Dr R Nagaswamy's work should be on the bookshelf of every lover of art and art history
Oviyappaavai (ஓவியப் பாவை) was first published in 1979, and another edition came out recently. Authored by Dr R Nagaswamy, the doyen of Tamil Nadu archaeology who passed away last year, it is one of the finest books in Tamil about art in temples — mainly sculptures, paintings, and bronzes.
The book fills a glaring void in cultural education and is a tour de force of the art of Tamil Nadu from the sixth century to recent times.