Pallava art and architecture

The first stone and mortar temples of South India were constructed during Pallava rule and were based on earlier brick and timber prototypes.

[1][2][3] Starting with rock cut temples, built between 695AD and 722AD, and archaeological excavations dated to the 6th century and earlier.

[4][5] Pallava sculptors later graduated to free-standing structural shrines which inspired Chola dynasty's temples of a later age.

During this period free-standing monolithic shrines called rathas (chariots) were constructed alongside pillared halls.

[9] The Rajasimha group encompasses the early structural temples of the Pallavas when a lot of experimentation was carried out.