Mandagappattu
| Mandagappattu | |||
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 India
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| State : | Tamil Nadu | ||
| District : | Viluppuram | ||
| Sub-district : | Viluppuram | ||
| Location : | 12 ° 7 ' N , 79 ° 28' E | ||
| Height : | 60 m | ||
| Area : | 2.58 km² | ||
| Residents : | 1,965 (2011) | ||
| Population density : | 762 inhabitants / km² | ||
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Mandagappattu , also Mandagapattu , is a village with almost 2,000 inhabitants in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu . Just outside the village is the oldest preserved rock temple from the Pallava period.
location
Mandagapattu lies at a height of almost 60 m above sea level. d. M. approx. 25 km (driving distance) north of the district capital Viluppuram or approx. 21 km southeast of Gingee . The climate is tropical and warm; Rain falls mainly in the monsoon months from July to December.
population
The inhabitants of the place are predominantly Hindus ; other faith communities are hardly represented among the rural population of southern India. The female and male proportion of the population are approximately the same.
economy
In the area around the village there is farming and some cattle breeding (chickens); In the village there are small traders, craftsmen and day laborers, but also a school and a bank.
history
With interruptions mainly due to the Chola , the dynasties of the Pandyas (capital Madurai ) and the Pallavas (capital Kanchipuram ) ruled the region for a long time , but they often delegated the actual power to regional vassals. In the 14th century, Muslim rulers briefly occupied power, which then passed to the Hindu Vijayanagar empire, which in turn had to make way for the Nawabs of Karnatik (approx. 1690–1801). In the meantime, however, the British and French fought for supremacy in the region in the Carnatic Wars (1744–1763).
Attractions
Based on an inscription, the Trimurti rock temple was commissioned by Pallava ruler Mahendravarman I (r. Approx. 600–630), to which other temples in Tamil Nadu can also be assigned. The translation of the inscription reads:
The three-portal entrance is accompanied by two larger-than-life guardian figures ( dvarapalas ) who perform their task with great elegance and serenity. The lower and the upper part of the decor-free supports are block-like, whereas the middle part has an octagonal plan; this constellation is repeated inside between the transverse rectangular vestibule ( mandapa ) and the approximately square cella ( garbhagriha ).
See also
literature
- KR Srinivasan: Cave Temples of the Pallavas. Archaeological Survey of India , 1964.
Web links
- Mandagapattu, rock temple - photos + information (English)
- Mandagapattu, Trimurti Temple (Wikipedia, English)