Pallavas -
After the fall of Andhra kingdom the Pallavas were the first to come to powers in the Deccan
Origin of the Pallavas-
There are different views on the origin of the Pallavas
Some says that they were Parthians ,some says that they were a branch of the Brahmin royal dynasty of the Vakatakas of the Deccan and some says that they were descendents of the Cholas
Simhavishnu-
He expanded his power in south India and defeated the Cholas, the Pandyas and the Malawas
During his time, many temples of Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma were built
Bharavi, the writer of Kiratarjuniya, and Dandin were his court poets
Mahendravarman I-
He was contemporary of Pulakesin II as well Harshavardhn
From Aihole inscription it is known that Pulakesin II marched against the Pallavas and captured the northern part of their kingdom
But Pallava sources refers to king Mahendra Varma's victory
He patron of art, culture and architecture
Mahendravarman I was a follower of Jainism in the early part of his career later he was converted to Saivism by the influence of the Saiva saint, Thirunavukkarasar alias Appar
Narasimha Varman I-
He was also known as Mamalla, which means ‘great wrestler’
Narasimhavarman I was the founder of Mamallapuram
Battle of Manimangalam-
In this battle he defeated Pulakesin II which is mentioned in Kuram copper plates
He was given tittle ‘Vatapikonda’ because he captured and destroyed the capital city of Vatapi
Help to Sri Lankan prince Manavarma-
He restored the throne to his friend and Sri Lankan prince Manavarma.
Hiuen Tsang visited the Pallava capital Kanchipuram during his reign
According to his account the people of Kanchi esteemed great learning and the Ghatika at Kanchi served as a great centre of learning
Narasimha Varman II/Rajasimha-
He was also known as Rajasimha(lion among kings)
It is believed that the great Sanskrit poet Dandin lived in his period
It is believed that the great Sanskrit poet Dandin lived in his period
Nandivarman II-
Nandivarman was defeated by Chalukya emperor Vikramaditya II and occupied Kanchi but Nandivarman II was successful in getting back Kanchi
Administration of the Pallavas-
Pallavas had well organized administrative structure
The king was at the centre of administration in which he was assisted by able minister
Division of Pallava empire-
Rastra or mandala(Province)- Headed by Visayaka
Rastra was subdivided into –
Kottam and village called Nadu
There were village assemblies and their committees to look after the village administration
Society under the Pallavas-
The caste system became rigid.
The Brahmins occupied a high place in the society
Brahmadeya were the land granted to Brahmins
Position of women were not too good
Education and Literature-
There was good development of literature during the time of pallavas
Dinganaga, a Buddhist writer came to study at Kanchi
Mahendravaraman I composed the Sanskrit play Mattavilasaprahasanam
. The Devaram composed by Nayanmars and the Nalayradivyaprabandam composed by Alwars represent the religious literature of the Pallava period.
Bhairavi the writer of Kiratarjuna was court poet of Simhavishnu
Art and architecture-
Art and Architecture during the time of Mahendravarman I
He wrote Mattavillasa – prahasana in Sanskrit
Rock cut Architecture : He started Rock cut architecture during his time
His rock-cut temples are found in a number of places like Vallam, Mahendravadi, Dalavanur, Pallavaram, Mandagappattu etc.
Cave Temples : He constructed cave temples at Mahabalipuram, Pallavasam and other places
The Mandagappattu inscription hails him as Vichitrachitta who constructed a temple for Brahma, Vishnu and Siva without the use of bricks, timber, metal and mortar
Features of temples-
The pillars of the gateway are constructed in a row
Temples have extraordinary doorways and arched gateways
Mandagapattu Rock Cut Temple
It is located in Tamil Nadu's Viluppuram district.
The rock-cut cave temple was carved from rock by Pallava ruler Mahendravarman I in honour of the trinity Brahma-Shiva-Vishnu and is the oldest stone shrine discovered and dated in Tamil Nadu.
The temple is notable for having the earliest known Grantha script rock-cut Sanskrit inscription.
Art and Architecture during the time of Narasimha Varman I/Mammala
Narasimha Varman also constructed several rock cut temples at Pudukotta , Chitranapalli and Trichinopoly district
Narasimhavarman I was the founder of Mamallapuram
He built rathas and Mandapas found at Mamallapuram
The Panch Rathas-
Pancha Rathas also known as Five Rathas or Pandava Rathas
The monoliths are named after the Pandavas – Arjuna, Bhima, Yudhishthira Nakula and Sahadeva and Draupadi
Each of the five monuments in the Pancha Rathas complex resembles a chariot (ratha), and each is carved over a single, long stone or monolith, of granite which slopes in north–south direction with a slight incline
The complex is under the auspices of the Archaeological Survey of India(ASI)
It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage site inscribed by UNESCO as Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram
The mandapas-
It contain beautiful sculptures on its walls
The most popular of these mandapas are Mahishasuramardhini Mandapa, Tirumurthi Mandapam and Varaha Madapam
Art and Architecture during the time of Narasimha Varman II or Rajasimha style-
He built following temples-
The Kailash temple at Kanchi and Panamalai temple
Shore temple at Mahabalipuram
Airavateshwar temple at Kanchi
Mamallapuram Shore Temple-
It is a complex of temples and shrines located at Mammalapuram
It has been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984
There are Three temples and all the three Temples of the Shore Temple complex are built on the same platform. Viewed from the northern end, the temples appear to be a replica of the Dharmaraja Ratha
The temple is a combination of three shrines. The main shrine is dedicated to Shiva
Seven Pagodas-
The Seven Pagodas refer to the monuments built at Mamallapuram built during the reign of the Pallava kings Narasimhavarman I, Paramesvarman and Narasimhavarman II.
The Kailash temple at Kanchi-
This temple is dedicated to lord Shiva
It reflects a Dravidian architecture
Its mandapas contain beautiful sculptures on its wall
The structure has a simple layout with a tower or vimana at the center of the complete
Paintings-
The Sittannavasal paintings-
The Sittannavasal paintings belonged to this period
This place is located at Pudukkottai district of Tamil Nadu
These are cave paintings
These paintings represent the Jain thoughts and ideologies on rock-cut architecture
The painting technique used is Fresco-secco and similar to that used in the Ajanta Caves
Dakshinchitra-
It was and instruction manual for painters
It was compiled during the reign of Mahendravarman I