Eternal India Encyclopedia

Eternal India encyclopedia

LURE - THRU THE AGES

THE PALLAVAS 575 - 800 A.D.

Overview The Pallavas patronized learning art, and temple building (both cave temples and oth- ers) including the temples and carvings at Ma- habalipuram on the south coast of Madras.

in honour of Brahma, Isvara and Vishnu. Mahendravarman was not only a patron of art but also the author of a book on music. He had a passion for titles and some of those titles were Chetthakari (Temple builder), Chirtrakarapuli (tiger among the painters), Matavilasa (addicted to enjoyment) and Vichi- trachitta (myriad-minded). Narasimhavarman I 630-668 A.D. Mahendravarman was succeeded by his son, Narasimhavarman I. He was the greatest of the Pallava rulers. He defeated Pulakesin II in three battles. He was successful in cap- turing Vatapi, the capital of Pulakesin II, and killed him. Narasimhavarman continued to occupy the southern part of the Chalukya kingdom.He assumed titles of Mahamalla and Vatapikonda or captor of Vatapi. Narasimha I also sent a naval expedition to Ceylon and was completely successful in his mission. His achievements were so great that he became supreme in the whole of south India. Narasimha built a sea beach town near Kanchi and gave it the name of Mamallapu- ram (Mahabalipuram). There are a large number of monolithic temples in that town. Mahendravarman II 668-670 A.D. Narasimhavarman was succeeded by his son Mahendravarman II. He ruled for 2 years. Paramesvaravarman 1670-695 A.D. Mahendravarman II was succeeded by his son Paramesvaravarman I. He was a follower

Chronology

(575-600) (600-630) (c.630-668) (668-670) (670-695) (695-722) (730-800)

* Simhavishnu Avanisimha * Mahendravarman I * Narasi mhavarman I * Mahendravarman II * Paramesvaravarman I * Narasimhavarman II * Nandivarman II

Simhavishnu Avanisimha 575-600 A.D. Ascended the throne by about 575 A.D. It was in his reign that the Pallavas started on their career of political and cultural achieve- ments. He is credited with the conquest of Cholamandalam. He also defeated a number of enemies including the Kalabhras. He was a patron of Bharavi. At Mahabalipuram are found the relics of Simhavishnu and his queens. He is also stated to have defeated the kings of Ceylon and three Tamil states. Mahendravarman I 600-630 A.D. Simhavishnu was succeeded by his son, Mahendravarman, who was a Jain but later on became a follower of Siva. He was a great builder and he excavated many rock-cut temples in Trichinopoly. He also built temples

of Siva. He built a temple near Kanchi dedi- cated to that god. During his reign the Cha- lukyas under Vikramaditya I captured Kanchi. Narasimhavarman II 695-722 A.D. Paramesvaravarman I was succeeded by his son Narasimhavarman II. He had a peace- ful reign, he built the Kailasanatha temple at Kanchi. Dandin, the great Sanskrit writer was a court poet. Narasimhavarman sent an emis- sary to China. He took up the titles of Ra- jasimha (Lion among kings), Agamapriya (Lover of sculptures) and Sankara bhakta (devotee of Siva). Nandivarman II 730-800 A.D. He was the next important ruler of the Pallava dynasty. During his reign, the old dis- pute with the Chalukyas started once again. Vikramaditya II captured Kanchi but the same was recovered by the Pallavas. He was cred- ited with the conquest of eastern Chalukya ter- ritory. Dantidurga, the Rashtrakuta king, was able to capture Kanchi, but he ultimately mar- ried his daughter to Nandivarman. Nandivar- man was a follower of Vishnu, during his reign he built the Muktesvara temple at Kanchi; he also performed an Ashvamedha sacrifice. Decline The Pallavas continued to rule till the end of the 9th century. Later they were over- thrown by the Rashtrakutas of Malkhed. There was an internecine war between two later Pallava rulers, Nripatunga and Aparajita. The real gain from this civil war went to the Cho- las, who succeeded them by about the begin- ning of the 10th century (K. A. Nilakanta Sastri).

Rathas - Mahabalipuram