Temples of Andhradesa Art Architecture & Iconography : With Special Reference to Renandu (Cuddapah) Region

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Andhradesa, comprising the present Andhra Pradesh state, witnessed, over a period of several centuries, different art and architectural styles pertaining to temples The art and architecture of these temples were mainly influenced by the dynastic as well as regional variations Both major and minor dynasties that ruled in Andhradesa contributed their might for the development of art and architecture Chalukyas, Kakatiyas Vijayanagara rulers were the major contributors in the temple construction activity in view of the number of temples constructed and independent styles adopted. However, Rastrakutas and other minor ruling families like Telugu Cholas, Renandu Cholas, Vaidumbas, Kayasthas etc also did contributed their share in the temple building activity.

Renandu was the geographical area of the present Cuddapah, Chittoor and parts of Anantapur districts of Andhra Pradesh in India. The core region of Renandu is the present Cuddapah district. The region has become politically active and came into prominence with the rule of Telugu Cholas around sixth century AD Telugu Cholas ruled the Renandu area with their capital at Peddachappali and Pottapi later. Renandu witnessed the rule of several dynasties like the Telugu Cholas, Renandu Cholas, Vaidumbas, Rastrakutas, Kakatiyas (?), Kayasthas and Vijayanagara kings.

Although elaborate survey of the area was undertaken during the British rule itself, no specific and detailed study of the temples of the area, particularly the core area ie the Cuddapah district, was attempted by any one earlier which prompted my revered guru Dr. Rajaendra Prasad to suggest this topic for my study.

This book mainly deals with the art, architecture of the temples of Cuddapah district along with loose images and the sculptures on the wall portions of the temples in the area. For the convenience of the scholars, ground plans and adhisthana drawings are given to scale and a number of Photographs of the temples are also included. Inscriptions associated with the temples, particularly associated with the dates of the temple are also studied and referred.

For the convenience of the study, all the temples of the region are divided in to three phases i.e. Early Phase, Middle Phase and Late Phase basing not only on their available dates but also on the architectural styles. Some of the temples have dates referred to in the inscriptions while those which are not referred in the inscriptions were dated basing on the architectural elements.

Renandu has a rich variety of temple forms and surprisingly the numbers of apsidal temples are rich. From eleventh century AD onwards, the area was much influenced by the Cholanadu architecture, prior to that it was partly influenced by the western Andhra architecture. However, the Kakatiya nor the Chalukya - Hoysala temple architecture could not wield any influence over the temples of Renandu. The Renandu art and architecture is considered as an idiom of the western Andhra tradition of art and not as a particular style.

Dr. Kamalakar Gundepudi is a Graduate of Chemistry from Andhra University. He obtained his Master's Degree in 1975 from Andhra University and Ph.D in 1985 from Nagarjuna University. He is Director of Birla Archaeological & Cultural Research Institute (BACRI) Hyderabad and he is with BACRI since 1978. He did his PG Diploma in Museology from Osmania University in 1995. From the same University he obtained his P.G. Diploma in Archival Science and Manuscriptology in the year 1999. He is a recognized research guide and supervisor of Osmania University, Hyderabad and National Museum Institute of History of Art, Conservation and Museology-New Delhi for guiding Ph.D scholars in the fields of Archaeology, Museology, and allied subjects, A few scholars have obtained Ph.D degrees under his guidance. He is also a recognized examiner of Post Graduate and Doctoral level students for many universities. To his credit he has organized several National and Inter-National seminars and Work Shops as Director of BACRI on different topics. He is a well known restorer of Porcelain and Plaster of Paris objects and antiquities. He has Edited and Published several publications apart from several research articles on Archaeology and Conservation in various journals.

He has participated and directed several excavations since 1978 which include Veerapuram, Vaddamanu, Garapadu, Pudur etc. He was also trained in Under Water Exploration by National Institute of Oceanography (Goa) and participated in under-water explorations of Arabain Sea at Dwaraka and Bet-Dwaraka undertaken by National Institute of Oceanography (Goa) in collaboration with BACRI.

Studies on Art and Architecture in Andhra Pradesh have generally been confined to a single temple complex or large regions like Telangana or Rayalaseema or Andhra Pradesh as a whole Many studies based on the dynastic divisions have been carried out. Historians of Indian architecture have in recent times pointed out the inherent defects of the dynastic model used in the studies on Indian art and architecture. Commenting on the change in the direction of studies in Indian temple architecture, Pramod Chandra observes:

"that a regional unit has often coincided with a dynastic one may partially account for the persistent survival of dynastic nomenclature and even justify it to a limited extent, but there is now visible a shift from classification based on dynasty to one based on region, and this too would appear to be a desirable development for it is becoming abundantly clear that the style of the Indian temple is determined by conditions of time and space and not by dynastic patronage, that the traditions of a region continue and are not affected by the constantly fluctuating territories of the various dynasties, if at all we can even be certain of the exact extent of these influences".

Thus regional classification of the monuments based on stylistic criteria have been recognised now as a viable method for the study of Indian temple architecture and art. The monumental work based on the above criteria is the recent publication "Encyclopaedia of Indian Temple Architecture" S Regarding the style the editors define as follows: "organisation begins by region and period, "styles" are identified first by region, then by dynasty. Artistic traditions are taken to be rooted in a territory given shape by dynastic patronage, then spread by the course of empire. Art remains in the hands of craftsmen, however, and "style" is seen as located in a nexus between region and patronage"

Scope of the Present Study

Following the above observations, the ancient geographical division called Renandu in the Telugu Chola inscriptions from the sixth century A.D. onwards is chosen for intensive study. It is called in the inscriptions 'Renandu seven thousand'. The Cholas who ruled these parts have called themselves as the Renandu Cholas. The distribution of Renandu Chola inscriptions in the present taluks of Proddatur, Jammalamadugu, Kamalapuram, Cuddapah, Rajampet, Siddhavatam and Badvel of Cuddapah district belonging to the seventh and eighth centuries A D. has been the basis to identify this tract as Renandu. In the succeeding centuries as well, the appellation Renandu has been used in the inscriptions till the sixteenth century A.D. Hence Renandu that represents a socio-cultural and geographical unit is chosen to study the temple architecture and sculpture from the seventh to sixteenth centuries A.D.

In this region dynastic division cannot be applied because the Renandu Cholas were followed by the Vaidumbas in the eighth century A.D. till the tenth century A.D. Later the Telugu Chodas of Pottapi and Nellore, the Kayasthas of Vallur ruled in succession till the fourteenth century A.D. Imperial hegemony of the Pallavas, the Chalukyas, the Rashtrakutas, the Cholas and the Kakatiyas was a dominating feature. The extent of Renandu Chola or the Vaidumba or the other dynasties that ruled this area was constantly shifting. Hence the Renandu comprising of the modern Cuddapah district of Andhra Pradesh (India) can be considered as an unit or core area. Further a few monuments have foundation records stating the construction or renovation of the building. To call the monuments after the dynasty would not be desirable in the above situation.

**Contents and Sample Pages**