%0 Journal Article %J South Asian Studies %D 2011 %T Ganesh Temple at Tasgaon: Apotheosis of Maratha Temple Architecture %A Sohoni, Ashutosh %K Architecture %K Ganesh %K Hindu %K Indo-Islamic %K Maharashtra %K Maratha %K Peshva %K Temple %X

Maratha temples, built between the mid-seventeenth and early nineteenth centuries in Maharashtra (Western India), were influenced by the preceding traditions of Hindu temple architecture of the Yadavas and the religious and secular buildings of Deccani Sultanates and Mughals. The Ganesh temple complex at Tasgaon in southwest Maharashtra is representative of the high point that the Maratha temple tradition had attained in the late-eighteenth century. The temple was constructed in a period that coincides with Maratha political ascendancy and economic prosperity, and its form and composition represents the fullest development of the Maratha architectural style. The roof spires over the temple's five shrine sanctuary and the gopura tower over the entrance gateway represent an interplay of preceding architectural traditions, economic prosperity, eclectic architectural influences, and the lifestyle aspirations of the patron. The temple brings to attention the hybrid sophistications of a lesser-known, understudied, and misunderstood architectural tradition, and establishes the Marathas as robust patrons of art and architecture despite the tumultuous political conditions in Maharashtra.

%B South Asian Studies %V 27 %P 51 - 73 %8 Sep-03-2012 %U http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02666030.2011.556011 %N 1 %! South Asian Studies %R 10.1080/02666030.2011.556011