evolving the political iconography of the Cholas through the stupendous
royal temple projects, marking the zenith of the Dravida style of
architecture and allied arts. A near total identity was established between
God and the king, which enabled the sacred and temporal domains to
coincide. The bhakti ideology assisted in the process of enhancing the
power of both the divine and human sovereigns through the symbolism of
the cosmos/temple/territory.
Determination of Urban Growth Temple geography and ecology have
provided a useful method of contextualising the data on temple distribution
and its correlation with actual politico-economic integration. In the
subsequent economic diversification leading to the growth of urban centres,
the temple’s role has been significant. The character of the towns/cities was
determined by the temple, which formed the core of a settlement and its
expansion in a horizontal pattern with a remarkably clear horizontal
stratification of space for hierarchical caste and occupational groups. This
process is illustrated by both the single-temple and multi-temple complexes
of urban growth.
Cultural Importance
PROGRESS OF DRAVIDA STYLE
The study of temple art and architectural styles in the Pallava-Chola
periods (seventh to thirteenth centuries AD) has established the importance
of art history in providing additional insights into the role of the temple in
the socio-political and cultural integration of this region. Rock-cut
architecture and its allied technique of rock-carvings dominated Pallava–
Pandya art of the seventh-ninth centuries, while the structural mode
replaced it entirely by the tenth century AD on account of its potentialities
for the horizontal spread of temple sites as nuclei of agrarian settlements
and for the expansion and concentration of temple complexes in the
manifestation of urban forms and space. The Dravida style of architecture
progressed from a small, unpretentious shrine (garbha-griha) with a
moderate sized tower (sikhara) and a pillared porch (ardha-mandapa) in