The Shelter of Caves, Part 17
BY: SUN STAFF
Panchapandava Cave Temple, Palavaram
Feb 06, 2023 CANADA (SUN) A study of famous caves in ancient Bharat.
Cave Temple at Pallavaram
As our series on ancient caves nears conclusion, we present one final example of a man-made cave temple, with further explanation of rock-cut architecture. India is home to many ancient rock-cut shrines, referred to as cave temples because they are carved, by design, into deep rock clefts that emulate the shelter of a natural cave.
The Panchapandava Cave Temple was built in the early 7th century by Mahendravarman I, king of the Pallava dynasty. The holy site was eventually taken over by Muslims, and has now fallen to ruin.
The Panchapandava Cave Temple is located in Pallavaram (Pallavapuram).
Today it is a suburban town within the city limits of Chennai, in
Kanchipuram district. The temple ruins are located to the east of the
railway station in Pallavarm, whereas the ruins of the original
Pallavapuram village are a few km. south of the rail station. The
temple site is ancient, as evidenced by artifacts found there from the
Old Stone and Iron Age.
There
region around Pallavaram is comprised of several villages, which
constituted the earliest locale of Madras, including Mylapore. Elumbur
(Egmore), Nungambakkam, Velachery, Tiruvanmiyur, Mambalam, Tiruvotriyur,
Poonamalee Tirisulam, and Pallavaram. Valmiki, author of the Ramayana,
is said to have lived in this area. The Pallavaram Temple has long
been known as 'Panchapandava' Temple because of its association with the
five Pandava brothers, although there is no extant evidence of that
connection.
Pallavaram Hill
The
Panchapandava Cave Temple was built on the southern slope of a hill,
situated amongst the excavation hills (quarry areas) east of the present
day settlement at Pallavaram. The site is one of a series of amazing
rock-cut temples constructed by King Mahendravarman throughout his
kingdom, others of which are found at Dalavanur, Tiruchirapalli,
Mandagapattu, Kilmavilangai, Mamandur and Tiru-kazhukunram.
The
Panchapandava Temple was constructed in typical Pallava style, with six
huge pillars in front. Cut into the mother rock was a sanctum
sanctorum featuring five cells, one for each member of the Trimurti, the
presiding deities. The two cells on the outer sides were for
subsidiary deities, whose identity is unknown. All five shrines face
south. The sanctum as a whole projects outward, carved from a
protruding section of the main rock. In the picture below, we see that
at one point, a roof covered the sanctum and a narrow porch area. As
was typically the case with Mahendra rock-cut temples, the number of
shrines correspond to the number of pillars, so that each niche would be
approached by stepping between a pair of pillars.
Panchapandava Temple Ruins
Mahendra Architecture in Rock-cut Temples
The
style of construction of the Panchapandava Cave Temple clearly marks it
as the work of Mahendravarman I, who departed from the typical style of
the day, using building materials like brick, timber, metal and mortar.
In an inscription found in the cave of Laksitayatana at Mandagappattu,
the king declares that he caused the construction of the temple for
Siva, Visnu and Brahma without the use of conventional building
materials, indicating his introduction of this new style of architecture
– rock-cut cave temples.
In
fact, many of the cave temples built by Mahendravarman were dedicated
to the Trimurti as presiding deities, and each of the divine
personalities was given an independent shrine, or niche in the rock-cut
temple. These garbha-grihas were empty in almost all cases. They did
not contain either a rock-cut linga or linga-pitha, or any other deity
form, as was commonly done in the Pandya, Muttaraiyar and Chalukyan
cave-temples.
Panchapandava Cave Temple, Palavaram
So
it is not that the Deities of Panchapandava Cave Temple were lost,
moved or destroyed by invaders, but rather the cave shrines themselves
were considered to embody the Deities. For that reason, regardless of
the fact that Muslims have now taken the cave temple over, this holy
site must still be considered a place dedicated to the worship of Lord
Brahma, Shiva and Visnu.
In
the absence of murtis or other sculptures in these rock-cut temples,
traces of lime and plaster are often found, these having been the base
upon which paintings were done. These were typically painted onto the
back walls of the garbha-griha niches, and depicted the personality to
whom the shrine was dedicated. Occasionally, the slight relief of a
pedestal cut into the base of the rear wall is found, further indicating
that the deity was depicted in stucco, or lime mortar and paint. In
some cases, a wooden panel with a carving may have been set into a niche
in the wall. Many such figural representations likely came and went
over the centuries following construction of the rock-cut temples.
The
Mahendra temples are further recognizable by the absence of other kinds
of sculptural ornamentation, even in the mandapa, except for the
dvarapalas. And in the case of the Pallavaram temple, being one of the
earliest sites, there are no dvarapalas present. Even the lotus
medallions usually carved into the top and bottom of the pillars are not
found at Pallavaram.
We
should also note that among the many fine examples of rock-cut temples
constructed by Mahendra in the area, those at Mamallapuram
(Mahabalipuram) are perhaps the most famous. One in particular – the
Panchpandava Mandapam – is often confused with the Panchapandava Cave
Temple featured in today's segment. The example at Mamallapuram
includes an unfinished monument with pillars adorned with lions, and
references to these pillars cause some confuse between the two rock-cut
sites.
Mamallapuram Rock-cut Temple
As
evidenced by the number of Trimurti temples built by Mahendravarman,
the king clearly had religious sentiments in Their direction. However,
scholars say that he also developed great affection for the Jains, and
their influence may have caused Mahendra to give up the warlike attitude
typical of the Pallava and Chola monarchs he followed, including his
father Simhavishnu, the great warrior who subdued all the kingdoms of
the south and Srilanka.
Although
a great patron of Jainism, Mahendravarman eventually converted back to
Vedism, under the influence of the saint Appar. Appar was well known for
targeting those who had been converted by the Jains, bringing them back
to the Vedic fold. So again, we see an interesting convergence of
religions in the story of this temple.
After
converting back, Mahendra went on to make great contributions to
Sanskrit forms of dramatic dance, particularly Kutiyattam. He wrote
many Sanskrit dramas based on the Ramayana, Mahabharatha and Puranas.
He is also credited with the invention of the seven-stringed Veena,
known as the parivadhini.
To
the Vaisnavas and Saivites, the hill at Panchapandava Cave Temple is
known as Panchapandava Malai. To the Muslims who have taken it over, it
is known as Maula Ka Pahad. Muslims believe that Pallavaram Hill is
home to a relic of Prophet Mohammad. In the evening during Ramadan
(called Ramzan in India), Muslim pilgrims walk to the top of the hill
where the cave temple ruins are found.
In
fact, it was originally the Sufi Muslims who invaded this area, taking
over the Panchapandava caves and turning them into a masjid for
worshipping the panjã (palm). While now being used as a Muslim dargah,
the temple ruins have unfortunately been painted and renovated beyond
recognition. Even the temple inscriptions have been obliterated. Part
of the temple cave has been closed off with mud walls. One can only
wonder how it is that the government of India and the ASI permit such
desecration of Vedic holy sites to go on. When not being used as a
dargah, or place of worship, the Muslims use the site for commercial
purposes, giving access for a fee to producers filming Tamil style
Bollywood movies. Such is the fate of Lord Brahma's abode at Pallavaram in Kali-yuga.
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