classical chola sculptures from Nageshwan temple, Kumbakonam

The elegant posture of this man is an expression of confidence of the chola artists had in the material they handled - often hard granite stones (unlike the sandstone with which the northindian artists carved), the subject matter, and in the technique. It also shows the royal and regal positions the chola enjoyed at that point of the time. when i first saw these sculptures during the slide show presented by Prof. Jeyaram Poduval, at MSU, i understood for the first time the meaning of 'classical' in Indian art.