PALLAVA ART

PALLAVA ART


Four distinct stages of architecture can be gleaned from the Pallava

temples. The first is the Mahendra style. The influence of the cave

style of architecture is to be seen in an ancient pillar engraved in the

Ekambaranatha (Kanchipuram) temple. The second is the Mamalla

style. The seven Pagodas are small temples, each of which is hewn out

of a single rock boulder. They lie near Mahabalipura Mahabalipuram,

founded by Narasimhavarman. These monolithic temples are complete

with all the details of an ordinary temples and stand as an undying

testimony to the superb quality of the Pallava art. The third is the

Rajasimha style. The most famous temple of this style is the kailasha

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style. The most famous temple of this style is the Kailasha temple of

kanchi. It has a pyramidal tower, a flat-roofed mandapam and a series

of cells surround it resembling rathas. This style is a very elaborate

one foreshadowing the ornate Chola architecuture. The fourth is the

Aparajita style. This is more ornate resembling the Chola architecture.

A few temples built in the style are found at Dalavanur. The note

worthy feature of some shrines is that they are aborned by beautiful

life-like images of Pallava kings and their queens. All told they are

unique in the history of temple architecture.

Pallava sculpture owed more to the Buddhist tradition. On the whole it

is more monumental and linear in form, thus avoiding the typical

ornamentation of the Deccan sculpture. The free standing temples at

Aithole and Badami in the Deccan and the Kanchipuram and

Mahabalipuram in the Tamil country, provided a better background for

sculpture than the rock-cut temples. And the Pallava sculpture was

monumental and linear in form resembling the Gupta sculpture.

Although the basic form was derived from the older tradition, the end

result clearly reflected its local genius.

Now for literature it has been recently proved that Bharavi and

Dandinlived in the Pallava court. Bharavi's Kiratarjuniyam and Dandin's

Dashakumaracharita were the two masterpieces. One of Dandin's

poems was written with such skill that when read normally it gives the

story of the Ramayana; and whe read in reverse, the study of

Mahabharata. Dandin was the author of a standard work on poetics.

Till the eight century Pallava influence was predominant in Cambodia.

Saivism was the of ficial form of worship. And the Pallava type of

sikhara is to be found in the temples of Java, Cambodia and Annam.

This dissemination of Hindu culture proves that it was dynamic till

1,000 A.D. in southern India.

Thus, the Pallavas rendered invaluable service to the country both

within and without as they were one of the torch bearers of Hindu

civilization to south-east Asia. Far more singular is their contribution to

architecture-transforming the architecture and suculpture from wood

to stone. Smith opines that this grat disparimmense length of the

course of Indian history, and the extreme slowness with which

changes have been effeated.

ADDITIONAL POINT

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The temples of the Pallavas bear resemblance to the Buddhsit cave

shrines. The temples of Mahabalipuram reveal traces of barrel-vaults

and archways associated with Buddhist cave shrines.

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