CHENNAI: The past few weeks have seen Mahabalipuram come under the spotlight. Even though the region was a renowned trade centre, it gained prominence only after the Pallavas set foot. The Pallavas were a powerful force for at least three centuries, dominating a significant portion of the Telugu region and the Tamil country. As the city observes Madras Week, INTACH, after a two-year break, held its first in-person event at Ashvita’s, Mylapore. Architect and author J Ramanan and Bharatanatyam exponent and author Vrinda Ramanan delivered a talk titled ‘The Magnificent Pallavas’, on what made this dynasty crucial to our understanding of Tamil history, as well as their architectural legacy.
Historical context
“(The Pallavas’) greatness lay in their open-mindedness, incorporating Jainism and Buddhism along with Hinduism,” said Vrinda, opening the session, bringing home the broader historical context in which the Pallavas made their entry.In 200 BCE, the Mauryan Empire extended from Afghanistan to parts of present-day Andhra and Karnataka. Under Chandragupta Maurya, Jainism spread to the South, even in Tamil Nadu. Under Ashoka, Buddhism made its way into the South, Sri Lanka and the Far East. The Mauryas made way for the Satavahanas, who ruled the Deccan, one of their greatest rulers was Gautami Rudra Salkarmi. Then came the Vakatakas, one of the first to patronise excavated stone temples, and their reign saw the flourishing of the Ajanta and Ellora caves.
The Chera, Chola and Pandya dynasties emerged during the Kadai Sangam period. Masterworks of Tamil literature like Tholkappiyam, Silappathikaram, Manimekalai and Thirukkural were produced during this period, which also saw the spread of Jainism and Buddhism across Tamil Nadu, and the many places of worship dedicated to these two faiths.“Until this point, Hindu temples did not really exist, except as small consecrations devoted to a local deity, devoid of shelter, usually placed beneath a tree,” she added.
The Pallavas enter
Ramanan took over, narrating the tale of the Pallavas. “Pallavas make their entry into the scene in 550 CE. They were originally vassals for the Satavahanas who were Telugu-speaking rulers, and the assumption is that the Pallavas were also Telugu-speakers. But the reality is that they were Tamils who were also fluent in Telugu,” he said.
The Pallava kingdom was bordered in the north by their arch enemy the Chalukyas, a farming community that rose to become dynasts over time. The Pallavas overthrew the Kalabharas and the Tamil region was now divided between the Pallavas and Pandyas. The Pallavas found themselves sandwiched between the Chalukyas and Pandyas, and hence had to be on their guard constantly.
“Those were the days when you could wage war, destroy a kingdom, establish a new one over it, and also build a new place of worship as a symbol of divine authority,” he noted.The first Pallava king, Mahendra Varman, ruled from 590-630 CE and was instrumental in defeating Pulakeshin II, ruler of Chalukya. He was a great king who resisted the onslaught of Harshavardhana and prevented his conquering the South.
Mahendra Varman, besides being a king, and a peace-loving one at that, was also a playwright, painter and sculptor. More importantly, he introduced rock-cut architecture to Tamil Nadu, starting with the Mandagapattu at Villupuram. He is believed to have said, “All the temples that were built before me are gone. The ones that I’m going to leave behind will stay.” Many of the temple inscriptions show the king referring to himself as Vichittra Chithan, a person who thinks out of the box.
As one slide followed another, Ramanan explained the influence of Vakataka architecture in the temples commissioned by Mahendra Varman, especially in the rock carvings seen at Mahabalipuram.Another noticeable temple during this period was the Avanibhajana Pallaveshwara Temple in Tiruvannamalai. Avanibhajana refers to the king himself, where he’s described both as a devotee of Shiva and because he was born in the month of Avani. Subsequent rulers from Chola and Vijayanagara kingdoms made their own additions to it. Significantly, it features the first instance of Shiva in his Nataraja pose. The columns and the capitals are all influenced by the caves at Ajanta and Ellora.
Inflamed with jealousy over the prosperity of the Pallavas, Pulakeshin II waged war on them. Mahendra Varman was a valiant soldier but nevertheless had to lose part of his territory to Pulakeshin II, and retired from the throne a dejected man. He was succeeded by Narasimha Varman, who avenged his father’s defeat and who commissioned the famous bas-relief sculptures at Mahabalipuram. One of his projects that remained unfinished is the Pancha Ratha, dedicated to the five Pandava warriors of the epic Mahabharata.Narasimha Varman occupies a unique place in Indian history as one of ten kings who was undefeated in battle during his reign, and influenced writers like Kalki Krishnamurthy, whose Sivagamiyin Sabatham was based on his life.
Bitter rivalry
Pulakeshin II’s defeat at the hands of Narasimha Varman, ending with his killing, set off a bitter rivalry among the former’s successors. And further trouble began to brew, with the Pandavas now siding with the Chalukyas in their desire to bring down the Pallavas.It was typical among Pallava kings to be named after their grandfathers, so Narasimha Varman’s son was named Mahendra Varman II, after his illustrious grandfather. Meanwhile, in the Chalukya kingdom, twenty years of anarchy followed after Pulakeshin’s death, and stability returned to the region only with the ascension of his son Vikramadithya I to the throne. And he wasted no time in seeking revenge for his father’s death, and in the war that followed, vanquished Mahendra Varman II. His successor, Parameswara Varman, was now up against two behemoths — Vikramaditya I and the Pandya king Arikesari Parankusa Varman, who were now allies. The wars between the kingdoms continued until the Chalukyas were up against a new enemy, the Arabs, who were invading parts of Northern India, where their borders to the north lay. This resulted in a time of peace and prosperity for the Pallavas under Narasimha Varman II or Raja Simhan, Parameswara Varman’s son.
Temple construction
Apart from naming himself Athyantha Kama, Ithihasa Priya and 280 other titles, Raja Simhan was also instrumental in advancing temple architecture from excavated to structural. “With rocks for temple construction becoming increasingly hard to find, the shift towards structural temples became a necessity,” Ramanan explained. He is credited with commissioning the Shore temple in Mahablipuram, the Panamalai temple in South Arcot and the Kailasanatha Temple in Kanchipuram. The Kailasanatha Temple, built in sandstone, is unique in that it has remained unaltered by other rulers. “Many of the shrines here depict scenes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata in relief, and they were painted with vegetable colours, which have faded now,” he added. Besides the many literary and artistic achievements during his reign, the Kailasanatha temple stands today as the pinnacle of Pallava architecture.
End of the Pallavas
The era of the Pallavas ended with the defeat of its last king Aparajita Varman in 897 CE, who was killed in battle against the Chola king Aditya I, after which the Pallava territories were ceded into the Chola Empire. And yet, far from their legacy being vanquished, the structures they built would eventually influence later temples in Tamil Nadu and the larger South. “Look at any temple that came up post-Pallava, and you’ll find their influence in some form or the other. That is the legacy they have left behind,” Ramanan remarked as the session drew to a close.