Introduction

• Pallavas first appear as a reigning dynasty around the middle of the third century A.D., in the southern and south-eastern parts of the Andhra Empire.

• Early Pallava inscriptions are in Prakrit and in a script resembling that of the Nasik cave inscriptions of Gautamīputra Śrī Yajña Śātakarni.

• Scholars like Rai Bahadur V. Venkayya suggest the Pallavas were the immediate successors of the Imperial Andhras in Dakṣiṇāpatha, but this is insufficient evidence to conclude their direct succession in the Kṛṣṇa region.

• The Pallavas seem to have succeeded the Andhrabhṛtyas in Vanavāsa and the Ikṣvāku dynasty in Southern Andhradesa.

• The Pallavas played a significant role in the history of Ancient India, paralleling the Guptas and Vākāṭakas in the South.

• The Pallavas were the first dynasty to introduce Sanskrit into South India.

• Like the Imperial Guptas, the Pallavas called themselves Paramabhagavatas, devout worshippers of Bhagavat Vishnu, though some of their symbols indicated strong leanings towards Shaivism.

• The Pallavas established Vishnuism as the state religion in the South, similar to the Guptas in the North.

• The Pallavas left a lasting impact on Vedic Brahmanism in South India, as the Guptas did in North India, imprinting Vishnuism on the culture.

• The Pallavas beautified the South with sculpture and architecture, just like the Vākāṭakas and the Guptas in the North.

• They established a new system of Brahmanism, which became common to both the South and the North of India.

• The Pallava capital, Kāñcīpura, became a sacred city, often referred to as the Varanasi of the South, and one of the seven holy cities of Ancient India.

• The Pallavas continued the work of the Imperial Andhras, Andhrabhṛtyas, and Śrīparvatiyas, establishing a cultural affinity between the North and the South.

• This cultural unity contributed to the national unity of Bharatavarsa, joining Aryavarta and Dakṣiṇāpatha (between the Setu and the Narmada).

Sources for the Early History of Pallavas

• The materials for the early history of the Pallavas of Käñci are primarily their own inscriptions engraved on copper-plates.

• These inscriptions fall into three groups, each representing an epoch in the early history of the Pallavas.

• The earliest group consists of charters written in Prakrit and in Kharosthi characters, resembling the Nasik cave inscriptions of Vasisthiputra Śrī Pulumāvi II and Gautamiputra Śrī Yajñaśātakarṇi.

• Important records in this group include the Mayidavolu plates of Yuvamaharaja Śivaskandavarman, the Hirahadagalli plates of Śivaskandavarman, and the British Museum plates of Carudēvi, Queen of Vijaya-Buddhavarman.

• According to Rao Bahadur H. Krishna Sastri, these Prakrit charters likely belong to the beginning of the fourth century A.D., but they are likely from the latter half of the third century A.D.

• The second group of inscriptions is written exclusively in Sanskrit, belonging to a period later than the Prakrit inscriptions.

• The earliest of these Sanskrit records is a grant of Vijaya-Skandavarman from the thirty-third year of his reign.

• Another significant record is the Yuvamaharaja Vişnugõpavarman grant, dated in the reign of Maharaja Simhavarman.

• A fragmentary copper-plate inscription of an unknown donor, found at Darsi in Nellore district, also belongs to this period.

• The following records belong to the reign of Simhavarman II, the son and successor of Vişnugõpavarman, including the Omgodu (II set), Pikira, Mängadür, and Vilavețți copper-plate grants.

• There is also the Curā copper-plate grant of Vijaya Vişnugõpavarman from Narasaraopeta taluk, Guntur district.

• Some scholars consider this record spurious, while others regard it as a copy of an earlier charter.

• Another record from Cendalūru in Ongole taluk, Guntur district, written in a more modern style and characters, belongs to this period.

• These Sanskrit inscriptions range from the fourth to the first half of the sixth century A.D.

• There are ten major Sanskrit records from this period, including the Omgodu (I set), Darsi fragment, Uruvapalli, Omgodu (II set), Pikira, Mangalür, Vilavețți, Curā, Udayēndiram, and Cendalūru copper-plate grants.

• The third group consists of inscriptions written partly in Sanskrit and partly in Tamil, belonging to the seventh century and later.

• These inscriptions span three centuries, from roughly the seventh to the ninth century.

• Key records from this group include the Väyalür Pillar inscription of Narasimhavarman II (Rajasimha), the Käsakudi, and the Veltürpalayam plates of Vijaya Nandivarman I.

• There are also two stone pillar inscriptions written in Sanskrit, which are outside the three groups mentioned.

• These inscriptions are found at Amaravati on the Krishna and Cezerla in Narasaraopeta taluk.

• These inscriptions provide information about the kings of the second and third periods of the Sanskrit charters and shed light on the obscure period of Pallava history from the middle of the fifth to the beginning of the seventh century.

• The Pallava dominion over the Southern Andhra country likely began around the middle of the third century A.D. and lasted until the third decade of the seventh century.

• This rule, however, seems to have been interrupted at times.

• The period being discussed is primarily concerned with the early Pallava history during the third to seventh centuries.