Coffered Ceiling and Sculptured Frieze from the Porch of a Hindu Temple and Columns from a Temple Cart

This room contains an assemblage of South Indian architectural elements that highlight the beauty of the region's wood carving. The ceiling and doors appear to have come from the same building, likely the hall or porch of a Hindu temple. The elaborately carved columns and the frieze of Hindu deities installed beneath the ceiling probably come from a large and ornate temple cart. It would have been used during processions to move portable icons like the bronze sculptures featured in this gallery. These components were brought together to create this gallery when the museum opened in 1933. In their current form they create an interior reminiscent of South Indian temple architecture.

Purchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust