THE PANDYAS
The Pandyas (c.1100-1350 AD), although were not among the great building dynasties, built several gopurams or monumental entrances to the existing temples. The earliest examples of gopurams appear during the Pandyan period in the 12th and 13th centuries. A typical gopuram consists of a building oblong in plan, rising up into a tapering tower often over 45.72 metres in height, and entered by a rectangular doorway in the centre of its long side. The Sundara Pandya gopuram, added to the temple of Jambukesvara around 1250 AD and the gopuram of the great temple at Kumbakoman (c.1350 AD) are the best examples of the gopurams of the Pandyan times. The Pandyas are also credited with the construction of the temple of Airyavatesvara at Darsuram in the Tanjore district towards the first half of the 14th century AD. |
