THE PALLAVAS AND THE
CHOLAS
The aryanisation of south India was complete during the rule
of the Pal lavas. They exercised their supremacy for nearly 500 years, from the
fifth century to the ninth century.
Pallavas were greater patrons or Sanskrit. Most of the
inscriptions of the Pallavas were in Sanskrit and even in Tamil inscriptions
the precast portions were composed in Sanskrit. Temples were important centers
for Sanskrit studies. Bharavi, the well known poet of Sanskrit and the author
of the Kiratarjuniyam. Is said to have adorned the court of a pallava king
Simhavishnu. Similarly, Dan din, the famous author of a standard work on
poetries, is reported to have flourished in the region of another pallava king
Narasimkhavarman II. The University of Kanchi, the seat of Sanskrit learning t
and the then greatest centers of education in the south, played an important patty
in the cultural expansion in the south.
Since the pallavas were a great maritime power, their
activities on the sea were mainly directed towards maintaining friendly
relations and close contacts with the countries of the south - - east Asia. In
the realm of religion the Pallavas had made their own contribution. The great
religious reform which was to sweep India in the eighth century, originated at
the Pallava court. The saliva and vaishnava Bhakti saints of the south
flourished in the pallava period. ? The great saliva saints were the
contemporizes of pallava king narshimhavarman. Similarly the of Bhakti
literature – the Tevaram and the viruvachakam of the Saiva and the prabandham
of the Palavers of the Vaishanavas belong to the Pallava age.
The history of architecture and sculpture in South India
begins with the Pallava temples which introduced a new technique called the
Dravidian style. In addition to the temples, in Kanchi and other places, some
of the rock- cut temples’ known as the seven pagodas or Rat has of mamalapuram
are built in this style which may justly be called the pallava style of art.
Undoubtedly. Their edifices are among the noblest monuments in South India.
The town of mahabalipuram of mamallapuram, thirty two miles
south of madras, founded by the great pallava king narasimhavarman (625 – 645)
on the sea bench has many cave – temples or manidepas decorated with find
reliefs. The monolithic temples called rathas, known as ‘seven pagodas’ are
another type of remarkable rock – cut architecture at Mamallapuram. These madcap’s
and rat has are adorned with marvelous figure sculpture. the most wonderful
example of the Pallava structured art is the famous kailash temple at Kanchi.
The temple of Vaikuntha perumal is yet another marvelous example of the art.
The style of Pallava architecture not only set the standard
in the south but also greatly influence the architecture not only set the
standard in the south but also greatly influence the architecture of Cambodia, Vietnam,
etc. Talkie pallava art was transmitted beyond theses to the countries of south
– east Asia like Indonesia “where its effulgence, reflected in the vast
monuments of these civilizations; shone with even greater splendor than in the country
of its origin”
THE CHOLAS
The cholas, whose dynastic history began at about 900 A.D.
lasting for about 250 years, supplanted the Pallavas. The cholas, who were
great builders like pal lavas, executed works on a stupendous scale. Chola
rulers elaborately and carefully planned and laid out vast cities. The Chola
art attained maturity in the two magnificent temples of tan ore and Gangaikonda
– cholapuram both built in the first quarter of the eleventh century. The
Dravidian style of temple architecture reched final culmination under the Cholas.
Another armistice achievement of the Cholas lies in the
special Indian plastic art known as the Chola bronzes. The nartaraja (dancing Shiva)
figures of the period and the images and portraits of the suits and Hindu gods
and goddesses have now been recognized as masterpieces of the world.
No comments:
Post a Comment