An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c9.s19.t3.29

v1.c9.s19.t3.29

*4.19.11 S. and s.-w. region.* The period between the 3rd and 12th centuries saw the proliferation of the late Śaṅgam·literature, erection of inscribed hero-stones, scriptal development, firstly Vaṭṭeḷuṭṭu, then Pallava-Grantha [20.4.2] and ultimately the present Tamil besides the innovation of the Grantha characters for denoting Sanskrit sounds in Tamil inscriptions. In the religious field Buddhism and Jainism faced strong opposition and lost their prestigious position to Śaivism and Vaiṣṇavism. By the early 7th century rock-cut architecture penetrated Tamil Nadu only to be replaced within a century by stone structural temples which attained zenith in the two gigantic Bṛhadīśvara temples at Thanjavur and Gangaikondacholapuram built by Rājarāja and his son Rājendra Coḻa respectively. The period also witnessed the beginnings of dynastic—Pallava, Coḻa, Pāṇḍya—rule; each dynasty issued its own currency.