Rock-cut architecture and sculptures

In Indian context and especially in South India, a study of sculptural art is complete only if the architectural frame in which these sculptural elements were adorned is understood. The sculptures not only beautify the monument, but also covey to the onlooker a lot about various aspects of the contemporary society, religious beliefs and material culture of the people. A brief description of the various architectural and sculptural developments observed in the rock-cut cave temples and structural temples of the Pallava period is given below.

K. R. Srinivasan^[1] classifies the development of rock-cut architecture and sculpture under two broad groups namely: The Mahendra style and Mamalla style. The inscriptions of the period refer to these cave temples variously as ayatanam^[2], devakulam^[3], griham^[4], silabhavana^[5], giribhavana^[6], alayam^[7], dhama^[8], saivandhama^[9], etc. Many of the rock-cut cave temples of the Pallava period were patronized by the royalty and are excavated at the foot of the hill, except the Lalitankura-pallavesvara-griha at Tiruchchirappalli, which was executed in the middle of the hill. They are located in the close vicinity of an irrigation tank or river bank or a water body.

With regard to the architectural development, rock-cut temples should be considered as sculptural work on a mega scale, rather than pure structural architecture. Development in a rock-cut temple can be seen mainly in plan, elevation and various architectural components like form of pillars, pilasters and shrine cells.