Temples of Cuddapah District

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Book Description

About the Book

The Cuddapah district is part of Rayalasima in Andhra Pradesh. The geograpical separation of this district from Southern and Deccan kingdoms led to the rise of many local rulers. Most of the temples date back to the times of Rsnadu Cholas, Different styles of temple art and architecture, particularly of the South and Deccan are noticed in places like Pottapi, Chilamkur, Pushpagiri, Mopuru, Attirala, Nandalur, Animela, Vontimitta and Gandiknta.

In this well documented and rsearched monograph, Dr. Gurumurthi traces the genesis and grouth of the temple art and architecture of the Cuddapah region. He has also attempted to study the temples of the district under one group for the better understanding of the evolution of the regional styles of art and architecture. This book is entirely the result of the authors field work and the description of the temples are mostly first available accounts.

Preface

Rayalasima, like other parts of South India, contains a number of temple complexes of different periods with notable features of art and architecture. The present day Cuddapah district, which is a part of Rayalasima, occupies the middle Pennar basin and of its tributaries surrounded by hill ranges of the Eastern Ghats thus making the region geographically independent from the other parts of the country. This geographical separation from the other parts of country led to the rise of local dynasties since the time of Renadu Cholas. This region figures in the inscriptions of fourth century A.D., and after, as Mulkinadu, Hiranya rashtra and Renadu. During the time of the later Imperial Cholas, the eastern part of the district formed a part of their kingdom as Merpakkainadu or Pottapinadu, a district of Adhirajendramandalam. When Kakatiyas and their subordinates Kayasthas wielded their power over this region, Gandikota attained importance and the whole region was under the Gaudikota sima which later formed a parrt of the Vijayanagara Kingdom.

The geographical position of the district made a barrier between the Southern and Deccan kingdoms and led to the rise of many local dynasties. These local dynasties played an important role and frequently paid their allegiance as the subordinates of the powerful dynasties of either South or Deccan. Thus this area was controlled by several succesive dynasties like Pallavas, Chalukyas of Badami, Rashtrakutas, Imperial Cholas, Chalukyas of Kalyana. Kakatiyas and Vijayanagara. Among the local dynasties, Rena du Cholas, Banas, Vaidumbas, Pottapi Cholas, Telugu Cholas of Nellore, Kayasthas and Matlis were important. Most of the rulers and their subordinates were great builders and patronised temple art and architecture. Apart from the ruling class many corporate bodies contributed their part in the maintenance of temples.

Extant remains of the temples of different periods abound in this district. The temples of Cuddapah of district date back to the time of Renadu Cholas except the one at Pottapi which is ascribed to the early centuries of the Christian era. Temple-building activity continued under the sucessive dynasties in the region upto the end of the seventeenth century A. D. Since the early medieval times the places like Pottapi, Chilamkur, Pushpagiri, Mopuru, Attirala, Nandalur, Animela, Vontimitta and Gandikota were great religious centres as well as centres of temple art and architecture. Pushpagiri has many temple complexes and a Golakimatha.

The geographical position of this part of the country and its political and cultural activities led to the evolution of a regional style in temple art and architecture. The changing political and cultural contacts of this region with the powerful dynasties of either south or Deccan, made this region a meeting point of different styles of temple art and architecture particularly of the south and Deccan.

A few scholars have attempted to study some individual monuments of this region. Dr. V. Kameswara Rao, in his book Select Vijayanagara Temples of Rayalasima, has dealt with the art and architectural features of the Chennakesava temple at Pushpagiri and the Siva temple at Rayachoti In another recent work edited by Michael Meister, Encyclopaedia of Indian Temple Architecture, the architectural features of the Agastyeswara temple at Chilamkur was included. Except a few isolated studies like this, so far, no attempt has been made to study the temples of this region under one group for the better understanding of the evolution of the regional styles of art and architecture.

The present book on the Temples of Cuddapah district is a thoroughly revised part of my doctoral thesis submitted to S.V. University in 1982. After a preliminary survey of the temples of Rayalasima region, the author has identified the importance of the Cuddapah region geographically and historically and hence selected the temples of Cuddapah district for the study of their art and architectural styles. A list of temples have been prepared after an intensive field work and survey of the temples of the Cuddapah district and also with the help of epigraphical sources, census reports and district Gazetteers. From this list of temples, about twelve temple complexes, which are helpful in tracing the genesis and growth of temple art and architecture of this region, are selected and included in this study on the basis of some significant art and architectural features. It took nearly two years to do the necessary field work involving survey and photography besides visits to temples of other styles and periods in the neighbourhood for the purpose of comparative study. This book is thus entirely the result of my field work and the descriptions of the temples are mostly the first available accounts.