Temples of Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry: The Pallava Legacy

Sudharshan
1 day ago
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Updated: 16 hours ago

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In the 4th century a new dynasty emerged in the northeast of the Tamil country called the Pallavas. This land was traditionally called the Thondai Nadu or Thondai Mandalam, It was centred around Kanchipuram, Mamallapuram and Chennai in modern day Tamil Nadu but extended in area to the southern districts of today's Andhra Pradesh and as far south as Pondicherry and beyond. At certain times, the extent of their territory, reached the Kaveri river and further south. Their influence spread much wider.

Their origins are obscure and are shrouded in mystery. Some historians postulate that they came to the Tamil country from elsewhere. Theories about their place of origin abound. Some suggest that they were indigenous. Some even connect them to the ancient legend of Ilanthirayan, who as a baby was found on the seashore wrapped in a Thondai vine or creeper, a common plant. Legend claims that he was the son of a Chola prince and a Naga princess and was lost or abandoned at sea. He survived and went on to establish a kingdom with Kanchipuram as his capital. Thirai means sea in Tamil. The land that he ruled came to be known as Thondai Nadu after the Thondai plant that saved his life. Pallava means creeper in Sanskrit. The Pallava connection to Ilanthirayan is tenuous as the Pallava appear on the scene centuries after this legend. They were likely feudatories of the Satavahanas, the powerful dynasty that ruled the Deccan for centuries. The Pallavas may have become dominant upon the decline of the Satavahanas, like their contemporaries and rivals the Chalukyas. They seem to have defeated the Kalabhras, the dynasty that was ruling the Tamil country at that time. The Pandiyans were in control of the land further south.

The Pallavas built an empire with Kanchipuram as their capital city. Later the port city of Mamallapuram or Mahabalipuram as it is referred to today, emerged as the maritime capital. They controlled a vast territory and traded overseas, especially with countries in Southeast Asia. They ruled for about 600 years. They were in constant conflict with the Chalukyas to the north and the Pandyas to the south. The Cholas who were a minor power and sometimes vassals of the Pallava, eventually defeated them towards the end of the 9th century. Aditya Cholan, son of Vijayalayan, defeated the last Pallava king Aparajitavarman to lay the foundation for the future Chola empire.

The early Pallava inscriptions are in Prakrit. Later Sanskrit became the official language of the royal court. Tamil was the language of the common people and later inscriptions are in Sanskrit and Tamil. They adopted the Grantha (கிரந்தை) script to write in Sanskrit. The Tamil script they favoured has evolved into the modern Tamil alphabet. The Pallavas were at times Vaishnavite, Buddhist, Jain and Saivite. They were tolerant towards all faiths and patronised temples belonging to various religions.

The Pallavas were prolific temple builders. Many of the temples that they patronised have been built over during later dynasties, thus obscuring the Pallava contribution. But the Pallava imprint can be seen in many temples in the region of their rule and beyond. Some temples have survived that are purely or predominantly Pallava in character, The Pallavas appear to be the first kings to build in stone. Their early works were cave temples excavated out of the living rock. The earliest example may be the cave temple built at Mandagapattu by Mahendravarman I (570 or 600 to 630 CE). Prior to that, temples were likely built of wood and brick. Narasimhavarman I or Mamalla, Mahendravarman's son built Mamallapuram and the monolithic rock cut temples like Pancha Rathas and the Ganesha Ratha were built during his rule. They later evolved into structural stone temples like the Shore Temple at Mahabalipuram, the Kailasanatha Temple at Kanchipuram and the Talagrisvarar at Panamalai. These were built during the reign of Narasimhavarman II or Rajasimhan.

The following is a list of the finest Pallava temples that have survived:

a] Rock-Cut Cave Temples - 6th -7th century

1. Mandagapattu Cave Temple

2, Mahendravadi Cave Temple

3. Lalitankura Cave Temple, Thiruchirapalli

4. Mamandur Cave Temples

b) Monolithic Rock-Cut Temples - 7th century

1. Pancha Rathas at Mahabalipuram

2. Ganesha Ratha at Mahabalipuram

c) Structural Stone Temples - 7th-8th century

1. Kailasanathar Temple, Kanchipuram

2. Shore Temple, Mahabalipuram