As degraded as the painting is, it is
still possible to see traces of all the elements of
the story. On the left, you see Sage Agastya seated on
a hill. To his left is a jug that a crow (almost fully
lost) tips over. And so the mighty Cauvery originates.
Below the river, the gods, demigods and the sages
rejoice. Above the river, the temples on the Cauvery
river bank are mapped. Location: Tiruvalanchuli,
Tanjavur District, Tamilnadu. Period: 16/17th century
CE.
This section of the painting shows
Cauvery splitting in two and rejoining to form the
island of Srirangam, the spectacular abode of the
reclining Vishnu.
This view gives you the magnitude of
the painting. Sage Agastya is far left. The island of
Srirangam is far right.
The corridor on the ceiling of which the story of Cauvery is painted.