Learning to See the Goddess Again

A review of Kaimal, Padma. Opening Kailasanatha: The Temple in Kanchipuram Revealed in Time and Space. Seattle: The University of Washington Press, 2020, 288 pages, 62 b&w illus., 19 color plates, ISBN: 9780295747774. An important contribution to South Asian architectural history, this book is well worth reading for both its content and methodology. Through a complex interweaving of thick description and analysis, Kaimal destabilizes traditional ways of approaching temples and invites readers to encounter the goddess through multiple historical frames.