New Delhi, Dec 7 (IANS): Selected architectural drawings, paper impressions of the inscriptions of 1000-year-old Barahadisvara Temple at Tanjore of the Chola kingdom, along with a few paintings have been put together in an exhibition here to document the making of the temple.

"Barahadisvara: The Monument and the Living Tradition" an exhibition on the Chola art and architecture is mounted at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) and will be open for public from Dec 7-20.

Rural Developmental Minister Jairam Ramesh Friday inaugurated the exhibition and appreciated how well it has been documented by the researchers.

"To imagine that 1,000 years ago in the southern part of our country such a magnificent structure could be built can only be humbling. The scholars have taken this task and documented in great detail which is wonderful," he said.

Along with the exhibition, a multimedia interactive DVD was also launched which details every aspect of the temple, from floor plan to iconography to rituals, and festivals relating to the temple.

This multimedia presentation produced by the IGNCA is the result of nearly two decades of research.

"The multimedia project on the Barahadisvara temple is an attempt of presenting the temple, not just as a sacred space, but more as a continuous and living tradition in its multi-layers and multi-dimensions," said Dipali Khanna, member secretary, IGNCA.

The Barahadisvara temple is situated in Tamil Nadu and part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is dedicated to the Lord Shiva.