Question

The foundation of the Dravidian style of architecture in South India was led by _______________.
a. Pandyas
b. Pallavas
c. Cholas
d. Chalukyas of Kalyani

Answer 1

Hint:
 At the peak, this dynasty was considered the patronage of beautiful architecture, leaving behind glorious figures and sanctuaries and temples, setting up the establishments of archaic South Indian engineering. This dynasty existed between 275 AD and 900 AD, with a major chunk of South India falling under its benevolent rule.


Complete answer:
In Hindu temple architecture, Dravidian architecture or the South Indian temple style is an architectural idiom that originated in the southern portion of the Indian subcontinent or South India and in Sri Lanka, reaching its final shape in the sixteenth century. It is seen in Hindu temples, and the most distinctive distinction from northern Indian styles is the use of a shorter and more pyramidal tower called a vimana over the garbhagriha or sanctuary, where the north has taller towers, called shikharas, typically bending inwards as they rise. The bulk of the existing structures are situated in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, the southern Indian states.

The soonest instances of Pallava developments are rock-cut sanctuaries dating from 610 – 690 CE and auxiliary sanctuaries between 690 – 900 CE. The best achievements of the Pallava design are the stone cut Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, including the Shore Temple. This structure incorporates both unearthed pillared lobbies, with no outer rooftop aside from the normal stone, and solid sanctuaries where the characteristic stone is completely removed and cut to give an outside rooftop. Early sanctuaries were generally committed to Shiva.


Hence, the correct answer is option B.

Note:
Contrary to the prevalent impression of the prosperous Cholas empire pioneering the construction of large temple complexes, it was the Pallavas who after starting construction of rock-cut temples without using mortar, bricks, etc., not only pioneered the construction of large temples. The Thiruppadagam and Thiru Ooragam temples, which have 28 and 35 feet (11 m) high depictions of Lord Vishnu in his Pandava Dhoothar and Trivikraman forms of himself, are examples of such temples. By contrast, the Siva Lingams are 17 and 18 feet (5.5 m) high in the Royal Temples of the Cholas at Thanjavur and Gangaikonda Cholapuram.