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Kanchipuram Is the Ancient Capital of Pallava Kingdom Is a Renowned Town Dedicated to the Presiding Deity, Sri Kamakshi

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Kanchipuram Is the Ancient Capital of Pallava Kingdom Is a Renowned Town Dedicated to the Presiding Deity, Sri Kamakshi 72 Kanchipuram is the ancient capital of Pallava kingdom is a renowned town dedicated to the presiding deity, Sri Kamakshi. It is one of the sacred cities of Hindus. Kanchipuram situated on the Chengelput – Arakkonam junction of the Southern Railway. Kanchi is 77 kms distance from Chennai. Kanchi is one of the seven holy cities of India, the other six being Haridwar, Ujjain, Varanasi, Madhura, Ayodya and Dwaraka and Kanchipuram has been a centre of great activitiy for religious leaders, among them Saint Appar and Siruthondar, are famous saints. The city has had glorious past, successively as the capital of Pallvas, the Cholas and the Vijayanagar, although while under the Pallava, it had been invaded and held for a short time by the Chalukyas of Badami and Rashtrakutas. Kanchi is one such place. It has been a seat of learning from times immemorial a center of spiritual activities and a place hailed as the temple town with more than thousand temples. This is also the place, where Lord Siva is seen in the form of Prithvi out of the five elements. Kanchipuram has been a place enriched by ancient wisdom and further strengthened by the existence of Kamakoti Pitham supposed to have been established by Adi Sankara. Hailed as Nagaresu Kanchi (city of cities) Kanchipuram stands as a monumental testimony to India’s rich culture heritage and ancient wisdom. 73 Kanchipuram is sanctified by Divinity, nourished by Nature and inspired by Spiritualism. The triple divine dispensation as manifest in the forms of Moksapuri, Prthviksetra and Saktipitham, lends sanctity to the place. Kanchipuram has always been a perennial source of knowledge expounded by a galaxy of poet’s scholars, saints, and philosophers. The sum total of wisdom acquired from Vedas and other sources needs to be properly documented, preserved and analyses for the benefit of mankind. Innumerable temples for various Gods of the Hindu pantheon are found everywhere in towns and villages of Kanchipuram. Some of them are wonderful monuments with excellent sculpture, architecture and murals. Being closely linked with Mahabalipuram by geographical proximity and historical ties Kanchipuram is imperative for a fuller appreciation of the magnitude of Pallava architecture. In this city, we find specimens of buildings that reflect not only a maturity of Pallava art, but the heightened effect on these produced by the significant contributions of the Vijayanagar and Chola rulers. The Kanchipuram temples of Siva and Vishnu represent the best in Dravidian architectural and sculptural traditions going back to the 7th century A.D. to the creation of which Pallava, Chola and Vijayanagar rulers had contributed substantially. The name of Kanchipuram is associated with a cluster of magnificent temple (and also gorgeously colored silks), constituting 74 virtually a complete record of the Dravidian architecture. The artistic excellence of the temples, coupled with its sanctity as one of the seven sacred cities of India, Kanchipuram attracts streams of visitors from the nook and corners of the world through the Year. It has been a centre of learning and culture for centuries. Buddhism and Jainism once flourished here, side by side with Hinduism. Adi Sankara, one of the famous saints of India, established his Episcopal seat (Kamakotipitam) here1. 3-1 History Kanchipuram the city of temples, is one of the reputed Muktishetras, played a dominant role on the political and cultural history of our county from as early as the third century B.C. Hiuen – Tsang, the Chinese traveler who came to Kanchipuram early in the 7th Century A.D. had seen and described the stupa, which was built by Ashoka here. Even earlier to that the pristine glory and importance of Kanchipuram is well attested to in the puranic literature. But an authentic and historical limelight of Kanchipuram is first thrown only during the Sangam period. Perumpana uppadai vividly describes Kanchipuram and its city plan, as compared to the form of the Lotus2. Kanchipuram was a reputed centre of learning, attracted students from far and beyond, right from the earlier times. Patanjali, the great grammarian of the 2nd Century B.C referred to the word "Kanchipuraka" means one associated and hailing from Kanchi. From the mention of the 75 word "Kanchipuraka" it can be conjectured that the place Kanchipuram would have been an intellectual centre, acknowledged as such by Patanjali. Mayurasarman, the founder of the kadamba dynasty came to Kanchipuram for higher studies in the reputed University called "Ghatika" Hiuen – Tsang has praised the city for its intellectual eminence3. Besides the Chola king Karikala, who according to the Tiruvalangadu copper plates, rebuilt of embellished with gold the city of Kanchi, there is yet another king whose association with Kanchi is revealed by the verse of the Sangam work called Perumpanaruppadai. It seems Kanchipuram served as his Capital. During the Pallava regime (A.D. 4th cent – 9th cent.) Kanchipuram functioned as a nucleus of all their activities. The temple building activity was in full swing during this period. They have dotted the whole of Kanchipuram and its according with cluster of monuments numbering more than thirty. Hiuen Tsang, who visited Kanchipuram during this period, enumerates some eight Deva temples, and hundreds of Sangharamas here4. Kanchipuram, continued to serve as the seat of the royal power though as secondary capital in the Chola times, owing to its earlier and traditional prominence, Vijayalaya, the founder of the imperial Chola line extended the Chola suzerainty over Kanchipuram. Though the centre of gravity of the building activity was shifted to Thanjavur during this period. Kanchipuram was not totally neglected, as is testified not only by the 76 inscriptions recording the construction and renovation of the temples, but also by the existence of the Chola temples there5. After Chola, the Pandyas, Hoysalas, Telugu – Cholas and other minor dynasties has their sway over Kanchi, for a very short period. Finally, Kampana (A.D. 1344-77) son of Bukka I of the Vijayanagar Empire supplanted the Sambuvaraya chiefs of padaividy and established their rule over Kanchipuram. During the Vijayanagar period many additions and alterations were made to the already existing temples. Supplementary to the construction of new ones. Huge prakara, high gopura, pillared mandapa are the characteristic features of the Vijayanagara architecture6. 3-2 General characteristic features of Pallava art In the South old dynasties, the Cheras, the Pandias and the Cholas declined and new ones appeared of which the chief was the Pallavas7. The Pallavas patronized learning art and temple building both cave temples and structural temples including monolithic rathas and stone carvings of mythological scenes in Mahabalipuram. Their art is essentially religious8. The temples were profusely decorated with carvings inside and outside and their design was more that of monuments, than of buildings a temple represented, so as to speak a fervent prayer to the deity9. Pallavas temple constructions were quiet new in their style from that of the temples exist prior to Pallavas. There were only temples constructed of bricks and wood in the Dravidian type of architecture. It is 77 very difficult to explain what makes the taste of one period differ from that of another. A period of elegant taste is some times followed by a reverse. But however good art and good taste are as often a matter of morality. In all the fine arts, though there may be certain definite standards of artistic merit, the opinion of respected judges undoubtedly changes with every generation. The architectural programme also obeyed consideration of political nature. For instance, the holy city of Mahabalipuram was founded by Pallava Mamalla10. When we remember the religious conflicts with which India was torn at that time and the part of the rulers played in them, we realize the importance which the kings and protectors of religion placed on religious edifices11. Almost of our rulers contributed much to the development of temple architecture and sculpture. Each of the dynasties remarkably rendered their sincere services to fine arts. Though there had been political rivalry between the ruling dynasties of different region, there had been rivalry in architectural level also. The rivalry between the Pallava and Chalukya rulers was reflected on the architectural level; the existence of two Kailasanatha one at Ellora and other at Kanchi reflects this spirit of emulation. Temples were constructed on different materials and in different structures. But the ideas behind the construction are the same. The art of ancient India, as we know it is mainly almost exclusively religious, because 78 secular works, to which frequent references are made in literature, have not survived up to our own day. In fifty century the three religions of India Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism were in keen rivalry with one another. Architecture, sculpture, and painting at that time attained a degree of technical skill which combined with aesthetic sensitivity, gave the works produced at that period, a harmony, a balance and profundity which place them on the same level as the refinements of literature and the elevation of contemporary thought12. The religious stir created by the holy saints in Pallava period makes the rulers to pay more attention on art. A detailed analysis on bhakti movement of the saints is dealt with in the forthcoming chapter. However, as the world book Encyclopedia estimate, Dravidian
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