Where the Gods Dwell: Thirteen Temples and their (hi)stories

by Vikrant Pande, Neelesh Kulkarni, Trisha Gupta

The great temples of the Indian subcontinent are uniquely fascinating spaces. Steeped in mythology and history, they are windows into a complex, often contrary culture. Where the Gods Dwell delves into the ‘(hi)stories’—history and mythology—of thirteen architectural marvels that have inspired awe, and not only in the hearts of the faithful.

Every essay in this book is an intriguing mix of historical detail, mythological narrative and architectural commentary, supplementing and complementing each other to tell a story that is more than the sum of its parts. From Pashupatinath in Nepal to the Nallur Kandaswamy in Sri Lanka, the Kamakhya in Assam to the Somnath in Gujarat, the anthology features temples from across the subcontinent, complete with beautifully evocative sketches by Mistunee Choudhury.

Genres: India, History, Nonfiction, Hinduism, Mythology, Religion

234 pages, Paperback

First published November 15, 2021

Reviews

[Ashish Iyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked essays from Vikrant Pande on Somnath, Indira Vishwanathan on Brihadisvara, Shrenik Rao on Thousand Pillar Temple or Rudreswara Swamy Temple, Meera Iyer on Haleibedu and Belur, Thulasi Muttulingam on Nallur Kandaswamy Temple and Amish Raj Mulmi on Pashupatinath temple. The essays by Siddhartha Gigoo on Ram Mandir, Safa Kadal, Srinagar and Shri Katas Raj Temple by Haroon were really heart breaking.

Overall its an okayish one time read book. Some of the essays lacks the complete context and were more into virtue signalling instead of staying on topic. It really seems to be just an experiment where a publisher can get the book published in the name of coffee table books. I was expecting some photographs of temples considering the price of the book but sadly they are not there.

[Adarsh Mishra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Before I give the reasons for not rating this book very highly, let me state that this is a case of expectation mismatch more than actual contents themselves.
The book is a decent effort by the Authors to provide an overview of the histories associated with 13 select temples in India. However, I came into reading this book assuming that it would talk about the social context, architecture styles ( or salient features) and how the buildings are important (as compared to numerous others in Hindu tradition).
Unfortunately for me, the book simply skims over those aspects, if at all touching them.
I do get it might be too much of a detail to condense into a 159 page book; but the dissimilarities in the writing style and lenses applied by distinct authors of individual essays also meant that there is no central theme even at a condensed level. rather this is more of a hodgepodge of very interesting trivia associated with each of the selected temples.

[Yash Yagnik · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful collection of essays for all the history and mythology enthusiasts. The book has contribution by some of the leading history writers and researchers. Manu Pillai as usual is brilliant in the opening essay on the enigmatic Padmanabhswami temple, Siddhartha Sarma takes one on a journey to east to the Kamakhya temple where the menstruating goddess is worshipped, Trisha Gupta explores the erotic arts Of khajuraho and my personal favorite turned out to be by Neelsh Kulkarni story of and around Pandharpur temple where the god is friend to his devotees, Vitthal. All of these make for a good short read and would provide you with ample information on some of the temples.
Some others are not as richly covered in the book such as the one in Pakistan and Ram mandir in Kashmir. But overall a book totally worth your time if you love history, temples, architecture it mythology.

[Nandini · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite informative, but some essays didn't really work for me, reason being they were too objectively written.
Personal favourites - Shri Vitthal Rukmini Temple at Pandharpur, Somnath and Nallur Kandaswamy Temple at Jaffna.
The accounts of Killa Katas and Kashmir were very saddening.

[vikram chandran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely read. Love the stories that come to life of our heritage scattered all across the Indian subcontinent.

[Arunava · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read, makes you want to visit all of them.

[Ramasubramanian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Expected more details, but it is perfunctory and not very deep into the subject .