Marvels of Temple Architecture

The most noticeable contribution to Tamil Nadu Temple architecture was made by the Pallavas, Cholas, Pandyas, Vijayanagar rulers and the Nayakas. Every one of these dynasties believed heavily in innovations and tried not to copy the style of any other dynasty. This gave the architects exposure to different types of temples. And with every passing dynasty, their mastery only grew. Ever since, people of Tamil Nadu are known to be the best Temple builders in India. The earliest temples were built uisng brick and mortar. Up till 700 AD, temples were replicated out of caves. The Pallava Kings were the first known dynasty to have given great priority to construction of temples. They also started and perfected the art of constructing temples of stone. The Cholas (900-1250 AD) have a number of monuments to their credit. The most well known temple by Cholas that still stands today is The Brihadeeswarar Temple in Tanjavur. The carvings on it are simply out of this world. The Cholas added many ornate mandpams or halls to temples and built large gopurams - towers. The high wall enclosures, gigantic towers and magnificent gateway arches were all the contribution of Pandya Dynasty and the carved pillars are the addition of Vijayanagar Dynasty. Today, thousands of temples with rising towers adorn skyline of the entire state of Tamil Nadu. Temples from the pre Christian era as well as those from the 20th century exist in this state, where the ancient rulers have made outstanding contributions to the growth of these monuments of great artistic value. The spectacular architecture of these temples indeed inspires architectural innovation.