Solution

The Pallava period was a great age of temple building. The Pallavas introduced the art of excavating temples from the rock. In fact, the Dravidian style of temple architecture began with the Pallava rule. It was a gradual evolution starting from the cave temples to monolithic rathas and culminated in structural temples. The development of temple architecture under the Pallavas can be seen in four stages. Mahendravarman I introduced the rock-cut temples. This style of Pallava temples is seen at places like Mandagappattu, Mahendravadi, Mamandur, Dalavanur, Tiruchirappalli, Vallam, Siyamangalam and Tirukalukkunram.  The second stage of Pallava architecture is represented by the monolithic rathas and Mandapas found at Mamallapuram