|
|
Tamil Nadu is the land of temples and a
living museum of styles that originated in the 7th century. The temples in
Tamil Nadu (some dating to more than 1,700 years old) display
intricate carving and sculptures, which bear testimony to the
craftsmanship and creativity of the sculptors and artists of ancient
India. In Tamil Nadu, one can see huge temple complexes with towering
'Gopurams' (gateways), which are a major part of the Dravidian
architectural 
style.
Hindu architecture is vigorous while Muslim architecture is virtually
non-existent.
Temple architecture catalogues the tastes of successive dynasties. These
temples also serve as ample evidence of the vision and forethought of the
kings and rulers of olden times to leave behind a heritage that modern
India could be proud of.
Tamil Nadu, the holy land, is the land
of temple architecture. The Pallavas, Cholas, Pandyas, Vijayanagar rulers
and the Nayakas have made immense contributions to temple art in Tamil
Nadu.
Thousands of temples with lofty towers dot the skyline of the entire
state of Tamil Nadu. The Tamils have been the greatest of temple builders.
Temples from the pre Christian era as well as
those from the 20th century exist in this state, where the ancient rulers
have made outstanding contributions to the growth of these monuments of
great artistic value.
Contributions Of The Pallava And Pandya Rulers
The cave temples of Pallavas and Pandyas were the beginning in temple
architecture. This gave place to structural temples built with cut stones.
These types of sculptural decoration are found at Mamandur,
Tiruchirappalli and Pallavaram, which are attributed to Mahendravarman.
The examples seen at Mamallapuram
exhibit a striking variation from the cave temples
with bas-reliefs, monoliths and cutout rocks, which were introduced by
Mamalla Narasimhavarman I, son of Mahendravarman.
The Kailasanathar temple
at Kanchipuram, the 'City Of
Thousand Temples' and the shore temple at Mamallapuram are the best
examples of structural temples, which replaced the rock medium. They are
attributed to the eternal noble men Rajasimha and Narasimha Varman II
during the same period.
Contributions Of The Chola Rulers
Followed by Pallavas, the Cholas continued their reign from the middle of
the 9th century for over 500 years and established themselves as the
superiors among all the dynasties in building mammoth places of worship.
They brought significant changes in the structural style with multiple
layers, towering 'Gopurams', 'Parivaras' and separate shrine for the
goddess. During their period, the land was studded with temples. Their
architectural achievement is the Brihadeeswarar temple at Thanjavur. The
temples at Parasuram, Thiruverkadu, Kumbakonam, etc. are the best examples
of the Cholas final phase, which was a fine degree of perfection in temple
architecture.
Contributions Of The Vijayanagar Rulers
The Vijayanagar rulers made valuable additions to existing temples. They
built many structures in a new style. The Gopurams became taller
containing richness in sculptural details and the spacious 'Mandapams'
became even larger. Their finest specimens are seen at
Srirangam,
Kanchipuram,
Chidambaram and
Tiruvannamalai.
Contributions Of The Nayak Rulers Of
Madurai
The tallest temple towers at Srivilliputhur,
Madurai,
Rameswaram and
Tirunelveli are the best in the tradition
of the Nayak rulers of Madurai
who continued the Vijayanagar example and improved the elegance.