Pallava period (Social and Cultural History)

by S. Krishnamurthy | 2017 | 143,765 words

This study examines the Social and Cultural History of the Pallava period (as gleaned through the Sculptural Art). The Pallavas (6th-9th century A.D.) mainly ruled over the Tondaimandalam (Tondai Nadu) region in the Northern part of Tamil Nadu (South-India). The Pallava dynasty ensured a golden age of architecture, arts, and spirituality and while ...

History of the Pallava Dynasty (Introduction)

The Pallavas rose to power in the Krishna -Guntur region after the fall of the Ikshvakus of Vijayapuri (circa 3rd century A.D. to mid 4th century A.D.). They moved further south and established their capital at Kanchipuram in Tondaimandalam, that forms the northern part of Tamil Nadu and ruled from there for nearly six centuries from the middle of 3rd century A.D. to the first decade of the 10th century A.D. The early Pallavas (circa 295 A.D. -610 A.D.) are known mostly from their Prakrit[1] and Sanskrit[2] charters and a solitary stone inscription from Manchikallu (Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh)[3]. The provenace of these inscriptions and the territories referred in them seems to suggest that during the initial periods, their power was concentrated in the southern parts of modern Andhra Pradesh and some parts of eastern Karnataka.

On that basis G. Jouvieu Dubreuil surmises that,

“The Pallavas reigned over an empire, which, having Kanchipuram for its capital, extended not only along the coromandel coast up to the mouth Krishna, but also to the west, in the Deccan, up to the banks of the Tungabhadra river”[4].

Later on, by the middle of the 6th century A.D. i.e., from the time of Simhavarman III (circa 540 A.D. -550 A.D.) their territory expanded towards the south and extended as far as the river Kaveri in Tamilnadu.

Regarding the territorial expansion of the Pallava empire, Dr. B. Ch. Chhabra says that:

“Tondaimandla or Tundakarashtra covered, prior to Simhavisnu, the region along the eastern coast between the mouths of the Palar and the Kistna. From Simhavisnu’s time, it expanded further northwards up to the river Godavari and in the south down to the river Kaveri. In course of their campaigns against the Pandya rulers some of the Pallava rulers of the later period advanced as far south as the river Vaigai, i.e up to Madura…but is not certain whether that part was included in the Pallava dominions”[5].

However, the presence of rock-cut cave temple viz., Lalitankura-pallavesvara-griha authored by the Pallavas at Tirichirappalli, proves the fact that the Pallava power extended up to Tirichirappalli in the south, if not Madurai. Thus the Pallavas held sway over such a vast territory, is evident from their epigraphs, which have been discovered within the limits of the dominions mentioned above.

Even though the territorial limits of the Pallava empire expanded or contracted in accordance with the waxing and waning of their power, the Tondaimandalam region formed the core area of their rule with Kanchipuram, on the northern bank of the river Palar in Chengalpattu taluk, Kanchipuram district, Tamilnadu as the capital city.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

The Mayidavolu, Epigraphia Indica, Vol. VI, pp. 84–88; Hirahadagalli, Epigraphia Indica, Vol. I, no. 1 and Gunapadeya plates, Epigraphia Indica, Vol. VIII, no. 12.

[2]:

The Omgodu (I), Epigraphia Indica, Vol. XV, pp. 249–252; Uruvappalli, Indian Antiquary, Vol. V, no. 12; Nedungaraya, Annual Report on Indian Epigraphy, no. A 2 of 1941–42; Vesanta, Transactions of the Archaeological Society of South India, 1962, pp. 85–96; Sakrepatna, Epigraphia Indica, Vol. XXXVIII, pp. 98–105; Udayendiram, Epigraphia Indica, Vol. III, pp. 142–147; Chendalur, Epigraphia Indica, Vol. VIII, pp. 233–236; Omgodu (II), Epigraphia Indica, Vol. XV, pp. 252–255; Pikira, Epigraphia Indica, Vol. VIII, pp. 159–163; Mangalur, Indian Antiquary, Vol. V, no. 15; Vilavetti, Epigraphia Indica, Vol. XXIV, pp. 296–303 and Chura plates, Epigraphia Indica, Vol. XXIV, pp. 137–143.

[3]:

Epigraphia Indica, Vol. XXXII, p. 87–90.

[4]:

Jouvieu Dubreuill, The Pallavas, Madras, 1917, Reprint 1995, p. 13.

[5]:

B. Ch. Chhabra, op.cit. 1965, p. 10.

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