Pallava Dynasty

The Pallavas of Kanchi were one of the most important dynasties that ruled South India. There is no consensus among historians about the origin of the Pallavas. One school of thought suggests that the Pallavas were a branch of the foreign Parthians, but there is no evidence of the Parthians migrating to South India. Another school of thought argues that the Pallavas were a branch of the Vakadakas, a Brahmin dynasty of the Deccan, but this theory is also unsupported by evidence. Another view is that the Pallavas were a local dynasty that emerged after the collapse of the Ikshvaku kingdom. According to this theory, the Pallavas were Nagas.

It is generally believed that the Pallavas were the original inhabitants of the Thondaimandalam. Thondaimandalam was a province of Ashoka's empire. 'Pallavan' is the Sanskrit form of the Tamil word 'Thondair', hence the inhabitants of Thondaimandalam were known as Pallavas. The Pallava power extended from Krishna to Kaveri. It included southern Andhra and northern Tamil Nadu.

The Pallava dynasty came to political power in the middle of the 3rd century AD. However, their heyday began towards the end of the 6th century. It was Simhavishnu (575-600) who raised the Pallava to a dominant power. He extended the Pallava power up to the Kaveri, and after Simhavishnu, about twelve kings ruled the Pallava kingdom. Prominent among them were Mahendravarman I and Narasimhavarman.

Mahendravarman I (600-630)

Son and successor of Simhavishna, Mahendravarman I was a prominent king of the Pallava dynasty. It was during his reign that the long-running Pallava-Chalukya conflict began. The Chalukya king Pulakeshi II defeated Mahendravarman and captured some territories from the Pallava kingdom. Mahendravarman was unsuccessful in confronting the Chalukya army.

Mahendravarman is known for his cultural contributions. He was a writer, singer, and sculptor. He is the author of the Sanskrit play "Matthavilasa Prahasanam". Mahendravarman is the inventor of the Pallava style of rock-cut temples. This is known as the 'Mahrenda style' in architecture. He built many Shiva and Vishnu temples in places like Tiruchirappalli, Vallam, Mahendravadi, and Arcot.

Mahendravarman encouraged painting. The Jain cave paintings at Shithanavasal (Puthu Kotta district) were created during his time. He adopted the titles 'Chitrakarapuli' and 'Vichitrachithan'. Mahendravarman, who was a Jain, is said to have later converted to Shaivism under the influence of Appar, a Shaivite saint. It is believed that.

Narasimhavarman (630-668)

Narasimhavarman, the successor of Mahendravarman, was the most powerful of the Pallava kings. A skilled warrior and general, he established dominance in South India by defeating the Chola-Chera-Pandya kings. He defeated the Chalukyas. He captured Vatapi by defeating the Chalukya king Pulakesi. In recognition of this victory, Narasimhavarman assumed the title of "Vatapikonda". He sent a naval force to assist Manavarman, who had been deposed from the throne of Ceylon. With the help of the Pallava army, Manavarman regained power.

It is believed that Narasimhavarman founded Mahabalipuram. He established a port at Mahabalipuram which grew into a major trading center. He built some temples in the capital city of Kanchi. He also built the chariot temples at Mahabalipuram. It was during the reign of Narasimhavarman that Hiuen Tsang visited Kanchi. He recorded that Kanchi was a beautiful and prosperous city.

After the death of Narasimhavarman, the Pallava kingdom began to decline. None of his successors, such as Mahendravarman II and Parameswaravarman, could save the Pallava kingdom from collapse. The last Pallava king, Aparajita, was defeated by the Chola king Aditya Chola, and the Pallava dynasty came to an end.

Pallava Temple Architecture

The Pallavas gave birth to the Dravidian style of architecture. The Pallavas began building temples from the 7th century AD. Pallava temples can generally be divided into two types; (1) rock-cut temples and (2) stone-built temples.

The seven “Ratha” temples at Mahabalipuram are the best examples of rock-cut temples. They were built by Narasimhavarman I in the 7th century. The most famous of these is the “Panchapandava Rathanas”. The largest of the five Pandava chariots is the Dharmaraja Ratha.

Two of the stone temples are of great importance: the "Seaside Temple" at Mahabalipuram and the "Kailasanatha Temple" at Kanchi. The Seaside Temple, dedicated to Shiva, was built by Rajasimha. The largest of the Pallava temples is the Kailasanath Temple. The Vaikuntha Perumal Temple at Kanchi is also very famous. Four distinct styles of temple architecture emerged during the Pallava period. These were the Mahendra style, the Mamalla style, the Rajasimha style and the Aparajita style. Each style had its own unique characteristics.