Sithhavarman IV; 570-580 AD

• Both Kumāraviṣṇu III and Nandivarman I seem to have died without children, as their names are not mentioned in later genealogies.

• This suggests that with the death of Nandivarman I, the line of Simhavarman III came to an end.

• From the death of Kumāraviṣṇu III (c. 548 A.D.) until the rise of Simhavarman IV (c. 570 A.D.), the history of the Pallava dynasty becomes obscure.

• Later Pallava inscriptions do not mention the immediate successors of Kumāraviṣṇu III, suggesting there was no lineal connection between Kumāraviṣṇu III and Simhavarman IV.

• Simhavarman IV is considered to be from a collateral branch of the Pallava family, unconnected to the line of Simhavarman III.

• Simhavarman IV may have seized the sovereignty of Kāñcī by defeating the Coļas in the south and hostile feudatories in the north, reviving the glory of the Pallava dynasty.

• His reign marked the beginning of nearly four centuries of Pallava rule in the south.

• The rise of Simhavarman IV shows that the Pallava dominion in Southern Andhradesa was severely crippled by the Viṣnukundins in the north and the Coļas in the south.

• During the period of 548-570 A.D., the Pallavas suffered serious reverses at the hands of the Coļas, who launched offensives to wrest the sovereignty of the south.

• It is likely that both Buddhavarman II and Kumāraviṣṇu III lost their lives in renewed conflict with the Coļas.

• Simhavarman IV rose to power after the death of Kumāraviṣṇu III and eventually occupied Kāñcīpura.

• His reign was marked by constant fighting, and it was left to his son, Simhaviṣṇu, to defeat the Coļas and restore Pallava pride, as described in the Vēlārpālayam plates.

Simhavishnu; 580-600 AD

• Simhaviṣṇu succeeded Simhavarman IV as the Pallava king.

• The Velürpālayam copper-plate inscription mentions Simhaviṣṇu’s widespread prowess and suggests that he continued his father’s victories over the Coļas and completely destroyed them.

• The inscription states that he seized the country of the Coļas, which was beautified by the Cauveri river and had fertile paddy fields and brilliant groves of areca palms.

• Simhaviṣṇu’s reign marks the third rise of the Pallava dynasty with greater glory and sovereignty after their earlier struggles.

• The Pallava dynasty had suffered under the expansion of the Coļa family, but Simhaviṣṇu‘s triumph erased the disgrace faced by Vijaya Skandavarman IV a century earlier.

• Simhaviṣṇu was a contemporary of the Western Ganga king Durvinita (c. 585-635 A.D.), known for his commentary on Kiratarjuniya by Bhāravi and his translation of Brhatkatha by Gunadhya into Sanskrit.

• Damodara, a companion of Bhāravi, was also contemporary with Durvinita and was attracted by Simhaviṣṇu’s fame. He sent a verse in praise of Simhaviṣṇu, who then invited him to his court and treated him as a son.

• Simhaviṣṇu’s successor was his son Mahendravikrama-varman I (or Mahendravarman I), one of the most illustrious kings of the Pallava dynasty.

• The accession of Mahendravarman I marks the end of the Early Pallavas and the beginning of the Later Pallavas era in their history.