Pudhu Mandapa of Tirumal Nayak (r. 1623-59), Minakshi Sundareshvara Temple, Madurai

The temple complex that contains this open, pillared hall is dedicated to Minakshi, a form of Parvati, and her consort, Sundareshvara, a form of Shiva. The central column depicts Shiva feeding sugarcane to an elephant. Because Linnaeus Tripe respected the Hindu temples as places of religious, historical, and artistic value, he strove to document the carvings decorating the temples, even when they were hidden in shadow.

Credit: Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund