MALAYSIA, August 12, 2008: What started out as a passing fancy ended up as a labor of love that lasted almost three years for Professor Dr. Krishna Gopal Rampal. “At first, I thought it would be nice to have a few paintings on Indian temples in Kuala Lumpur,” says Prof. Krishna, 57, an ardent collector of Malaysian artworks since 1991. “Since I knew friends in the artist community, I enlisted their help. My son suggested that I include the temples in Singapore.”
The professor of occupational health at the Medical Faculty, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, is no painter himself but has always had a fascination for art. Prof. Krishnas fascination for Indian temples culminated in an exhibition of almost 200 pieces of artworks by 10 leading Malaysian artists at the Badan Warisan Malaysia in March last year. The exhibition, entitled Sacred Structures: An Exhibition of Artistic Renditions of Indian Temple Architecture in Malaysia, was aimed at creating awareness of the artistic merit and beauty of Indian temple structures. This amazing collection is now featured in a coffee-table book entitled Sacred Structures: Artistic Renditions of Hindu Temples in Malaysia and Singapore. The book is a guide to the world of Hindu temples in Malaysia and Singapore, as seen through the eyes of the artists. The total collection features more than 190 paintings.