Tamil Nadu is famous for its innumerable temples, found in every village, town, and city. Some of these temples are huge and situated in very large compounds. Many of these are very ancient, the result of several centuries of architectural growth. The earliest we hear of temples in south India are references in Tamil literature of the Sangam period (c.3rd century BCE – c. 3rd century CE). But the structures mentioned there are not extant as they were built of perishable material like wood and brick which have disintegrated over the centuries. From the time of the Pandya kings who ruled over south Tamil Nadu from Madurai, their capital city, and their contemporaries the Pallava kings of north Tamil Nadu, who ruled from their capital Kancheepuram, rock-cut cave temples came to be created. The best-known of these cave-temples are the ones belonging to the 7th century CE in Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram), the seaport of the Pallavas.
Subsequently came the ‘monolithic temples’ which were carved out of one stone or boulder like the ones called ‘the five rathas’ in Mamallapuram of the Pallava times and the monolithic structure called Vettuvankovil in Kazhugumalai which showcases the extraordinary skill of the architects and sculptors of the Pandyan times.
Over time, the cave temple and monolithic temple tradition came to a halt to give way to the construction of structural temples out of blocks of stone. These shrines, which were initially simple structures, grew to large proportions in the subsequent centuries. With the coming of the imperial
Cholas to power in the 9th century CE, with their capital at Thanjavur, temple architecture reached its pinnacle. Initially, the Chola temples were also moderately small structures like the Brahmapurishwarar temple in Pullamangai. They developed, over the years, into huge temples such as the ‘royal temples’ of the Cholas at Thanjavur, Gangaikondacholapuram, Darasuram, and Tribhuvanam which are standing testimony to the glory of Chola temple architecture. Simultaneously, 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.
During the Chola times, many mandapams, gopurams, and other sanctums were added to the already existing temples in the areas under their jurisdiction.
The Pandya rulers who were primarily responsible for the fall of the empire of the Cholas in the last quarter of the 13th century AD, are known for their contribution to the famous Meenakshi Sundareshvarar Temple in Madurai. The gopurams constructed by them in this temple set the example for many more to follow in the subsequent periods. They too, like the Cholas, added other structures to the shrines built before them.
Tamil Nadu, like many other parts of south India, was subject to invasions from the north in the first half of the 14th century CE, when many temples were destroyed. The mighty Vijayanagar empire, which had as its capital the city of Vijayanagar (now called Hampi) on the banks of River Tungabhadra, was established in 1336 CE. They subsequently conquered the Tamil land and ruled over it for a long time.
The monarchs of Vijayanagar contributed in no small measure to the resurrection and development of temple art and architecture in south India. They drew upon the architectural plan of the temples of the Tamil country and constructed beautiful temples in Hampi such as the Vittala temple, Achyutaraya temple, and the Krishna temple, to name a few. Their feudatories and viceroys also constructed many temples, typical of this era in places like Lepakshi and Tadipatri in present-day Andhra Pradesh.
The Vijayanagara emperors contributed to a large number of temples in Tamil Nadu by adding tall gopurams (entrance doorways), prakarams (enclosures), mandapams (open pavilions), and many small shrines to the already existing temples. 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 Vijayanagara emperors. The reason for building many more shrines was to house deities other than the already existing ones and also the images of the 12 important devotees of Lord Vishnu, collectively called the Azhvars, and the 63 famous devotees of Lord Shiva called the Nayanmars, and for conducting different festivals.
These emperors, beginning from the 16th century AD appointed viceroys called Nayaks in different parts of Tamil Nadu. The Nayak chieftains of Madurai, Thanjavur, and other places like Senji and Vellore, followed in the footsteps of their overlords, the Vijayanagar monarchs and added to the already big temples like those in Madurai, Thanjavur, Rameswaram and Srirangam, among many others. They also constructed a few new temples.
Other dynasties of south India like the Hoysalas who ruled over south Karnataka, conquered and ruled over parts of Tamil Nadu for short periods. They too contributed to the temples by generous donations and by way of architecture and sculpture. For example, the well-known Venugopala sanctum inside the enormous temple complex in Srirangam whose presiding deity is Ranganatha Swami, belongs to the Hoysala times.
Thus, beginning from the Sangam age, down to the time of the Nayaks, temple architecture and sculpture in Tamil Nadu have seen a phenomenal and almost unbroken growth. These temples are treasure houses not only of architecture and sculpture but also paintings and inscriptions. The epigraphs etched on the walls and other places are important for knowing about the political, economic, social, and cultural milieu of those times.
Mighty contributions
The Vijayanagara emperors contributed to a large number of temples in Tamil Nadu by adding tall gopurams (entrance doorways), prakarams (enclosures), mandapams (open pavilions), and many small shrines to the already existing temples.
(The writer is a historian who focuses on temple architecture)