summary of its story, but the full 'frame-by-frame' narrative is described in a separate illustrated catalogue section. This detailed section will also provide translations of all the Telugu and Tamil inscriptions that accompany the narratives, translated especially for this project.As well as the description of the pieces themselves, there will be a general introduction about how such pieces were used and their regional stylistic variations and a chapter on technique and how they fit into the broader picture of Indian textiles, by V&A curator Rosemary Crill.

The Vijayanagara kingdom (1336-1565), famous for its political, military, cultural history, etc., is also known for its temples located separately in the sacred space, which is demarcated along the royal side. The Ramachandra Temple (also known as Hazara Rama Temple), apart from Virupaksha Temple, is another famous marvel built during the reign of Devaraya I (r.1406-1422). This book is based upon studies conducted around the Ramachandra Temple complex by scholars across various fields. Authored by many scholars, this book contains themes based on research, such as archaeology, architectural history, urban history, inscriptions and sculptures inside the temple complex, and carvings made of rock and granite, which are based upon the Ramayana themes.This book is very important to study the history of Rama worship in medieval South India, and it has a long association with the Mahanavami festival, which is held during the Navaratri season.