Taalamaana (ತಾಲಮಾನ) System

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The ancient Indian art of sculpture had its own norms of measures and proportions called the TAALAMAANA SYSTEM.
Two systems of measures and proportions were in vogue namely :
  1. The MAANAANGULA SYSTEM ; and
  2. The DEHALABHDAANGULA SYSTEM or the SYSTEM OF DERIVED PROPORTIONS.
For the images on the Outer walls of the temple, the Dehalabhdaangula System was normally used. It is a system where the stone selected for carving is divided into a number of equal parts and each such part is called a TAALA. If the selected piece is divided into nine equal parts the division shall be known as NAVATAALA and if it is divided into ten equal parts it shall be DASHATAALA. The face of the main image shall be made equal to the length of the TAALA so derived. Each such TAALA is subdivided into twelve equal parts and each such part is called an ANGULA. So where the height of the image is NAVA TAALA, the selected stone shall be divided into 108 of its own Angulas.
That TAALA and ANGULA so derived become a fixed length and all measurements of the image are expressed in terms of this unit.

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