Pallava period (Social and Cultural History)
by S. Krishnamurthy | 2017 | 143,765 words
This study examines the Social and Cultural History of the Pallava period (as gleaned through the Sculptural Art). The Pallavas (6th-9th century A.D.) mainly ruled over the Tondaimandalam (Tondai Nadu) region in the Northern part of Tamil Nadu (South-India). The Pallava dynasty ensured a golden age of architecture, arts, and spirituality and while ...
Depiction of Rings
From the study of sculptures of this period it can be construed that, rings decorating the fingers came to be depicted only from the 8th century A.D. onwards. It was in the form of a plain circular ring, without any decoration. Initially a ring can be noticed worn only in a single finger and mostly in the thumb, as can be found in a a sculpture representing king Hiranyavarman (fig. 518), in the Vaikunthaperumal temple at Kanchipuram and Vishnu (fig. 517) from Satyamangalam (Villupuram district)[1]. Sometimes it was also worn in the thumb of both the hands, as can be noticed in an image of Gana in the Sundaravaradaperumal temple at Uttiramerur (fig. 527). In some of the sculptures of 9th century A.D. like, Durga in the Jalanathesvara temple at Thakkolam (fig. 113) a ring can be seen adorning not only all the fingers of Her hand, but also the toe of Her feet.