Temples of South India

Title: Temples of South India

Author: K R Srinivasan

Publisher: National Book Trust India, 1985 (First published 1971)

ISBN: 9788123722511 (not this edition)

Pages: 246

South India is a land of magnificent temples built in stone. Temples of the Chalukya, Hoysala and Vijayanagara period fills thousands of visitors with wonder, while those of Cholas and Pallavas make them awe-struck. South India’s temple architecture is quite unique and is in marked contrast with that of the North. Srinivasan tells the story of the evolution of the temples and the characteristics of each stage. Temple construction generally follows the raw material available at each location. The Vijayanagara kings used granite available locally in plenty, and in Kerala, laterite was the prime choice. However, we also see subtle shifts like the soap stone temples of Hoysalas giving way to Vijayanagara’s granite. Even with all these, the South Indian temple architecture is chronologically uninterrupted. K R Srinivasan has served over two decades in the Archeological Survey of India, in various capacities at the highest levels. One of the fields of his specialization was temple architecture, sculpture and iconography.

The earliest form of divine worship began in the form of totems. Ruling houses adopted various trees as sacred, and Sangam literature show abundant proof of cutting down the totem tree of the vanquished house in battle. Hypaethral shrines (having no roof) developed around these trees. Was it a coincidence that the worship of the Bodhi tree, known as Bodhi Chaitya, quickly took root in the South? Ashoka’s inscriptions witness to the fact that Buddhist influence was largely limited to the present states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Viable and tolerant kingdoms existed to the further south, and Buddhism found a fertile field to spread its roots. Railings began to appear around the object of worship under the tree, which was later transformed into the cloister galleries surrounding the central shrine and its vimana (tower). Brick, wood and mortar shrines were built in place of the simple objects of worship as time went on. Mayon (Vishnu), Seyon (Murugan, Karthikeya) and Korravai (Durga), who were the principal deities of the Tamil country, were assimilated into the Hindu pantheon, with the new names given in brackets. Rock-cut architecture developed around the middle of the first millennium CE. This assumed epic dimensions under the Chalukyas and Rashtrakutas in Deccan. While soft stone was generally used there in this period, granite or gneiss was the favourite medium of artistic expression in the Deep South. Deccan also followed suit only during the Vijayanagara period. Pallavas excelled in this new medium, as attested by the glorious monuments at Mamallapuram. After 730 CE, when the Pallava power declined, rock-cut architecture also parted ways with the main stream. Objects of worship also underwent a sea change, progressing from mural paintings on the innermost wall to idols of stone or metal.

Srinivasan includes an exemplary narrative on the structural stone temples that came into vogue towards the end of the 8^th century CE. The familiar figure of the dancing Nataraja, which is now practically an icon of India, took shape in this period. The characteristic anadathandavam pose was first observed in the Tiruvaliswaram panel of 890 CE. The author states that most likely the pose was represented first as a wooden idol, but was first captured in stone in 890 CE. As rock-cut temples faded away, an enclosing wall was required for protection for structural stone temples. Towers (gopura) outshining the central one over the sanctum sanctorum (vimana) appeared by 11^th century CE. Parts of the vimana became standardized in architectural texts as adhishtana (moulded base), pada or bhitti (pillar or walls), prastara (entablature with kapota or cornice), griva (neck or clerestory), sikhara (root) and stupi (finial). The period up to late medieval phase is divided into three parts. The first one saw construction of structural temples at Pattadakkal and other northern areas. Then came the second phase when Chola marvels came up at Thanjavur and other places in Tamil Nadu. The Hoysalas continued their tradition with soft stone while the royal Cholas were writing poetry in hard granite and charnockite. The final stage saw the budding of Vijayanagara style in which hard stone, which was abundantly available at their capital at Hampi was used. Befitting the style deserving an empire, Vijayanagara propagated the transition from soft to hard stone. The book also includes a good discussion on the prasada temples built in North Indian style. These are, of course, distinct from Dravida architecture, but are themselves much different from specimens found in North India proper. The book ends with a chapter on Kerala temple architecture, which is replete with laterite stone available in the area and whose gables are more adaptive to heavy rains, which is a feature of the western littoral.

We know that a picture is worth a thousand words. K R Srinivasan doesn’t seem to subscribe to this view. Where an illustration would do wonders at comprehension, he proceeds with torturous verbal description of the architectural features, which is difficult to assimilate. Such plays of words confuse the readers, whereas an illustration would have served the purpose in no time. Monochrome plates of several South Indian temples are included, but serves no real purpose. Historically, many temples were destroyed by Muslim invasions, and true to the pseudo-secular traits inherited from the powerful caucus that ruled over historical research in India, Srinivasan struggles for euphemisms to describe the devastating ruin inflicted on several temples. Instead of writing simply as ‘Muslim invasion’, he does an acrobatic act and comes up with ‘political invasion by iconoclastic rulers of alien faith’ (p.170)! Leftist historians are afraid even to assign religious reasons for the invasions of medieval fanatic sultans! India’s so called secular scholars are extremely reluctant to stare right in the face of truth and fondly go for such pedantic nonsense. The book includes a fine glossary which is highly useful and an excellent index. The book is difficult for the average reader to easily move forward.

The book is recommended.

Rating: 2 Star