Military personnel

[Full title: Socio-Religious Life of the Pallava Period: Military personnel]

Several panels in the Vaikunthaperumal temple at Kanchipuram depict war scenes. Study of these panels (fig. 18) reveals that the Pallava army comprised of different units like elephantry, cavalry and infantry. The elephants are also well ornamented and mounted with a howdah. Similarly the horses were well caparisoned and the footmen were seen having well built physique yielding sword, shield and few even wearing protective head and neck-gears. Regarding the military status of the Pallavas, some information is also known from the foreign accounts. It mentions a king of South India Che-li-Na-lo-seng-K'ia (i.e. Sri Narasimha, identified with Narasimhavarman II Rajasimha), who had sent an embassy to the Chinese court informing his intention to go in war against the Ta-che (Arabs) and the T'on-po (Tibetans) and requested him to give a name to his army, which comprised of war-elephants and cavalry^[1]. The Kuram copper plate inscription of Paramesvaravarman^[2] describes his army as consisting of “countless troops of men, horses and elephants.” Apart from the army personnel, thus depicted in the panels, some more persons could have been employed especially to look after the day to day needs of the animals and men in war like food, shelter, etc. Similarly the camp may also have comprised physicians to nurse the wounds and look after their general health.