APRIL, 1863.]

THE SEVEN PAGODAS.

THE SEVEN PAGODAS.

by THE REv. MAURICE PHILLIPs, LMs. The celebrated rock-cut temples at Mavalive ram, commonly known to Europeans as the “seven pagodas,” have from time to time at tracted many visitors, and called forth many notices in the journals of scientific societies as to their origin and antiquity.

by half-civilized Kurumbars, who had embraced the Jaina religion, brought to them from the tungachola and his son, after much fighting, conquered the Kurumbars, and, by way of fixing a stigma on the conquered country, changed its

north.

It is further stated that both Kulat

Mavaliveram is the name of a now small vil

name from Kurumbabhūmi to Tondamandalam,

lage situated close to the sea between Covelong and Sadras, in the vicinity of which are great masses of hill-like rocks abounding in excavations of curious temples of various shapes and sizes, with figures in high relief representing Hindu mythology. The most celebrated of these are the Rathas, a cluster of fine monolithic temples of a pyramidal shape, differing in size, and eovered with ornamental sculptures. All the sculptures are representations of Brah manical mythology, chiefly taken from the Ma

“the land of slaves;” and having cleared the forest founded the celebrated Kanchipuram (Kanjevarem) as the capital of his new kingdom. Kulattungachola was a great warrior who besides conquered the Telingana country. And

hābhārata, such as the Vāmana and Varāhā

It is evident then that Kulattungachola lived in the twelfth century of the Christian era, and as he must have conquered the Kuramba bhāmi, in which Mavaliveram is situated, either before or after the Telingana country, we cannot be far wrong in placing his conquest of the

incarnations of Vishnu; Krishna supporting the mountain of Govardhana in order to shelter his

fellowers from the wrath of Indra; the penance of Arjuna; Dronáchari and the five Pāndavas; Dharmarāja's lion-throne, and the bath of Drau padi ; Vishnu recumbent on the thousand-headed

Šesha; and Durgå's conflict with Mahishāsura. There are also figures of Brahmā, Śiva, and Ganeśa.

If the inscriptions, both in Tamil and Sanskrit,

fortunately there are two local records in Telugu among the Mackenzie MSS. which enable us to fix the date of his reign. One states

that he conquered the country in Sam. Šake 1093 (A. D. 1171), and the other records the

gift of some charities in S. S. 1065 (A.D. 1143).

former in the second half of the twelfth century A.D.

At that time the inhabitants of Mavalive

ram were Jainas, and as the sculptures show no traces of Jainaism, it may be concluded that they were not then commenced.

found on some of the rocks, and which have

Again, it is stated that Adondai (A. D.

been translated, contained dates or gave any account of the commencement of the sculptures,

1160-80) brought Brähmans from the north to be accountants in his new kingdom, the To n -

it would be easy to ascertain their age. But

dam and a la m, from which it would appear

unfortunately those inscriptions only mention the names of the Rājas or Governors in whose reign grants of land were made to the temples;

that there were no Brahmans there before.

and as those names cannot be identified with

any line of Rājas, or with any contemporary event to which a date can be attached, they af. ford no clue to the probable age of the sculp tures. There are a few scattered facts, however, in the Mackenzie MSS. which, when collected

and compared, enable us, with some degree of certainty, to ascertain their age. It is stated that before the time of Kulattunga chola and his illegitimate son Adondai, the whole district bounded on the north by the Pe nār, on the south by the Palar, on the east by the sea, and on the west by the Ghāţs, was occupied +

Now the present temples at Mavaliveram are Brahmanical. Allowing then a period of 100 years for the Brahmans to suppress Jainaism and establish their own authority, as a monu ment of which we may suppose they caused the temples to be cut, the date of their commence

ment cannot be placed earlier than the 13th century A.D. In the reign of Sundara Pändya, which ap pears to synchronize with Marco Polo’s visit to India, the Jainas were finally expelled from the Pändya country, i. e. about A. D. 1300. Now, considering the proximity of the Tondamanda lam to the Pändya kingdom, and the influence which the one necessarily exerted on the other,