Page:History of Indian and Eastern Architecture Vol 1.djvu/351

 CHAP. I. INTRODUCTORY. 33 style extend as far north as the mouth of the Krishna, and it penetrates sporadically and irregularly into the Nizam's territories, but chiefly through the Telugu speaking districts. On the west coast its natural boundary northwards is the Krishna to the Dharwar district, and thence south-east, past Vijayanagar and to the east of Sravana-Belgola and north of Mysore city westwards to the coast. Much of the Kanarese country lies to the north and west of this, and a large part of the Telugu area is to the north of it ; but, of course, examples of the style are to be found beyond this line, and of other styles within it. At Elura in latitude 20 N. we have it, but this is most probably due to the Rashtrakuta kings having employed architects from their capital of Malkhed, 200 miles to the south. It took no permanent root there, however, while the reflex wave brought the northern styles into Mysore or other southern countries, where their presence was as little to be expected as that of the Dravidian so far north. Although considerable progress has lately been made in the right direction, no satisfactory solution has yet been arrived at of the problem of the origin of the Dravidians. So far as history is concerned, in such glimmerings of tradition as we possess, at the earliest time at which we find any mention of them the most civilised and important of their communities occupied the extreme southern point of the peninsula. 1 North of them all was forest, but between the Christian Era and the Muhammadan invasion we find the jungle gradually disappearing, and the southern races pushing northwards, till, in the I4th century, they were checked and driven back by the Moslim. Till we know more about the origin of these Dravidian races, however, it seems expedient for the present to assume that the Tamil-speaking races are practically aboriginal. As far back as their traditions reach, we find the Dravida Deja, or southern part of India, divided into kingdoms or states, of which three are frequently mentioned the Pandyas, the Cholas, and the Cheras, 2 forming a little triarchy of powers, not often interfered with by the other nations of the peninsula, nor interfering with those beyond their limits. During the greater part of their existence their relations of war and 1 See H. H. Wilson's historical sketch in the 'Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society,' vol. iii. (1836), p. 199 et seqq. 2 In Aroka's second edict reference is made to Chola, Pandya, Satiyaputra, Keralaputra and Ceylon ; and, as Kerala is well known as the name of the Chera country, we have here mention of all three states together with ' Satiyaputra,' which may possibly be that of the JTatakarnis of Banavasi. The Ajoka inscriptions discovered in 1892 in Mysore are indicative of the wide influence of that emperor.