Tamil Nadu is known for its ancient temple architecture. Nearly 33,000 ancient temples, many at least 800 to 2000 years old, are found scattered all over Tamil Nadu. As per Tamil Nadu Hindu Endowments Board, there are 38,615 temples. Most of the largest Hindu Temples reside here.[2] Studded with complex architecture, a variety of sculptures, and rich inscriptions, the temples remain the very essence of the culture and heritage of Tamil land, with historical records dating back to at least 3,000 years.
The state also abounds with a large number of temple tanks. The state has 2,359 temple tanks located in 1,586 temples and also confluence of many
Throughout Tamil Nadu, a king was considered to be divine by nature and possessed religious significance.
Tholkappiyar refers to the Three Crowned Kings as the "Three Glorified by Heaven".[8] In the Dravidian-speaking South, the concept of divine kingship led to the assumption of major roles by state and temple.[9]
Sangam period architecture
From 580BCE - 300CE, the greatest accomplishments of the kingdoms of the
Kallazhagar temple
date from the Sangam period. Many of the temples of this time have been built on either bricks or granite stones but they didn't survived till modern times due to the destruction caused by the invasion of the Delhi Sultanate Empire under the leadership of Malik Kafur.
Several brick structures dating to the Sangam era have been unearthed at places across Tamil Nadu such as
keeladi, adichanallur and kodumanal. The findings at these sites indicate that the buildings were built using burnt bricks.[11]
Pallava art and architecture represent an early stage of Dravidian art and
Pallava
rule and were based on earlier brick and timber prototypes.
The earliest examples of Pallava constructions are rock-cut temples dating from 610 to 690 CE and structural temples between 690 and 900 CE. A number of rock-cut cave temples bear the inscription of the Pallava king,
Mahabalipuram. Akshara was the greatest sculptor of their time.[26][22][27]
After the close of the Sangam age, the first Pandyan empire was established by Kadungon in the 6th century CE by defeating the Kalabhras, The empire ruled from 6th to 10th century CE.
Rock cut and structural temples are significant part of pandyan architecture. The
Divya Desams dedicated to Vishnu, who is worshiped as Kallalagar, and his consort Lakshmi as Thirumagal.[32] This temple is called as Thirumaliruncholai in Sangam literatures and Naalayira Divya Prabandham sung by Tamil Alvar saints. A granite wall surrounds the temple, enclosing all its shrines. The temple has a seven-tiered rajagopuram
. The temple is surrounded by a large fort, part of which is dilapidated.
The famous
Silapadikaram mention this temple in most poetic terms.[18][33]
Srivilliputhur Andal Temple
The Srivilliputhur Andal Temple in
Divya Desams dedicated to Vishnu, who is worshipped as Vatapatrasayi and his consort Lakshmi as Andal. It is believed to be the birthplace of two of the Alvars, namely Periyalvar and his foster-daughter, Andal.[34]
The history of Srivilliputhur centres around the Srivilliputhur Andal Temple, dedicated to Andal.[35] It is argued that the temple of Vatapatrasayi is present from the 5th century, but there are epigraphic records are available only from the 9th century CE. The view that the Andal temple was built during the 14th century is highly debated.[36] The temple has inscriptions from Chola, Pandya and Vijayanagar Nayakkar Kings, spanning across various centuries from the 10th to 16th centuries. As per some accounts, the original structure was constructed by Tribuvana Chakravarthy Konerinmai Kondan Kulasekaran and the Andal temple and 194 feet Rajagopura was built by Barathi Rayar of Vijayanagar king.[37]
(the sacred bull of Shiva) and animals like monkeys and lions. Historian Sivaramamurti believes that this is the only place where
Dakshinamurthy is depicted playing the Mridanga (a percussion instrument), while in all other places, he is depicted playing Veena. Epigrapher like V. Vedachalam believes that there is a spontaneity in the sculptures indicating of natural human movements like in
the Shiva and Uma sculpture where they seem to be talking like common folks.
The sanctum of the
Deivanai facing North. There is a separate shrine for Shiva and Parvathi and all the Parsvatah Devatas (attendant deities) associated with Shiva temples. Usually in Murugan temples, his vehicle peacock would be heading towards his right, but it is sported on to the left of Murugan in this temple. It is believed that Indra, the king of celestial deities, appeared as peacock to worship Murugan. The image of the peacock is hence covered during the festivals.[39]
Temple building received great impetus from the conquests and the genius of
Chola
emperors.
Contrary to popular impression, the Chola emperors patronized and promoted construction of a large number of temples that were spread over most parts of the Chola empire. These include 40 of the 108 Vaishnava
Natarajar Temple
(though originally built by the Pallavas but possibly seized from the Cholas of the pre-Christian era when they ruled from Kanchi) were two of the most important temples patronized and expanded by the Cholas and from the times of the second Chola King Aditya I, these two temples have been hailed in inscriptions as the tutelary deities of the Chola Kings.
Temple shrine on the
Chidambaram's expansion that escalated the building of those syncretic latter styles of Dravidian architecture seen across the continent pictured.[43][44][45][46]
Of course, the two
Thirubhuvanam, both on the outskirts of Kumbakonam were the royal temples of the Cholas to commemorate their innumerable conquests and subjugation of their rivals from other parts of South India, Deccan Ilangai or Sri Lanka
and the Narmada-Mahanadi-Gangetic belts. But the Chola emperors underlined their non-partisan approach to religious
iconography and faith by treating the presiding deities of their other two peerless creations, namely the
World Heritage Sites, which will elevate them to the exacting and exalting standards of the Great Living Chola Temples
.
The temple of
Rajendra Chola I, was intended to exceed its predecessor in every way. Completed around 1030, only two decades after the temple at Thanjavur and in much the same style, the greater elaboration in its appearance attests the more affluent state of the Chola Empire under Rajendra.[47] This temple has a larger Siva linga than the one at Thanjavur but the Vimana of this temple is smaller in height than the Thanjavur
vimana.
The
Chola period is also remarkable for its sculptures and bronzes all over the world. Among the existing specimens in museums around the world and in the temples of South India may be seen many fine figures of Siva in various forms, such as Vishnu and his consort Lakshmi, and the Siva saints. Though conforming generally to the iconographic conventions established by long tradition, the sculptors worked with great freedom in the 11th and the 12th centuries to achieve a classic grace and grandeur. The best example of this can be seen in the form of Nataraja the Divine Dancer.[48]
Vijayanagara and Nayak architecture
Krishnapuram Venkatachalapathy Perumal temple
Krishnapuram Venkatachalapathy temple, (also called Krishnapuram Temple) in Krishnapuram, a village in
Vellore Fort was built by Chinna Bommi Reddy and Thimma Reddy Nayak, subordinate chieftains under
Alagar Koyil.[57] The Gopuram of the tower is over 100 ft. in height. The temple also has a Mandapam, with the hall supported by carved stone pillars of dragons, horses and yalis (lion like creature).[58][59]
makes it the largest functioning religious complex in the world.
The
Alagar Koyil – noted for the life size images of Maha Vishnu and his Avatars
.
The
Sugreeva
with his right hand and holding his bow in the left and on his left stands Sita, while in another pillar he is seen hugging Hanuman with his right hand and Angada seen standing in anjali.
The temple at Rameswaram – noted for its long corridors;
The
Tanjavur
– noted for its fine vimana with ratha and maha mandapas;
Meenakshi Temple at Madurai – noted for the great splendour its "thousand-pillared" mandapam, and the Thanga Thamarai kulam ("Golden Lotus water pool").
Thanjavur Maratha kingdom
The Thanjavur Maratha palace was originally constructed by the rulers of Thanjavur Nayak kingdom. After the fall of the Thanjavur Nayak kingdom, it served as the official residence of the Thanjavur Maratha. The palace complex consists of the Sadar Mahal Palace, the queen's courtyard and the Durbar Hall. The Royal Palace Museum contains a splendid collection of Chola bronzes. The Raja Serfoji Memorial Hall and the Royal Palace Museum are situated in the Sadar Mahal Palace. There is also a small bell tower. The Saraswathi Mahal Library is situated with the Thanjavur palace complex.[63]
Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. M.G.Ramachandran Central Railway Station
Indo-Saracenic architecture is a type of architecture used by the British architects in India in the late 19th century and the early 20th century. It is a combination of Islamic, Hindu, and Byzantine architecture. Features of Indo-Saracenic architecture include domes, arches, minarets, and stained glass. The British built many public buildings like museums, educational institutions, and railway stations using this type of architecture. Examples of Indo-Saracenic style buildings in Chennai include Madras High Court, Senate House, Chepauk Palace, and Egmore Railway station.[64]
Notable buildings in Chennai
Many historic buildings are still fully functional and host government, business or educational establishments. Chennai is home to the second largest collection of heritage buildings in the country, after Kolkata.[65]
Fort St. George
Built in 1639,
Fort St George, used to house the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly and Secretariat. Tipu Sultan's cannons decorate the ramparts of the Fort's museum. The Fort has the country's tallest flagstaff at a height of 150 feet.[66]
The fort is one of the 163 notified areas (megalithic sites) in the state of Tamil Nadu.
Chepauk Palace
Constructed in 1768, it was the first building in India constructed using the Indo-Saracenic type of architecture. It was designed by
Nawabs of Arcot. It has a total area of 117 acres with two blocks - Kalas Mahal and Humayun Mahal.[67]
Senate House
Constructed in 1879 by Robert Chisholm,[68] the Senate House is located inside the University of Madras campus and represents the Indo-Saracenic style of architecture. The main door of the Senate House opens to the Great Hall which is 150 feet long, 60 feet wide, and 50 feet high. The first Legislative Assembly of Madras met here in 1937. University convocations were also previously held here.[68]
Madras High Court
The Madras High Court is the second largest judicial building in the world next only to the Courts of London. It is a good example of the Indo-Saracenic style and was completed in 1892.[69]
National Art Gallery
The Victoria Memorial Hall built in 1906 by Henry Irwin
National Art Gallery in 1951.[71] It had about 175 collections of paintings from Rajasthan, Deccan, Tanjore, and Raja Ravi Varma, besides many bronze, wood, and ivory items from the British era. However, the art gallery is closed since 2002 as it is being renovated.[70]
Valluvar Kottam from the terrace of the exhibition hall
Valluvar Kottam
The
Thirukkural, are inscribed on the granite pillars that surround the auditorium. There is a 101-feet high temple chariot
structure with a life-size image of the poet in it. The base of the chariot shows in bas-relief the 133 chapters of the Thirukkural.
Railway stations
There are a number of railway stations of interest in Chennai, primarily built throughout the colonial era. These include the
The Chettinad region is well known for its 19th-century mansions, whose wide courtyards and spacious rooms are embellished with
Burma, crockery from Indonesia, crystals from Europe and wall-to-wall mirrors from Belgium
.
Many of these mansions were built using a type of limestone known as karai.[72] Local legend has it that the mansion walls were polished with a paste made out of eggwhites to give them a smooth texture.
Post-Independence
After Independence, the state witnessed a rise in a blend of Modern and Traditional style of architecture.[73]
Notable Post-Independence Buildings
Gandhi Mandapam
Built in 1956, the
Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu. Its total area is 18 acres and it contains an amphitheater and a museum.[74] The memorial is unique as it is modelled in the style of a South Indian temple.[citation needed
Thirukkural, considered one of the greatest works in literature of morality and ethics. The height signifies the 133 chapters of Thirukkaral. The statue is located on an island near the southernmost city of mainland India, Kanyakumari. It was constructed by Ganapati Sthapati.[77]
^Gopal, Madan (1990). K.S. Gautam (ed.). India through the ages. Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. p. 185.