Rajya Sabha mjember Tarun Vijay is attempting through his photographs to unravel the mystic beauty of the 1,100-year-old India-inspired architecture of the Preah Vihear, a Shiva temple in Cambodia.
Presented by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), the six-day photo exhibition will be inaugurated by External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid Friday.
Vijay's photographs are an attempt to throw light on the glorious period of history when India contributed immensely to the growth of art and civilisation in the neighbouring Southeast Asian countries.
The World Heritage site temple is located at the top of a cliff in the Dangkrek mountain range forming a natural border between Cambodia and Thailand.
"The exhibition is the first ever attempt to unravel the mystic beauty and the 1,100-year-old India-inspired architecture. The unique stone image of Shiva dancing on the elephant head on the doors of the sanctum sanctorum is mesmerising," Vijay said in a statement Tuesday.
"This exhibition traces the interesting archaeological links between the temples in India and Southeast Asian region. The traditions of Hindu culture which travelled into the Southeast Asia about a millennia ago, continue to be an integral part of daily life in that region and the exhibition is an accurate testimony to these strong links," said ICCR director general Suresh K. Goel.
The exhibition is open to public July 12-17.