Dear Jeyamohan,
The temple art appreciation classes you have announced are extremely rare in India. In fact, I have never come across such a course before. The very idea of introducing this subject to the general public is both innovative and commendable.
It made me wonder why such classes are not more common in our country. We have thousands of great temples that serve not only as places of worship but also as centres of culture, architecture, sculpture, and art. They are among our greatest inheritances, and every citizen should know how to appreciate them. Yet it is difficult to find even one person in a thousand who possesses any real knowledge of temple art and architecture. Even many guides and priests know little about the structure, artistic features, or historical significance of the temples they serve.
We take great pride in our traditions, but we rarely make an effort to understand them. Our interest often remains limited to prayers and rituals aimed at obtaining worldly benefits from the gods. If our ancestors had intended temples to be merely places of worship, why did they invest such extraordinary skill and creativity in making them magnificent works of art?
These temples are among the greatest treasures we have inherited. Yet we have done very little to understand or appreciate them. I sincerely hope that many people will participate in these classes and learn to see our temples in a deeper and more meaningful way.
Raj Naidu
