Pallava art and architecture represent an early stage of

Dravidian architecture Dravidian architecture, or the Southern Indian temple style, is an architectural idiom in Hindu temple architecture that emerged from Southern India, reaching its final form by the sixteenth century. In contrast with North Indian temple styl ...

which blossomed to its fullest extent under the

Chola Dynasty The Chola dynasty () was a Tamil dynasty originating from Southern India. At its height, it ruled over the Chola Empire, an expansive maritime empire. The earliest datable references to the Chola are from inscriptions dated to the 3rd cen ...

. The first stone and mortar temples of

South India South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of ...

were constructed during

Pallava The Pallava dynasty existed from 275 CE to 897 CE, ruling a significant portion of South India, the Deccan, also known as Tondaimandalam. The Pallavas played a crucial role in shaping in particular southern Indian history and heritage. The ...

rule and were based on earlier brick and timber prototypes. Starting with rock cut temples, built between 695AD and 722AD, and archaeological excavations dated to the 6th century and earlier. Pallava sculptors later graduated to free-standing structural shrines which inspired Chola dynasty's temples of a later age. Some of the best examples of Pallava art and architecture are the Vaikuntha Perumal Temple at

Kanchipuram Kanchipuram (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: '; ), also known as Kanjeevaram, is a stand alone city corporation, satellite nodal city of Chennai in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu in the Tondaimandalam region, from ...

, the

Shore Temple The Shore Temple (c. 725 AD) is a complex of temples and shrines that overlooks the shore of the Bay of Bengal. It is located in Mahabalipuram, about south of Chennai in Tamil Nadu, India. It is a structural temple, built with blocks of gran ...

and the Pancha Rathas of

Mahabalipuram Mamallapuram (also known as Mahabalipuram), is a town in Chengalpattu district in the southeastern Indian States and territories of India, state of Tamil Nadu, best known for the UNESCO World Heritage Site of 7th- and 8th-century Hindu Group of ...

. Akshara was the greatest sculptor of their time.Mamallapuram
Encyclopedia Britannica

History of Pallava architecture

Pallava architecture was sub-divided into two phases: the rock cut phase and the structural phase. The rock cut phase lasted from the 610 AD to 668 AD and consisted of two groups of monuments, the Mahendra group and the Mamalla group. The Mahendra group is the name given to monuments constructed during the reign of

Mahendravarman I Mahendravarman I (600–630 CE) was a Pallava emperor who ruled over realm covering the southern portions of present-day Andhra region and northern regions of what forms present-day Tamil Nadu in India, in the early 7th century. He was a schol ...

(610 AD- 630 AD). The monuments of this group are invariably pillared halls hewn out of mountain faces. These pillared halls or mandapas follow the prototype of Jain temples of the period. The best examples of Mahendra group of monuments are the cave temples at Mandagapattu, Pallavaram and Mamandur. The second group of rock cut monuments belongs to the Mamalla group from 630 to 668 AD. During this period free-standing monolithic shrines called ''ratha''s (chariots) were constructed alongside pillared halls. Some of the best examples of this style are the Pancha Rathas and Arjuna's Penance at Mahabalipuram. Pallava_Pillar_Mandagappattu

The second phase of Pallava architecture is the structural phase when free-standing shrines were constructed with stone and mortar brought in for the purpose. Monuments of this phase are of two groups—the Rajasimha group (690 to 800 AD) and the Nandivarman group (800 to 900 AD). The Rajasimha group encompasses the early structural temples of the Pallavas when a lot of experimentation was carried out. The best examples of this period are the

at Mahabalipuram and the

Kanchi Kailasanathar Temple The Kailasanathar Temple, Kanchipuram, also referred to as the Kailasanatha temple, is a Pallava Dynasty, Pallava-era historic Hindu temple in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, India. Dedicated to Shiva, it is one of the oldest surviving monuments in Ka ...

at Kanchipuram both constructed by Narasimhavarman II who was known as Rajasimha. The best example of the Nandivarman group of monuments is the Vaikunta Perumal Temple at Kanchipuram. During this period, Pallava architecture attained full maturity and provided the models upon which the massive Brihadeeswarar Temple of the Cholas at Thanjavur and Gangaikonda Cholapuram and various other architectural works of note were constructed.

Gallery

File:Tirumurthi-Caves-Mahabalipuarm-Chennai-2.JPG, Trimurthi cave File:Les temples du rivage (Mahabalipuram, Inde) (13949513945).jpg, Somaskanda Panel File:01MahabalipuramShoreTemple.jpg, Shore Temple File:Krishna soulève le mont Govardhana (Mahabalipuram, Inde) (13943133062).jpg,

Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...

holding Govardhana giri File:Varaha Mandapam, Pallava period, 7th century, Mahabalipuram (11) (37428423256).jpg, Durga Panel File:Rock Cut Varaha Temple Containing Varaha And Vamana Incarnation Of Vishnu (4).jpg, Gajalakshmi Panel File:Rock Cut Varaha Temple Containing Varaha And Vamana Incarnation Of Vishnu - 3.jpg, Thrivikrama Panel File:Varaha-mahabalipuram.jpg, Varaha Panel File:Pancha Ratha Panorama (1).jpg, Paranomic view of the Pancha Ratha Temple File:Thiruvellarai (28).jpg, Rock Cut Mandapam by Pallavas at Pundarikakshan Perumal Temple File:Parameswara Vinnagaram.JPG, Vaikuntha Perumal Temple File:7th century Sri Kailashnathar Temple Kanchipuram Tamil Nadu India 01 (11).jpg, Kailasanathar Temple, Kanchi File:Iratheshwarar2.jpg, Iravatanesvara Temple File:Tiruvallikeni1.jpg, Parthasarathy Perumal Temple, Chennai

References

External links

*{{Commonscatinline, Architecture of the Pallava dynasty Pallava Empire Dravidian architecture Tamil art Cultural history of Tamil Nadu Indian sculpture Indian art