________________
APRIL, 1863.]
THE SEVEN PAGODAS.
107
"THE SEVEN PAGODAS.
BY THE REV. MAURICE PHILLIPS, L.M.S. The celebrated rock-cut temples at Mavalive- by half-civilized Kurumbars, who had embraced ram, commonly known to Europeans as the the Jaina religion, brought to them from the "seven pagodas," have from time to time at- north. It is further stated that both Kulattracted many visitors, and called forth many tungachola and his son, after much fighting, notices in the journals of scientific societies as conquered the Kurumbars, and, by way of fixing to their origin and antiquity.
a stigma on the conquered country, changed its Mavaliveram is the name of a now small vil- name from Kurumbabhúmi to Tondamandalam, lage situated close to the sea between Covelong | "the land of slaves ;” and having cleared the and Sadras, in the vicinity of which are great forest founded the celebrated Kanchipuram masses of hill-like rocks abounding in excavations (Kanjevarem) as the capital of his new kingdom. of curious temples of varions shapes and sizes, Kulattungachola was a great warrior who with figures in high relief representing Hindu besides conquered the Telingana country. And mythology. The most celebrated of these are fortunately there are two local records in the Rathas, a cluster of fine monolithic temples Telugu among the Mackenzie MSS. which of a pyramidal shape, differing in size, and enable us to fix the date of his reign. One states covered with ornamental sculptures.
that he conquered the country in San. Sake All the sculptures are representations of Brah- 1093 (A. D. 1171), and the other records the manical mythology, chiefly taken from the Ma- gift of some charities in S. Ś'. 1065 (A.D. 1143). hâbhârata, such as the Vâmana and Varâhâ It is evident then that Kulattangachola lived incarnations of Vishnu; Krishna supporting the in the twelfth century of the Christian era, monntain of Govardhana in order to shelter his and as he must have conquered the Kurambafollowers from the wrath of Indra; the penance bhumi, in which Mavaliveram is situated, either of Arjuna ; Dronachari and the five Pandavas; before or after the Telingana country, we cannot Dharmaraja's lion-throne, and the bath of Drau- be far wrong in placing his conquest of the padi ; Vishņu recumbent on the thousand-headed former in the second half of the twelfth century Šesha; and Durga's eonfliet with Mahishasura. A.D. At that time the inhabitants of MavaliveThere are also figures of Brahma, Śiva, and ram were Jainas, and as the sculptures show no Ganesa.
traces of Jainaism, it may be concluded that If the inscriptions, both in Tamil and Sanskrit, 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 1160-80) brought Brâhmans from the north to account of the commencement of the sculptures, be accountanta in his new kingdom, the Tonit would be easy to ascertain their age. But da mandalam, from which it would appear unfortunately those inseriptions only mention that there were no Brahmans there before. the names of the Rajas or Governors in whose Now the present temples at Mavaliverim are reign grants of land were made to the temples; Brahmanical Allowing then a period of 100 and as those names cannot be identified with years for the Brâhmans to suppress Jainais any line of Rajas, or with any contemporary and establish their own anthority, as a monuevent to which a date can be attached, they af- ment of which we may suppose they caused the ford no clue to the probable-age of the sculp- temples to be out, the date of their commencetures. There are a few scattered facts, however, ment cannot be placed earlier than the 18th in the Mackenzie MSS. which, when collected century A.D. and compared, enable us, with some degree of In the reign of Sundara Pandya, which apcertainty, to ascertain their age.
pears to synchronize with Marco Polo's visit to It is stated that before the time of Kulattunga- India, the Jainas were finally expelled from the chola and his illegitimate son Adondai, the Påndya country, i. 6. about A. D. 1800. Now, whole district bounded on the north by the Pe- considering the proximity of the Tondamandanår, on the south by the Palar, on the east by the lam to the Pandya kingdom, and the influence sea, and on the west by the Ghâte, was occupied which the one necessarily exerted on the other,
