Decoding the Pallava Architecture basics (5 min read)

Back to the Blog site from the Pallava Nuggets.

During our last two Pallava nuggets we spoke about comparing the Architecture across the land in Tamil Nadu.

Now to delve a bit into decoding the Pallava Architecture basics. Predominantly in Pallava temples, the vimana. The tower over the sanctum is called Vimana, which is of two types,

· kuta vimana (square shape, a.k.a. chaturasra) and

· shala vimana (rectangular shape, a.k.a. ayatasra.

Vimana (a.k.a. the tower above the garba-griha) consists of storeys (talas) with diminishing width as it moves up and is crowned with a square, circular, hexagonal or octagonal structure with a single finial called stupi (pinnacle of the temple). A cross section of vimana looks like the image below

Cross section of the Vimana - above the Garba Griha

Graduating from the rock cut temples, Pallava temple architecture reached pinnacle with vimana which were built using multiple levels of Adhithala.

The Pallava King Narasimhavarman II (a.k.a. Rajasimha) was a prolific builder who undertook Pallava architecture to it’s zenith with Kailasanatha Temple, first structural temple built during 685-705 CE, Vaikunda Perumal Temple circa 690 CE and later Shore Temple built during 700 – 728 CE.

Kailasanatha Temple at Kanchipuram - multi layered Vimana

Shore Temple at Mahabalipuram - 7 layered Vimana

Vaikunda Perumal Temple at Kanchipuram - Vimana

Drawing inspiration from nature, the great sculptor architects used this to the fullest use. Fractels, linear geometry, straight lines, curved lines, inverted cones were exploited to create magnificent poetry in stone. Here’s one such example :

The Vimana of Kailasanathar temple is progressive multiplication. A transformation from unity to multiplicity is expressed by an expanding, proliferating pattern. A single element begins a sequence of rows in which the number of elements progressively increases. The smaller shapes are aligned in a definite pattern at each horizontal level, the repetition of these shapes at each band forming a kind of garland at each level.

Use of mathematics in very highly evolved use has been found in the architecture of these temples. Vastumandala applications introduced the concept of selecting a suitable grid selected from thirty-two mandalas available of 4, 9, 16, 25…1024 squares or padas. These are given as in the image below.

This was then taken to the next level to determine the walls and the thickness around the garbhagriha where the length of wall is M and length of exterior wall is √2M.

In a later nugget we will explore the 4 methods of use of the temple structure to represent their wonderful creations. I hope you enjoyed learning more about Pallava Architecture, as much as we enjoyed sharing this with you.

Narrated by VigneshG and RamK

Research based on :

· The Visual Complexity in the Temple forms of Pallava Architecture : Jaikumar Ranganathan, Industrial Designer, PhD Research Scholar, Department of Architecture, National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirapalli, India.

· Parametrizing Dravidian Architecture, Shrushti Goud, BMS School of Architecture, Yelahanka, Bangalore, India