Advanced International Journal for Research

E-ISSN: 3048-7641   •   Impact Factor: 9.11

A Widely Indexed Open Access Peer Reviewed Multidisciplinary Bi-monthly Scholarly International Journal

Call for Paper Volume 7, Issue 5 (September-October 2026) Submit your research before last 3 days of October to publish your research paper in the issue of September-October.
Submit Research Paper Join as a Reviewer

Plagiarism is checked by the leading plagiarism checker TurnItIn

Call for Paper

Volume 7 Issue 5
September-October 2026

Submit your research paper

Indexing Partners
Academia Advanced Sciences Index Bielefeld Academic Search Engine CiteSeer DRJI Google Scholar Independent Search Engine & Directory Network ISI (International Scientific Indexing) Issuu Mendeley Research Networks
RefSeek ResearcherId - Thomson Reuters ResearchGate Scirus Scribd Semantic Scholar Wiki for Call for Papers WorldCat Zenodo

Revisiting Mandagapattu: A Historical Study of an Early Pallava Cave Temple

Author(s) Mr. Balasubramani S, Dr. Vaishnavi .S
Country India
Abstract The Mandagapattu cave temple occupies an important position in the history of early Pallava architecture. Situated in present-day Villupuram district of Tamil Nadu, the monument is associated with Mahendravarman I of the early seventh century CE. Its historical significance is enhanced by the survival of a Sanskrit inscription in Grantha characters, which records the creation of a shrine associated with Brahma, Isvara and Vishnu without the use of brick, timber, metal or mortar. The inscription provides important evidence concerning royal patronage, religious dedication and constructional practice during the Pallava period. This study examines the historical background, inscriptional evidence, architectural arrangement and religious significance of Mandagapattu. It also places the monument within the wider development of the rock-cut caves associated with Mahendravarman I. Published epigraphical and archaeological studies form the principal sources, while recent student architectural documentation is used only as supplementary evidence for the surviving plan and measurements of the cave. Particular attention is given to distinguishing the information directly established by the inscription from interpretations proposed by later scholars. The study argues that Mandagapattu represents an important phase in the development of Pallava rock-cut architecture. Its historical importance rests upon the close relationship between royal patronage, religious dedication, constructional practice and surviving architecture rather than upon an unquestionable claim that it was the earliest rock-cut temple in South India.
Keywords Mandagapattu; Mahendravarman I; Pallavas; Rock-Cut Architecture; Vichitrachitta; Epigraphy.
Field Sociology > Archaeology / History
Published In Volume 7, Issue 5, September-October 2026
Published On 2026-10-24
View / Download PDF File

Share this



E-ISSN 3048-7641
CrossRef

CrossRef DOI is assigned to each research paper published in our journal.

AIJFR DOI prefix is
10.63363/aijfr

Downloads
Research Paper Format Copyright Permission Form and Undertaking Form Cover Page Vol 7 Isu 6Cover Page Vol 7 Isu 4Cover Page Vol 7 Isu 3

All research papers published on this website are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, and all rights belong to their respective authors/researchers.

CC-BY-SA Open Access

About AIJFR
Fees & Payment
Current Issue
Publication Archive 		Submit Research Paper
Track Submission Status
Publication Guidelines
Publication Ethics
Peer Review & Plagiarism 		Join as a Reviewer
Editors & Reviewers
Reviewer Referral Program
Get Reviewer Membership Certi. 		Website/Journal Policies
Usage Policy
Content Policies
Privacy Policy
Contact Us +91-9898-79-39-59 editor@aijfr.com