Latest / The Chola Empire: How South India Dominated the Indian Ocean — Fexingo History
Chola Empire's Temple Builders: The Silent Architects of Stone
In this episode, Lucas and Luna shift focus from the Chola emperors themselves to the unsung artisans who built their monumental temples. They explore how master builders known as sthapatis organized vast teams of stone carvers, bronze casters, and woodworkers, using detailed inscriptions from the Brihadeeswarar temple to reconstruct a typical Chola construction site. The conversation covers the training of artisans, their social status, payment in land grants, and the surprising mobility of craftsmen across the Tamil region and even to Southeast Asia. Lucas explains how temple building was…
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