THE PALLAVAS

THE PALLAVAS

Pallava territories under Narasimhavarman I (c. 650 CE)

Overview

• The Pallavas ruled northern Tamil Nadu and all of Andhra Pradesh between the 3^rd and 9^th centuries CE
• The capital of the Pallavas was Kanchipuram
• The most famous kings of the Pallavas were Mahendravarman I (600-630 CE) and Narasimhavarman I (630-668 CE)
• Throughout their reign, the Pallavas were in constant and continuous conflict with the Chalukyas of Badami as well the Cholas and Pandiyas to the south
• The Pallavas are most famous for their patronage of architecture (eg at Mahabalipuram)
• Chinese traveller Hiuen Tsand visited Kanchipuram during Pallava rule and extolled their benign rule
• Pallava Simhavishnu, along with Pandya Kadungon, are credited with ending the much disliked Kalabhra rule in Tamil Nadu c. 600 CE
  
• The official language of the Pallavas was Tamil, but they patronised Sanskrit and Telugu as well
  

About Mahendravarman I (600-630 CE)

• Mahendravarman I was a great patron of literature, art and architecture
• He is the author of the Sanskrit play Mattivilasa Prahasana
• He was initially a Jain, but reconverted to Hinduism under the Saiva saint Appar
  
• Mahendravarman I is considered to be the pioneer of rock cut architecture among the Pallavas
  
• He also contributed greatly to the Sanskrit dramatised dance worship Kuttiyattam
  
• He is also credited with inventing the seven string veena called Parivadhini

About Narasimhavarman I (630-668 CE)

• Narasimhavarman I was the most famous of Pallava rulers
• He avenged his father’s defeat at the hands of the Chalukyas by defeating Pulakesi II in 642 CE and occupying Badami (Vatapi) temporarily. He then assumed the title Vatapikondan
• Narasimhavarman I was also known by the name Mammallan
  (great wrestler)
• The Chinese Buddhist traveller Hiuen Tsang visited Kanchipuram during his reign
• The majority of the monuments at Mahabalipuram were constructed during the reign of Narasimhavarman I

About the monuments at Mahabalipuram

The Descent of the Ganges at Mahabalipuram, the largest open air rock-relief in the world

• The known structures at Mahabalipuram were built by Narasimhavarman I
• The structures are mostly rock-cut and monolithic
• The monuments are Mahabalipuram have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site (1984)
• There are four main categories of monuments at Mahabalipuram
  • Ratha Temples: temples in the form of chariots. There are five such structures making the Pancha Rathas
  • Mandapas: cave sanctuaries covered with bas-reliefs. There are 11 such structures
  • Rock relief: sculpted bas-relief on rocks
  • Temples: temples cut out of rock

List of important structures at Mahabalipuram

Structure		Category	Notes
Decent of the Ganges (Arjuna’s Penance)		Bas-relief	Giant open-air relief carved out of monolithic rock Largest open-air rock relief in the world Interpreted to describe the descent of the river Ganges to earth (or) to describe the penance of Arjuna to receive a boon from Siva Also known as Bhagiratha’s Penance
Varaha Cave Temple		Rock-cut cave temple	Small monolithic temple Other cave temples include Krishna Cave Temple, Pancha Pandava Cave Temple
Five Rathas		Rock-cut temple	The Pancha Rathasconsist of five temples, each in the shape of a chariot The temples were all carved out of a single large piece of stone
Shore Temple		Structural temple	Built with blocks of granite Sits on the shoreline of the Bay of Bengal Unlike other temples at Mahabalipuram, this is structural not rock-cut It is the earliest important structural temple in southern India

Recent archaeological findings at Mahabalipuram

• There has been a long standing legend about the Seven Pagodas at Mahabalipuram, i.e. seven rock temples supposedly built on the shore. Until recently, no evidence to support the legend was found
• However, the Indian Ocean Tsunami 2004 disrupted the shoreline and has exposed previously sunken monuments at Mahabalipuram
• The most significant development was the uncovering of a large lion statue on the shore, dated to the 7^th century
• Also uncovered was a small brick structure dated to the Sangam period, before the time of the Pallavas
• Following this, the ASI and the Indian Navy explored the waters off Mahabalipuram in 2005 and found remains of two temples, one cave temple and a stone wall
• Further research is awaited

courtesy-iashelp.com