Satish Chandra Test: Chola Empire- 1

The assemblies mentioned in the Pallava inscriptions include the sabha, which was an assembly of Brahmin landowners. This assembly functioned through subcommittees that looked after irrigation, agricultural operations, making roads, local temples, and so on. There was a village assembly found in areas where the landowners were not Brahmins. And the nagaram was an organization of merchants.

The Pallavas had a well-organized administrative system. The King provided land grants to the temples known as Devadhana and also to the Brahmans known as Brahmadeya.

Land tax was the primary source of government revenue. The Brahmadeya and Devadhana lands were exempted from tax.

Learning: Traders and artisans such as carpenters, goldsmiths, washermen, oil pressers, and weavers paid tax to the government. The Pallava inscriptions throw much light on the village assemblies called sabhas and their committees. They maintained records of all village lands, looked after local affairs, and managed temples.

By the 7th century, Mahabalipuram was a port city of the South Indian dynasty of the Pallavas. It has a group of sanctuaries, which was carved out of rock along the Coromandel Coast in the 7th and 8th centuries: rathas (temples in the form of chariots), mandapas (cave sanctuaries), giant open-air rock reliefs such as the famous Descent of the Ganges and the Shore Temple with thousands of sculptures to the glory of Shiva.

The group of monuments at Mahabalipuram has been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Mahendravarman I converted to Saivism which led him to build a Shiva temple at Tiruvadi. He was a great builder of cave temples. The Mandagapattu inscription hails him as Vichitrachitta who constructed a temple for Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva without the use of bricks, timber, metal, and mortar. His rock-cut temples are found in a number of places like Tiruchirappalli. His title, Chitrakarapuli, reveals his talents in painting. He is also regarded as an expert in music. The music inscription at Kudumiyanmalai is ascribed to him.

Pallava age was a great age of temple building.

It was a gradual evolution starting from the cave temples to monolithic rathas and culminated in structural temples.

The development of temple architecture under the Pallavas can be seen in several stages, which started with Mahendravarman I introducing rock-cut temples.

This style of Pallava temples are seen at places like Mandagappattu, Mahendravadi, Mamandur, Dalavanur, Tiruchirappalli, Vallam, Siyamangalam and Tirukalukkunram.

Mahendravarman, one of the greatest of the rulers of the Pallava dynasty, was fond of painting and is said to have commissioned a scholar at his court to pen down an instruction manual for painters, which is a treatise on South Indian paintings called Dakshinachitra.

Unfortunately, it has been lost in the course of time.

Mahendravarman I gave himself the title of ‘Vchitrachitta’ (the man with new ideas).

Once the capital of the Pallava dynasty, Kanchipuram was also a noted center of learning for Tamil and Sanskrit scholars. Dinganaga, a Buddhist writer, came to study at Kanchi.

It hosts many temples dedicated to Shiva and Vishnu.

Kanchi was also the home of the famous 6th century CE poet Bharavi, who wrote the Kiratarjuniya and the famous 11th to 12th century CE Hindu philosopher Ramanuja.

Still an important religious center, the site has over 100 temples and is also noted for its production of fine silk saris.

The early Pallava rulers from 250 AD to 350 AD issued their charters in Prakrit. Important among them were Sivaskandavarman and Vijay Skanda varm an.

The second line of Pallava rulers who ruled between 350 AD and 550 AD issued their charters in Sanskrit.

Chinese visitor Huen Tsang visited Chalukya in the reign of Pulikeshi II.

• The Chalukya administration was highly centralized, unlike that of the Pallavas and the Cholas. Village autonomy was absent under the Chalukyas.
• The Chalukyas had great maritime power. Pulakeshin II had 100 ships in his navy. They also had a small standing army.
• The village administration was carried on by the village headman in the Rashtrakuta administration. However, the village assemblies played a significant role in the village administration.