PALLAVAS

PALLAVAS


Introduction to Pallavas Chalukyas etc. The history of the region south

of the Vindhyas between 300 and 750 A.D. constitutes a water-shed.

After the collapse of the Satavahanas, Ikshvakus rose to power in the

Krishna-Guntur region. They were supplanted by the pallavas. In

northern Maharashtra and Vidharba the Satavahanas were succeeded

by the Vakatakas. They in turn, were followed by the Chalukyas of

Badami. After two centuries they were overthrown by their

feudatories, the Rashtrakutas in 757 A.D.

During the period review, the region south of the Vindhyas witnessed

the march of Brahmanism. In early stages, extensive Buddhist

monuments came into existence. A little later Jainism came to prevail

in Karnataka. And the peninsula, as a whole saw the emergence of a

stone temple for Shiva and Vishnu in Tamilnadu under the Pallavas,

and in Karnataka under the chalukyas of Badami. In a way, south

India ceased to be the land of megaliths inearly 4th century A.D.

Along with religion, the language of the rulers and the literate class

witnessed a transformation. From about 400 A.D. Sanskrit became the

official language of the peninsula.

The history of the pallavas illustrate three characteristics the L.C.Ms.

of Indian history till the 17th century: wars with neighbouring States,

controversial neature of historical material, and royal patronage of

literature and arts.

ORIGIN

Very little reliable information on the origin of the Pallavas is available.

They appear to have intruded into the south. Katyayana (fourth

century B.C.) mentions the Pandyas and the Cholas, but not the

Pallavas, Ashoka (third century B.C.) refers to the Cholas, the Pandyas

and Keralas, but not the Pallavas.

The Pallavas were a branch of the Pahleves of Parthians is the opinion

of some scholars, like father Heras; but there is no positive evidence

for the Phalava migration into the south.

That Pallavas were an indigenous dynasty which rose to power after

the dismemberment of the Andhra empire, is another thesis. Probably

their leaders gathered around them selves the Kurumbas, the

Moravars, the killers and other predatory tribes in order to form one

Wherever you go, go with all your heart. 17/26

great community. According to srinivas Aiyangar, the Pallavas

belonged to the anciert Naga people who them selves were composed

of a primitive Negri, an element of Australisian and the later mixed

race. To start with they lived in the Tondaimandalam districts around

Madras. Later, they conquered Tanjore and Trichinopoly districts. The

Pallavas recruited their troops from the martial tribute of pallis of

Kurumbas. The Pallavas were the hereditary enemies of Tamil Kings.

Even now the term palava means a rogue in Tamil language; and a

section of the Pallavas who settled in the Chola and pandya countries

came to be known as kallar or thieves. All these people doubtless

belong to a Naga race.

The third is that the Pallava dynasty emerged and owed its origin to a

Chola prince and the Naga princess of Manipallavam an is land near

Ceylon. According to this theory, the son born out of the wedlock was

made the king of Tondaimandalam by his father, and the dynasty was

so named after his mother's home land. Dr. Krishnaswamy Aiyangar

argues that the Pallavas are mentioned as Tondaiyar in the literature

of the Sangam era and that they were descended from the Naga

chieftains but owed allegiance to the Satavahana kings. But this

theory, too, is doubtful because of their continual fight with the cholas

and their striking northern character as compared to the Cholas.

Dr. K.P.Jayaswal argues that the pallavas were a branch of the

Brahmin dynasty of the Vekatakas. Except for their early copperplate

charters which are in Prakrit. All the other epigraphich records are in

Sanskrit. Hiuen-Tsang says that their language and literature differed

very slightly from that of northern India. The Talagunda inscription,

however. States that the Pallavas were Kshatriyas.

POLITICAL HISTORY of PALLAVAS

The first important ruler was Siva Skandavarman who performed an

Aswamedha and other Vedic sacrifices. His capital was kanchi.

Samudragupta forced the pallava king, Vishnugopa, to acknowledge

the Gupta suzerainty. And the story of the Pallavas in the 5th and 6th

centuries is very sketchy.

By end of the sixth century the Pallavas re-emerged on the scene.

Simhavishnu (575 to 600 A.D.) captured the territory of the Cholas

and humbled the pride of his neighbours including Ceylon. He was

ovavaishnava faith as borne out by the magnificent reliefs representing

Simhavishnu and two of his consorts in the Varsha cave at

Mamallpuram.

Wherever you go, go with all your heart. 18/26

With Mahendravarman I, the son and successor of Simhavishnu, began

thetitanic tripartite struggle with the Chalukyas of Vatapi and the

Cholas. The Chalukya king, Pulakesin II, captured Kanchi. Pulakesin II

won the pitched battle fought at Pullalur, fifteen miles north of Kanchi.

However, Narsimhavaram I, the son and successor of

Mahendravarman I, defeated pulskesin II in many battles and probably

killed pulakesin himself. He also defeated the Cholas, the Cheras and

the pandyas. He even sent two naval expeditions to Ceylon and placed

his protégé on the throne of Ceylon. Narasimhavarman I was a great

builder too. Mamallapuram was embellished during his time. Hiuen-

Tsand visited his kingdom. He states that the soil was fertile and

produced abundance of grain; flowers and fruits were many precious

gems and other luxury articles were known; and the people were

courageous and greatly attached to learning, honestry and truth.

Narasimhavarman II. He too, fought with the chalukyas. He was

succeeded by Paramesvaravarman I in whose reign Vikramadhitya I of

the Chalukyas, in alliance with the Pandyas, renewed the hostilities. He

probably captured the city of Kanchi. Later, Paramesvarvarman I

defeated Vikramadhity II. The Pallava records claim that the Chalukya

pattack was hurled back.

Yet, as we know, the Chalukyas once again swept through the Pallava

dominions under the captainship of Vikramaditya II in the 8th century,

A.D. Nandivarman was defeated and Kanchi was captured. By then,

the Pallavas faced a serious challenge from the rising dynasties of the

south. The Pandyas advanced along the banks of Kanchi. The last nail

in the coffin was driven by Aditya Chola who defeated Aparajita Pallava

and took possession of his kingdom towards the end of the 9th century

A.D.

The Chalukya victory over the Pallavas in 740 A.D. was the beginning

of the end of the Pallavas supremacy. The Cholas, in alliance with the

Pandyas, defeated the Pallavas by the close of the 9th century. Very

soon even the Chalukyas collapses but the Pallavas: chiefs continued

to exist till the end of the 13th century. After the 17th century. All

traces of the Pallavas as a distinct community of clan disappeared; but

the Kallar, Palli and Vellala castes trace their origir origin from them.

NOTE ON CHALUKYA-PALLAVA CONFLICT

The Chalukya-Pallava war began with Pulkasin II and ended with the

collapse of both the dynasties singnificantly, the power that rose

Wherever you go, go with all your heart. 19/26

thereafter, the Rushtrakutas and the cholas, continued the same sort

of struggle. This was because the Chalukya-Pallava struggled was to a

great extent determined by the geographical loation of the Chalukya

and Pallava kingdoms.

After the first bout was over, the Pallavas agenged their defeat during

the days of Narasimhavarman I. He captured the lost territories. In

thie he was assisted by the king of Ceylon. He entered the capital of

Bademi in 642 A.D. and assumed the title of Vatapikonda, that is, the

conqueror or Vatapi.

After that, for the next tweleve years there was a respite; the Pallavas

were involved in naval wars while supporting the Ceylonese kings, and

the Chalukyas were troubledby their feudatories, Afther the Chalukyan

house was set in order in 655, they re-occupied the terrirtories lost to

the Pallavas. This was the third phase. Soon thej tables were reversed.

There was a rift in the Chalukyan royal family. Taking advantage of

this, the Pallavas once again entered Badami. Details of relating to this

compaign are to be found in the Pallava grant found near Kanchi. This

was th fourth phase.

The fifth phase started when the Chalukyas and the Gangas united in

731 to attack the Pallavas. The reigning Pallava king was killed and

Kanchi was occupied. Later, the council of ministers chose

Nandivarman II.

In the last phase the ball was in the the court of Pallavas. At this time,

the neighbours of the Pallavas in the south, that is, the Pandays,

Joined the conflict. The Pandyas of Madura were not well disposed

towards the Pallavas. In the meantime the Chalukyas wre threatened

by the Arabs, the latter already being in occupation of Sing. While the

Chalukyas were engrossed in the threat from the north, one of their

feudatories Dantidurga, broke away from the but they, too, within a

century ment their end, the last of the Pallavas was assassinated by

the son of a feudatory.