DRAVIDIAN ARCHITECTURE
A type of architecture that developed in the Indian subcontinent's south. Ancient temples in India are architectural wonders that reflect the history, art, and culture of the nation. In addition to being works of exquisite craftsmanship, their mystique is increased by the fact that they were constructed in an era with little to no machinery.
The most well-known temples in South India are constructed in the Dravidian style, which is characterized by stone construction, lofty towers, sculptures, and complex inscriptions. Due to the varied influences of numerous reigning dynasties, they frequently alter in design and style from one era to the next.
The architectural style of South Indian temples gradually changed from early cave temples carved out of sandstone hills to rock cut temples and then to standalone structural temples that increased in size both in terms of the area of the complexes and the height of the towers or vimanas.
The ancient book Vastu Shastra also recognizes the extraordinary beauty of Dravidian architecture and lists it as one of three types of temple construction.
While the majority of the existing buildings are found in the southern Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, there are also some in the northern Indian cities of Teli ka Mandir Gwalior, Bhitargaon Baitala Deula, and Bhubaneshwar, as well as in the northeastern and central regions of Sri Lanka.
Let me just take you back in time so you can gain a better grasp of the past and the origins of Dravidian architecture. It's crucial to know and comprehend the past in order to understand the present.
A king was seen as having religious significance and being divine by nature throughout Tamilakam. The word "koyil" refers to the "dwelling of God" or a "Temple," and the king was "the representative of God on earth" who resided there. The idea of divine kingship prompted the state and temple to assume significant roles in the Dravidian-speaking South.
ANCIENT LITERATURE S
Traditional Dravidian iconography and architecture are also founded on Agamas, which have been classified as either pre- or post-vedic compositions. The Agamas are a collection of Tamil and Sanskrit texts that primarily describe the building of temples, the making of murtis, the ways in which gods are worshiped, philosophical principles, meditative techniques, and the fulfillment of the sixfold wants, along with four different types of yoga.
The principal characteristics of this type of temple construction are:
The temples come in a variety of shapes; they could be square, rectangular, star-shaped, or octagonal.
Gopuras, which are huge towers over the entrances, are a common feature of these temples. In the past, the Gopuras were always the city's highest buildings.
A compound wall encloses the Dravida temple.
A Gopuram, or entrance doorway, is located in the middle of the front wall.
Instead of the curved shikhara of North India, the vimana, or main temple tower, is shaped like a stepped pyramid that rises up geometrically in Tamil Nadu.
As with the amalak and kalasha of North Indian temples, the name "shikhara" is only used to refer to the crowning part at the top of South Indian temples, which is typically formed like a tiny stupika or an octagonal cupola.
The entrance to the garbhagriha is adorned with fierce Dvarapalas, or the doorkeepers, guarding the temple.
A sizable water tank, sometimes known as a temple tank, is frequently found encased within the complex.
In fact, the main temple, where the garbhagriha is located, has one of the tiniest towers at some of South India's holiest temples. This is so because it's often the temple's oldest section.
The structure frequently contains a sizable enclosed water tank or reservoir.
If not integrated into the main temple tower, subsidiary shrines are either placed next to the main temple as distinct, minor shrines, or both.
A well-known example of a temple constructed entirely in Dravidian architecture is the Kailashnath temple at Ellora.
Sorting Dravidian temples into categories
Dravida temples can be divided into several different categories, just like the primary types of Nagara temples.
These generally come in five various shapes: square (also known as kuta), rectangular (also known as shala or ayatasra), elliptical (also known as vrittayata) and octagonal (also known as ashtasra), which are all derivations of the wagon-vaulted shapes of apsidal chaityas with a horseshoe-shaped entry front.
The aforementioned categorisation is oversimplified because different shapes can be merged at different times and locations to produce their own distinctive styles.
Pallavas' contribution to Dravidian architecture
Mahendravarman and his son Narasimhavarman were outstanding patrons of art and architecture in the south in the seventh century A.D. (their contribution to rock-cut architecture will be covered elsewhere).
The seaside temple in Mahabalipuram was constructed later, most likely under the rule of Rajasimha or Narasimhavarman II. There are shrines there for Vishnu and Shiva.
The Cholas' impact on Dravidian architecture
The Dravidian temple design that the Pallavas left behind was improved by the Cholas. Moving away from the Pallavas' early cave temples, the architecture during this time became more sophisticated.
As the temples were being built, stone became the material of choice. Gopurams gained popularity at this time. They had carvings on them that represented different Puranas.
During the Chola era, the Vimanas gained a greater magnificence. For instance, the 66-meter-tall temple tower of Brihadeshwara Temple
More focus was placed on the usage of sculptures when building the temple.
The Chalukyas of Badami (543 – 753 CE)
They were also known as the Early Chalukyas, and they established the Vesara architectural style in Badami, Karnataka. The Malaprabha basin still contains more than 150 temples. Their most famous structures are the rock-cut temples of Pattadakal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Badami, Aihole, and Mahakuta. They are credited with creating "The Temptation of the Buddha" and "The Persian Embassy," two of the most well-known paintings in Ajanta Cave No. 1.
The Western Chalukya dynasty's rule was a crucial time in the development of Deccan architecture. Their architectural innovations served as a conceptual bridge between the Hoysala architecture that gained popularity in the 13th century and the Badami Chalukya architecture of the 8th century. From their capital Kalyani in present-day Karnataka, the Chalukyas governed the Deccan and developed the Chalukyan style, also known as Western Chalukya architecture. The Krishna River-Tungabhadra doab in central Karnataka is home to more than 50 temples. The best examples created by the Later Chalukya architects are the Kasi Vishveshvara at Lakkundi, Mallikarjuna at Kuruvatii, Kalleshwara temple at Bagali, and Mahadeva at Itagi.
The "Gadag style" is a term sometimes used to describe Western Chalukya art. In addition to temples, they are widely renowned for the elaborate stepping wells (Pushkarni), many of which can be found in Lakkundi and were used for ritual washing. In the centuries that followed, the Hoysala empire and the Vijayanagara empire also adopted their stepped well designs.
RASHTRAKUDAS
At Ellora (the Kailasanatha temple), the Rashtrakutas, who ruled the Deccan from Manyakheta in the Gulbarga region of Karnataka, constructed some of the best Dravidian monuments. The Navalinga temples at Kuknur in Karnataka and the Jaina Narayana temple at Pattadakal are two other beautiful structures.
34 rock-cut shrines are supposed to have been built in total by them, but the Kailasanatha temple at Ellora is the largest and most lavish of them all. The temple is a magnificent work of Dravidian architecture. Paintings cover the temple's ceilings, and its walls are adorned with magnificent sculptures of Hindu mythology characters including Ravana, Shiva, and Parvathi.
The Pandyan Architecture
The best example of Pandyan architecture is the Srivilliputtur Andal Temple, which is credited to Periyaazhvar, the Lord's father-in-law. The 12-tiered tower building, which is devoted to the local deity Vatapatrasayee, is Srivilliputtur's most notable monument. This temple's 192-foot-tall (59-meter) tower serves as the Tamil Nadu government's official emblem. The renowned Meenakshi temple in Madurai is one of the Pandyas' other notable temples.
The Hoysalas (1100–1343 CE)
From their capitals in Belur and later Halebidu in Karnataka, the Hoysala monarchs ruled southern India. In Karnataka state, they created a distinctive architectural style known as Hoysala architecture.
Their architectural style, which is a Western Chalukya-inspired offshoot, clearly displays Dravidian elements. Hoysala architecture is regarded as a distinct architectural tradition with numerous distinctive elements and is referred to as Karnata Dravida as opposed to traditional Dravida.
The Chennakesava Temple in Belur, the Hoysaleswara Temple in Halebidu, and the Kesava Temple in Somanathapura are the three best specimens of their architectural style.
Vijayanagara (1343–1565 CE)
The architectural idioms that flourished in earlier centuries, the Chalukya, Hoysala, Pandya, and Chola styles, are vibrantly combined in Vijayanagara. Long after the empire's fall, its legacy of sculpture, architecture, and painting had an impact on the growth of the arts. The elaborately pillared Kalyanamantapa (nuptial hall), Vasanthamantapa (open pillared halls), and Rayagopura are its stylistic defining features (tower).
Due to its durability and the fact that the kingdom was constantly under danger of invasion, artisans chose the hard granite that was readily available in the area. The immense open-air theatre of monuments at the empire's capital at Vijayanagara, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is unmatched despite the fact that the empire's monuments are dispersed throughout the entirety of Southern India.
The Cheras
The Cheras were a prehistoric Tamil Dravidian dynasty that controlled portions of the modern Indian states of Tamil Nadu (Kongu Nadu) and Kerala. They constituted the Three Crowned Kings of Tamilakam, the three main South Indian Iron Age warring kingdoms, together with the Chola and the Pandyas. In Dravidian architecture, the Chera style is the only one of its sort. Examples of this include the Thirunelli Temple, the Vadakkunnathan Temples, the Kodungallur Bhagavathy Temple, and the Kandiyur Siva Temple.
0 Response to "DRAVIDIAN ARCHITECTURE"
Post a Comment