Tamil Nadu temple find confirms ancient dynasty

Chennai, July 7: The Archaeological Survey of India discovered the first temple built by the legendary ruler-architects of the Rashtrakuda dynasty, dating back to the 10th century AD, when its explorers recently stumbled upon a dilapidated little place of worship at Thirumalaicheri in Vellore district, about 200 km from here.

For Tamils, who have basked in the glory of the magnificent temples built by the great Pallava, Chola and Nayak kings, the Rashtrakuda temples might come as a disappointment, but the ASI discovery has excited archaeologists who, till now, only had a few inscriptions referring to their existence. It was said that the Rashtrakuda dynasty, succeeding the Chalukyas, had ruled over stretches of what is now Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh and built the temples in Tamil Nadu in the course of cultural exchanges caused by marriage alliances. After the Guptas, the Rashtrakudas emerged as a powerful dynasty, though their origin is not clearly established.

"The Rashtrakuda temples have embellished temple architecture in Tamil Nadu. We only had inscriptions till now about their existence, but now we have found material evidence by stumbling upon this Somnatheswara temple in Tirumalaicheri," ASI superintending archaeologist K.T. Narasimhan, who is in charge of temple survey projects, told this newspaper.

He said unique decorated pillars, door jambs and Nandi sculptures decorated with bells were salient features of Rashtrakuda architecture. "One can see all these aspects in the Somnatheswara temple, which was constructed by Rashtrakuda King Krishna III. It was rebuilt by the Nayaks," he added.

He said the Rashtrakudas were the first to use decorated pillars and "vallies (rows of decorations)" at the entrance to the sanctum sanctorum. The ASI, which has undertaken a project, is also searching for the other two temples in Tamil Nadu.

According to him, besides these three temples, the Rashtrakudas have influenced the architecture of other temples in the region.
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