Living with the gods

This book fills a gap in popular knowledge about temples and their architecture, which is tucked away in obscure texts or left to the imagination of tour guides

Where the gods dwell: Thirteen temples and their (hi)stories

Author: Manu S Pillai, Trisha Gupta, Vikrant Pande

Publisher: Westland

Price: Rs 499

Pages: 223

For as long as people have travelled, for reasons other than to find fresh farmlands or escape a murdering clan chief, they have gone on pilgrimages. Walking in the footsteps of saints and crusaders, undertaking sacred journeys to temples and shrines or visiting holy cities were once the standard formula for “getaway-travel” among the ancients.

In India, such travel continues to be popular. Proof lies in the proliferation of temple tours and yatras in tourism marketing packages and a state-led push to