ABSTRACT
The development of art and architecture in Tamil Nadu had passed through a long process of evolution and elaboration. They are centuries old and divided into certain well marked phases. Each succeeding phase starts with the heritage of the proceeding one, leading the style along with a richer elaboration and maturity, to its ultimate fulfillment. There is no break in the continuity constituing the distinctive characteristics of the style. The cave temples built by the Pallavas mark the beginning of temple architecture in Tamil Nadu. The rich heritage of the Pallava tradition was passed on to the Cholas who supplemented the Pallavas as dominant power of the South about the middle of the 9th century A.D. Under the Pandya rule, the art and architecture of Tamil Nadu entered into yet another brilliant and dominant chapter. The Vijayanagar rulers made valuable additions to the exiting temples.
Introduction
The development of art and architecture in Tamil Nadu had passed through a long process of evolution and elaboration. They are centuries old and divided into certain well marked phases. Each succeeding phase starts with the heritage of the proceeding one, leading the style along with a richer elaboration and maturity, to its ultimate fulfillment. There is no break in the continuity constituing the distinctive characteristics of the style.
The temple art and architecture constitute the greatest attraction to tourists in Tamil Nadu. There are several literary evidences to palaces, temples, mansions and bazaars in cities in the pre-Pallava period. But none of these early monuments have survived. The mighty rulers of tamil Nadu belonging to various times and dynasties like the Pandyas, Cholas, Pallavas, Vijayanagar kings, Nayaks and the Marathas were all great builders. They established a very high standard of art and architecture. They are grouped under five distinctive periods into which temple architecture of Tamil Nadu can be classified.
The cave temples built by the Pallavas mark the beginning of temple architecture in Tamil Nadu. Without the use of bricks, mortar or wood, a number of shrines were excavated out of rock. Construction of monolithic rock-cut temples became popular in the next stage. In this stage single ree-standing rock became the medium which was converted into a temple. The rock cut cave temples gave place to structural temples which were erected with cut stones. The early phase of the Pallava cave architecture was simple in style without sculptural decorations. Such temples can be seen at Vallam, Dalavanur, Mahendravadi, Mamandur, Mandagapattu, Tiruchi etc. These temples were the creations of Mahendravarman 1(580 – 630 A.D) The Mahendra style was continued by his son Narasimhavarman I (630-660 A.D), who was also called Mamalla. He introduced some notable changes into the cave temples like bas-reliefs on walls, the cylindrical or octagonal pillars supported by sitting lions etc. The best examples of this style can be seen at Mamallapuram. All the monoliths at Mamallapuram are typical examples of Mamalla style. Indeed Mamalla had converted Mamallapuram into an open air art gallery.
The practice of scooping out live rock into temples and pavilions had ceased under the later Pallavas and structural temples erected with cut stones became more or less the rule under Narasimhavarman II (700-728 A.D). The Shore Temple at Mamallapuram, the Kailasanatha temple at Kanchipuram and the Siva temple at Panamalai are the important structural temples built during the eighth century A.D.
Meanwhile, in the extreme south, the Pandyas, a historic and time honored name in Tamil, adopted the rock cut technique and introduced certain variations in the cave architecture. Many of them were painted also. The cave temples of Thiruparankundram, Sittannavasal, Kudumianmalai, Kalugumalai and Malayadikurichi are the most attractive examples of Pandya cave architecture.
The rich heritage of the Pallava tradition was passed on to the Cholas who supplemented the Pallavas as dominant power of the South about the middle of the 9th century A.D. Under the Chola rule, the art and architecture of Tamil Nadu entered into yet another brilliant and dominant chapter. The size of the temple grew with the extent of the kingdom until the great temples of Thanjavur and Gangaikonda Cholapuram proclaimed to the world the might and majesty of the greatest empire of the Tamils. The first was constructed by Rajaraja Chola 1(985-1014 A.D) and the second by his son Rajendra Chola 1(1014-1042 A.D). Both the temples are fundamentally identical in composition, shape and form.
In these two temples, the Dravidian style may be said to have reached its supreme expression. Sculpture, painting and bronze casting made corresponding advances. They also brought about certain striking changes in temple building like multiple layered tall gopurams, parivara shrines for subsidiary deities etc. The final phase of the Chola rule witnessed temple architecture perfected to a fine degree of marked maturity of style. Typical examples are the Dharasuram, Tiribuvanam, Chidambaram, Kumbakonam, Tambukeshwaram, Tiruverkadu and Uyyakondan temples.
The Vijayanagar rulers made valuable additions to the exiting temples. They also built many structures in new style. The gopurams became taller, mandapams larger and the number of prakarams increased. The finest specimens of Vijayanagar architecture can be seen in Kanchipuram. Srirangam, Chidambaram, and Thiruvannamalai. The Navaks, who were the successors of Vijayanagar rulers, continued the Vijayanagar tradition and built many new temples besides renovating existing ones. The eleven storied temple tower at Srivilliputhur is a finest emample. The corridors in Srivilliputhur, Ramanathapuram, Tirunelveli, Madurai and Srirangam temples have their ceilings painted even.
A factor of prime importance in the study of Tamil architecture and sculpture is the wealth of inscriptional material on the walls of shrines. The vast engraved documentary provides a veritable ocean of knowledge for the history, the social and economical life, religion, iconography as well as the town and village administration. Therefore the history of Tamil Nadu is closely related and reflected by the Tamil architecture and literature.
Sculpture
The art of sculpture in Tamil Nadu witnessed an important outburst from the 7th century A.D indicating a heightened aesthetic consciousness of people. The Pallava reliefs at Mamallapuam are notable for their intense naturalism and disciplined vitally. The Pandya sculptures though resemble the Pallava style in many respects, they exhibit individuality. The Chola creations were remarkable for their fluency and subtle beauty. The Chola artists had also excelled in the art of casting of metal images. The bronze images of Nataraja and several other deities rank as some of the finest creations of India.
Music and Dance
Iyal (prose): Isai (poetry) and Natakam (drama ) – the three broad divisions of Tamil literature – are set to popular modes of entertainment since ancient times. Tamil Nadu has a rich tradition of fine arts. The temples of Tamil Nadu had long been centres of flourishing fine – arts. Thanjavur is the brightest spot on the fine arts map of India. Music and dance flourished in the temple mandapas under the liberal patronage of local rulers and philanthropists. Several musical instruments stringed and percussive – are mentioned in Tamil literatures. Among them, the yal, an open harp, was the most important. The Kudumianmalai music inscription (Pudukkottai District) of king Mahendravarman I, has several musical notations. The psalms of the Saiva saints, Nayanmars, and the Vaishnava saints, Alwars, were all set to music. All of them were great poets and singers and their songs are still sung widely. During the Chola times, endowments and donations were made of their recital in temples, a practice which has continued to this day.
Carnatic music and Bharathanatyam are the classical music and dance forms of Tamil Nadu. Thiyagaraja (1767 – 1847), is the greatest name in the history of South Indian music. Bharathanatyam is said to be at least 2000 years old. These art forms are today nurtured by the numerous cultural centres or sabhas, dance academies and private dance schools. Tourists are attracated by the various cultural programmes, classical and folk dances, vocal and instrumental music organized at various places in the state.
Temple Paintings
The art of painting achieved a high popularity and an equally high aesthetic and technical standard during the Pallava and Chola times. The tradition was later continued by the Nayak and Maratha rulers. Both religious and secular themes dominate in them. Among them are the meager quantities of Pallava paintings at Mamallapuam, Thiruvannamalai, Kanchipuram etc. These paintings were all white washed and are restored by the Archaeological Survey of India meticulously. The Jain paintings at Sittannavasal are outstanding among the surviving Pandya art. The Chola paintings too have survived scantily. Among them, those in the Thanjavur temple are outstandings.
Much of the paintings that have survived today in Tamil Nadu belong to the Nayak period e.g the Arunachaleswarar temple at Thriuvannamalai and the Srirangam temple. The Meenakshi temple in Madurai contains paintings of the Thiruvilayadal poem dealing with the temple history. Many of these paintings have faded away. What has survived today is very scanty indeed.
It was during the Maratha times, the typical form of Thanjavur painting was evolved. The various mediums used for making these paintings are wood, glass, ivory, mica and paper. A number of portraits of gods, kinds and queens were made using this technique. Painting on ivory and mica are the more difficult genre of glass paintings. The colcours of these paintings are very pleasing and are held in high value and appreciation by tourists from all over the world. A collection of these paintings are in the Maratha palace at Thanjavur and the Government Museum, Chennai. The Poompuhar Handicraft Development Corporation, Tamil Nadu, has taken steps to popularize and preserve them by arranging training and display of this technique.
Handicrafts
Foreign tourists in India spend a sizable amount towards purchase of handicraft objects. Tamil Nadu is known for its tradition in art and crafts. Metal casting, wood and stone carving, silk weaving, pottery, mat making, basketry, ceramics etc. are important among the crafts of Tamil Nadu. The art of metal crafting was practiced in Tamil Nadu since ancient times. The craftsmen of Tamil Nadu are skilled in bronze casting. Brass and copper are the popular mediums used for casting of images of deities and utensils of secular and ritual use. Swamimalai, Kumbakonam, Chettinad and other places are important centers where bronze casting is practiced in traditional style. Temple and church bells, Thanjavur decorative plates are produced in large quantities.
The art of making jewellery is very old and the habit of wearing ornaments of various kinds is strongly rooted among the people of Tamil Nadu. Vadasery, near Nagercoil, is a well known centre for a special kind of jewellery known as temple jewellery. Wood carving was one of the popular crafts of ancient Tamil Nadu. Carving of temple chariots, door panels, objects of domestic and ritual purpose and traditional decorative items are continued by the wood workers even today. Tamil Nadu is also famous for stone-carving. The stone cutters of Tamil Nadu have exhibited remarkable skill. The number of rock-cut and structural temples scattered throughout the state testify this. Images of deities and various objects of domestic use were widely produced in stone.
Kora-grass (Reed) mat makings are the another ancient craft practiced till date in various centers of the state. Among them, Paththamadai, in the Tirunelveli District, is very famous, while Vaniyampadi, Sirkali, Gudiyatham etc. are the other centers. The crafts men of Tamil Nadu have also masterd from ancient times in the art of weaving, particularly silk-weaving. Tamil Nadu is the centre of brocade weving. Pure silk sarees are produced by threads of different colours and materials. Kanchipuram, among others, is an important centre for silk weaving. Pottery, paper-mache, palm leaf products, lace and embroidery works, manufacture of musical instruments like veena etc. are other traditional crafts practiced widely in Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is famous for manufacturing quality veenas. The list of handicrafts is endless in Tamil Nadu with their regional variations. If properly planned and promoted, tourism can give a new lease of life to these crafts.
Folk Arts
Folk music, dance and drama occupy a special place in the life of the people of rural Tamil Nadu. Therukoothu (street plays), bommalattam (puppet show), dummy horse show, Villupattu etc., are the widely appreciated folk art forms. Among them, the Villuppattu is a thrilling folk concert peculiar to Tamil Nadu. Karagattam, Kaavad Attam etc are certain folk dances. Kummi, Kolattam (play with sticks) are also interesting folk dances. Kummi was performed without musical instruments with the participants clapping their hands and moving in a circle, whereas Karagattam is performed by balancing a pot on the head. Kai Silambu Attam (the play with Cymbals) is an ancient folk art performed in rural areas on special occasions. Silambu (the play with long sticks) is a popular martial art. Alertness and very quick movement of limbs are essential features of this art.
– Dr. C. Sankar
Assistant Professor of History, Lord Jegannath College of Education, PSN Nagar, Kanyakumari District
References
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