Dr Chithra Madhavan
South India is known for the innumerable temples in every village, town and city. Many of these are several centuries old, with some of the larger temples such as those at Madurai, Srirangam and Chidambaram being the result of several centuries of architectural growth and evolution.
The earliest temples of South India have been mentioned in the Tamil literature of the Sangam period (2nd century B.C. – 3rd century A.D.). However, most of these temples cannot be seen today as they were constructed out of perishable material and have disintegrated over the centuries. From the time of the Chalukya kings of the ancient Karnataka area, starting from the 5th century A.D.,in places like Badami and Aihole, `cave-temples’ came into being. These caves were excavated out of hard rock with sculptures of various deities found inside. The Pallava kings of Kanchipuram, particularly from the reign of Mahendravarman I of the 7th century A.D., followed suit and similar `cave-temples’ out of hard rock came into being in many places in north Tamil Nadu, like Mamandur, Mandagapattu, etc. Later, in the reign of Mahendravarman’s son and successor Narasimhavarman I, such cave temples became more ornate with many more sculptural decorations on the inner walls. Examples of these can be seen at Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram), the port-city of the Pallavas which takes its name from the title `Mamalla’ of Narasimhavarman I.
Subsequently, in the reign of the same monarch, monolithic temples were carved out of large boulders and the five famous `rathas’ at Mamallapuram are the best examples of this type of architecture. Far more difficult to execute than the cave temples, and far more elaborate and intricate in design, each `ratha’ or monolithic temple at Mamallapuram is of a different shape and size.
The Pandyan rulers of south Tamil Nadu, who were contemporaries of the Pallavas also excavated similar `cave-temples’ and monolithic `rathas’ in and around Madurai, which was their capital city.
The next stage in the evolution of temple art and architecture was the construction of structural temples out of blocks of granite, one of the earliest and best known examples of this type being the Shore Temple at Mamallapuram. This was started during the reign of the Pallava king, Narasimhavarman II, better known as Rajasimha (691-728 A.D.). In his reign, many more such beautiful structural temples like the famous Kailasanatha temple at Kanchipuram, the capital of the Pallavas, came to be constructed.
With the coming of the imperial Cholas to power in the 9th century A.D. with their capital at Tanjavur, temple architecture reached its pinnacle. The `royal temples’ of the Cholas at Tanjavur, Gangaikondacholapuram, Darasuram and Tribhuvanam are standing testimony to the glory of temple architecture of South India. Besides these, the Cholas constructed hundreds of smaller temples in almost every town and village across their vast empire. The sculptures of stone and bronze in the Chola temples are outstanding examples of the skill and dexterity of the artisans of the period and also reflect the patronage given to them by the Chola emperors.
The Pandyan rulers who resurfaced, following the decline of the empire of the Cholas in the second half of the 13th century A.D., are known for their contribution to the famous Minakshi-Sundareshvarar temple in the Madurai. The gopuras constructed by them in this temple set the example of many more to follow in the subsequent periods.
The art and architecture of the kings of the Hoysala dynasty who ruled over south Karnataka deserve special mention. These temples were all built of soap stone and not of granite as in the most other parts of South India. Profusely decorated with sculptures, these star-shaped temples are very unique. The most important of the Hoysala temples are at Belur (constructed in 1117 A.D.), Halebid (its construction commenced in 1118 A.D.) and Somanathpur (13th century A.D.).
The mighty empire of Vijayanagar was established in the ancient city of Vijayanagar (now called Hampi) in Karnataka in 1336 A.D. The monarchs of Vijayanagar contributed in no small measure to the development of temple art and architecture in South India. They drew upon the architectural plan of the temples of the Tamil country and constructed the beautiful temples in Hampi such as the Vittala temple, Achyutaraya temple and the gopura of the Virupaksha temple. To a very large number of temples in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, they added gopuras (entrance doorways), prakaras (enclosures) and many more smaller shrines and mandapas (open pavilions). The expansion of many of the temples into mammoth temple complexes is the result of the impetus given to religion and temple architecture by the monarchs of Vijayanagar.
These emperors, beginning from the 16th century A.D. appointed viceroys called Nayaks in different parts of their empire. In Tamil Nadu, these Nayak chieftains ruled from many areas, the most important being from Madurai, Tanjavur and Ginjee (Senji, near Tiruvannamalai). They too followed in the footsteps of their overlords, the Vijayanagar monarchs and added to the already big temples like those in Madurai, Tanjavur, Rameshvaram and Srirangam, among many others.
It is therefore seen that the temples of South India had a long development of many hundreds of years.