Raths at Mahaballipuram

Raths at Mahaballipuram

Pallava Dynasty, 7th Century CE

        One of the greatest dynasties of South India was the Pallava Dynasty (6th -8th Century CE ). They were the contemporaries of the Chalukya Dynasty of Karnataka.  There were incessant wars between the two dynasties for 300 years. Not only the Royal egos, but also the fertile lands of the Tungabhadra region caused these wars.  While the Pallavas wanted to expand their kingdom north westward, the Chalukyas wanted to capture the Tamil lands to the south and to have the hegemony of the sea. 

         Mahaballipuram is one of the most ancient ports of India. Plinny the Yonger, the famous Roman historian mentions the Indian ports of Baruch and Mahaballipuram in his book on Ports of the World. The Romans had strong trade ties with South India, so much so, that under Emperor Tiberius, the Roman Senate passed laws against import of import of exotic Indian animals and cotton textile.  This is one of the first examples of protectionism in global market. 

         Mahaballipuram was a thriving port city. But these temples called "Raths" were left unfinished. Five monolithic temples were carved out of s single hill. Here we see three of them. Although these Raths are named after the Pandav brothers, but the Pandavas never came this far to the south. Interestingly each temple is carved in different style. The first one, a Durga Temple has a hatched roof structure.  The long building we see here in this picture is like a long gallery from Ajanta Caves.  The Shiva temple, we see in the foreground, is built in the Dravidian style. Like Pattadakal in Karnataka, here the architects were experimenting with different styles of architecture.  This not only proves the dexterity, but also reveals the myriad  imagination of the Pallava architects. The adventurous spirit of the Pallavas is reflected both in their art and in their seafaring to the East Indies. The Pallava spirit or the Tamil spirit is indomitable.