The following are the suggestions put forward by various members.
Venkateswaran Kasirajan - After seeing the Big Temple, I thought we should bring about an exclusive, collectors edition book on Raja Raja Cholan. That could be our first project. A CDROM with a virtual tour along with a narration by a scholar such as Dr. Kudavayil will be an attraction. The CDROM should be bundled with the book.
R.Venketesh - An informative website should be the firsat plan. Photos, inscription details, walk tro plan. Anything you need to know about the temple should be there. The materiel can go on to become a book later.
Uma Shankar - Discovery Channel has released a CD on Egypt. The narrator sailing in a boat on Nile and the story of Egypt and the pyramids and the kings told in a very interesting way; the viewer is virtually taken on a tour of the pyramid. Very professional. With crossword games, puzzles and quiz, it makes the information very interesting. We should do something like that.
Ram, Kamal - Transition of Temple architecture during RRC's reign.
I also would go with a website about Periya Koil. Uma's idea is a brilliant one. But, as a starting point a website should be easier for us to develop. Using it as a base we can bring out a book, CD and what not. An exclusive coffee table book should be possible once we have generated interest.
In our last vist, Dr.KB was telling that some clud has a CD of Thanjai Temple and he was explaning the details on temple itself with a big screen, we can try and get that CD ,which may be helpful for us to prepare.
Good questions, but like to slightly change them. Replace all INDIANS with TAMILIANS. I feel more than 50% of Tamilians dont know all these.
Ram & Kamal,
While typing my mail yesterday, I was thinking that I should look at the transitions when I visit temples next time. You too have spelt it out. Lets give it a try. Good suggestion indeed.
I Suggest once we prepare the CD, we ( a team of members) will go to selected schools , may be we can start in chennai and Bangalore and explain to the students , about Temple, about cholas, their achivements, let us forgot the older peoples, we can target the students and even we can give that CD as free to the students after explaning all , if we distribute 100 cds , (not going to cost much) atleast 5-10 students will go further in to our real history.
Ms. Swetha, please add the following suggestion too:
Visiting Orissa, Benga, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, China etc., to photograph and record inscriptions of RRC, RJC and in general all Tamil inscriptions of that era. { It can be quite expensive! But with participation of Indians living in that area, it could be posible }
All we have on these is what western scholars recorded in the early last century where photography was not so developed... I hope a reexamination of these sites by our group will reveal many facts.. Let us plan for a grand gala expedition to the north in the lines of RJC this summer!