History of the Pallavas of Kanchi c15.s1.10

c15.s1.10

The origin and evolution of Pallava art and architecture does not properly belong to this work and may be studied elsewhere.¹ It may be however noted here that it is a mistake to suppose that temples did not exist in South India before the Pallava age, for mention is made of them in early Saṅgam works. They were then built only of wood and perishable material and consequently have not survived. The earliest inscriptional mention, in a Pallava record, of a temple occurs in the grant of Chārudēvi which evidences a donation of land to the temple of Nārāyaṇa at Daḷūrā early in the fourth century. During the reign of Mahēndravarman I, a commencement was made² in the art of monolithic temple building. The first specimens were all of them excavations of hillsides into temples such as those at Trichinopoly, Vallam and Māmaṇḍūr, modelled after the caves at Uṇḍavalli. A later development was from the cave temples to the Rathas like those of Mahābalipuram. From these, in due course of evolution, came structural temples, among the earliest and best known of which are the Shore-temple at the Seven Pagodas, the Kailāsanātha temple at Kāñchi and at Panamalai. The evolution continued in the days of subsequent Pallava kings till the rise of what is a distinct Chola style.