Cleveland Museum of Art

Temple Tank, Tamil Nadu

Date

c. 1860

Medium

stereoscopic albumen print

Culture

Unknown British photographer

Department

Photography

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

The photographer has not only shown us this Hindu temple from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, but also one aspect of how people worshiped there: the ritual bath. He placed the temple’s tank in the foreground, with ghat s (steps leading into the water), bathers, and a temple chariot for the procession of bronzes during festivals occupying the middle ground. In the background is a high gopura, a gateway that marks the entry into the temple’s grounds. When seen through a stereo viewer, the two images—each taken from a slightly different angle—create the illusion of a three-dimensional scene.

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