Tamilnadu
Board 11th History Notes
(English)
Chapter
11. South Indian Kingdom – I Pallavas
Feature :
Notes Class
: 11th
Language :
English By
Priyanshu Thakur
Content-Learning
Objectives
Students
will acquire knowledge about
·
Origin of the Pallavas.
·
Achievements of Mahendravarman I,
Narasimhavarman I and Rajasimha.
·
Administration of the Pallavas.
·
Education and Literature under the
Pallavas.
·
Art and architecture of the Pallavas.
Ø Introduction:
After the decline of the Sangam Age
in the Tamil country, the Kalabhra rule lasted for about 250 years. Thereafter,
the Pallavas established their kingdom in Tondaimandalam with its capital at
Kanchipuram. Their rule continued till Tondaimandalam was captured and annexed
by the Imperial Cholas in the beginning of the tenth century A.D.
Ø Origin of The Pallavas:
There are different views on the
origin of the Pallavas. They were equated with the Parthians, the foreigners
who ruled western India. Another view was that the Pallavas were a branch of
the Brahmin royal dynasty of the Vakatakas of the Deccan. The third view
relates the Pallavas with the descendents of the Chola prince and a Naga
princess whose native was the island of Manipallavam. But these theories on the
origin of the Pallavas were not supported by adequate evidences.
Therefore, the view that the
Pallavas were the natives of Tondaimandalam itself was widely accepted by
scholars. They are also identical with the Pulindas mentioned in the
inscriptions of Asoka. When Tondaimandalam was conquered by the Satavahanas,
the Pallavas became their feudatories. After the fall of the Satavahanas in the
third century A.D., they became independent. The Pallavas issued their earlier
inscriptions in Prakrit and Sanskrit because of their Satavahana connections,
and also patronised Brahmanism.
Political History
The early Pallava rulers from
250 A.D. to 350 A.D. issued their charters in Prakrit. Important among them
were Sivaskandavarman and Vijayaskandavarman. The second line of Pallava rulers
who ruled between 350 A.D. and 550 A.D. issued their charters in Sanskrit. The
most important ruler of this line was Vishnugopa who was defeated by
Samudragupta during his South Indian expedition. The rulers of the third line
who ruled from 575 A.D. to their ultimate fall in the ninth century issued
their charters both in Sanskrit and Tamil. Simhavishnu was the first ruler of
this line. He destroyed the Kalabhras and firmly established the Pallava rule
in Tondaimandalam. He also defeated the Cholas and extended the Pallava
territory up to the river Kaveri. Other great Pallava rulers of this line were
Mahendravarman I, Narasimhavarman I, and Narasimhavarman II.
Ø Achievements of Mahendravarman I, Narasimhavarman I and Rajasimha:
Mahendravarman I (600 – 630 A.D.)
The long-drawn Pallava – Chalukya
Conflict began during his period. Pulakesin II marched against the Pallavas and
captured the northern part of their kingdom. Although a Pallava inscription
refers to the victory of Mahendravarman I at Pullalur, he was not able to
recover the lost territory.
Mahendravarman I was a
follower of Jainism in the early part of his career. He was converted to
Saivism by the influence of the Saiva saint, Thirunavukkarasar alias Appar. He
built a Siva temple at Tiruvadi. He assumed a number of titles like Gunabhara,
Satyasandha, Chettakari (builder of temples) Chitrakarapuli, Vichitrachitta and
Mattavilasa.
He was a great builder of cave
temples. The Mandagappattu inscription hails him as Vichitrachitta who
constructed a temple for Brahma, Vishnu and Siva without the use of bricks,
timber, metal and mortar. His rock-cut temples are found in a number of places
like Vallam, Mahendravadi, Dalavanur, Pallavaram, Mandagappattu and
Tiruchirappalli. He had also authored the Sanskrit work Mattavilasa Prahasanam.
His title Chitrakarapuli reveals his talents in painting. He is also regarded
as an expert in music. The music inscription at Kudumianmalai is ascribed to
him.
Narasimhavarman I (630-668 A.D.)
Narasimhavarman I was also
known as Mamalla, which means ‘great wrestler’. He wanted to take avenge the
defeat of his father at the hands of Chalukyan ruler Pulakesin II. His victory
over Pulakesin II in the Battle of Manimangalam near Kanchi is mentioned in
Kuram copper plates. The Pallava army under General Paranjothi pursued the
retreating Chalukya army, entered Chalukya territory, captured and destroyed
the capital city of Vatapi. Narasimhavarman I assumed the title ‘Vatapikonda’.
He regained the lost territory. Another notable achievement of Narasimhavarman
I was his naval expedition to Sri Lanka. He restored the throne to his friend
and Sri Lankan prince Manavarma.
During his reign, Hiuen Tsang
visited the Pallava capital Kanchipuram. His description of Kanchi is vivid. He
calls it a big and beautiful city, six miles in circumference. It had 100
Buddhist monasteries in which about 10,000 Buddhist monks lived. According to
his account the people of Kanchi esteemed great learning and the Ghatika at
Kanchi served as a great centre of learning. Narasimhavarman I was the founder
of Mamallapuram and the monolithic rathas were erected during his reign.
Narasimhavarman II or Rajasimha (695
-722 A.D.)
Narasimhavarman I was succeeded by
Mahendravarman II and Parameswarvarman I and the Pallava – Chalukya conflict
continued during their reign. Thereafter, Narasimhavarman II became the ruler
of the Pallava kingdom. He was also known as Rajasimha. His regime was peaceful
and he evinced more interest in developing the art and architecture. The Shore
temple at Mamallapuram and the Kailasanatha temple at Kanchipuram were built in
this period. He was also a great patron of art and letters. The famous Sanskrit
scholar Dandin is said to have adorned his court. He sent embassies to China
and the maritime trade flourished during his reign. Rajasimha assumed titles
like Sankarabhakta, Vadhyavidyadhara and Agamapriya.
He was succeeded by
Parameswaravarman II and Nandivarman II. The Pallava rule lasted till the end
of the ninth century A.D. The Chola king Aditya I defeated the last Pallava
ruler Aparajita and seized the Kanchi region. With this, the rule of Pallava
dynasty came to an end.
Ø Administration of the Pallavas:
The Pallavas had a well
organized administrative system. The Pallava state was divided into Kottams.
The Kottam was administered by officers appointed by the king. The king was at
the centre of administration in which he was assisted by able ministers. He was
the fountain of justice. He maintained a well-trained army. He provided
land-grants to the temples known as Devadhana and also to the Brahmans known as
Brahmadeya. It was also the responsibility of the central government to provide
irrigation facilities to the lands. A number of irrigation tanks were dug by
the Pallava kings. The irrigation tanks at Mahendravadi and Mamandoor were dug
during the reign of Mahendravarman I. Detailed information on the tax system
could also be traced from the Pallava inscriptions. Land tax was the primary
source of the government revenue. The Brahmadeya and Devadhana lands were
exempted from tax. Traders and artisans such as carpenters, goldsmiths,
washer-men, oil-pressers and weavers paid taxes to the government. The Pallava
inscriptions throw much light on the village assemblies called sabhas and their
committees. They maintained records of all village lands, looked after local
affairs and managed temples.
Society under the Pallavas
The Tamil society witnessed a great
change during the Pallava period. The caste system became rigid. The Brahmins
occupied a high place in the society. They were given land-grants by the kings
and nobles. They were also given the responsibility of looking after the
temples. The Pallava period also witnessed the rise of Saivism and Vaishnavism
and also the decline of Buddhism and Jainism. The Saiva Nayanmars and the
Vaishnava Alwars contributed to the growth of Saivism and Vaishnavism. This is
known as the Bakthi Movement. They composed their hymns in the Tamil language.
These hymns revealed the importance of devotion or Bakthi. The construction of
temples by the Pallava kings paved the way for the spread of these two
religions.
Ø Education and Literature under The Palavas:
The Pallavas were great patrons
of learning. Their capital Kanchi was an ancient centre of learning. The
Ghatika at Kanchi was popular and it attracted students from all parts of India
and abroad. The founder of the Kadamba dynasty, Mayurasarman studied Vedas at
Kanchi. Dinganaga, a Buddhist writer came to study at Kanchi. Dharmapala, who
later became the Head of the Nalanada University, belonged to Kanchi. Bharavi,
the great Sanskrit scholar lived in the time of Simhavishnu. Dandin, another
Sanskrit writer adorned the court of Narasimhavarman II. Mahendravaraman I
composed the Sanskrit play Mattavilasaprahasanam. Tamil literature had also
developed. The Nayanmars and Alwars composed religious hymns in Tamil. The
Devaram composed by Nayanmars and the Nalayradivyaprabandam composed by Alwars
represent the religious literature of the Pallava period. Perundevanar was
patronized by Nandivarman II and he translated the Mahabharata as Bharathavenba
in Tamil. Nandikkalambagam was another important work but the name of the
author of this work is not known. Music and dance also developed during this
period.
Ø Pallava Art and Architecture:
It was a great age of temple
building. The Pallavas introduced the art of excavating temples from the rock.
In fact, the Dravidian style of temple architecture began with the Pallava
rule. It was a gradual evolution starting from the cave temples to monolithic
rathas and culminated in structural temples. The development of temple
architecture under the Pallavas can be seen in four stages. Mahendravarman I
introduced the rock-cut temples. This style of Pallava temples are seen at
places like Mandagappattu, Mahendravadi, Mamandur, Dalavanur, Tiruchirappalli,
Vallam, Siyamangalam and Tirukalukkunram.
The second stage of Pallava
architecture is represented by the monolithic rathas and Mandapas found at
Mamallapuram. Narasimhavarman I took the credit for these wonderful
architectural monuments. The five rathas, popularly called as the
Panchapanadava rathas, signifies five different styles of temple architecture.
The mandapas contain beautiful sculptures on its walls. The most popular of
these mandapas are Mahishasuramardhini Mandapa, Tirumurthi Mandapam and Varaha
Madapam.
In the next stage, Rajasimha
introduced the structural temples. These temples were built by using the soft
sand rocks. The Kailasanatha temple at Kanchi and the Shore temple at
Mamallapuram remain the finest examples of the early structural temples of the
Pallavas. The Kailasanatha temple at Kanchi is the greatest architectural
master piece of the Pallava art.
The last stage of the Pallava art
is also represented by structural temples built by the later Pallavas. The
Vaikundaperumal temple, Muktheeswara temple and Matagenswara temples at
Kanchipuram belong to this stage of architecture.
The Pallavas had also contributed
to the development of sculpture. Apart from the sculptures found in the
temples, the ‘Open Art Gallery’ at Mamallapuram remains an important monument
bearing the sculptural beauty of this period. The Descent of the Ganges or the
Penance of Arjuna is called a fresco painting in stone. The minute details as
well as the theme of these sculptures such as the figures of lice-picking
monkey, elephants of huge size and the figure of the ‘ascetic cat’ standing
erect remain the proof for the talent of the sculptor.
Fine Arts
Music, dance and painting had also
developed under the patronage of the Pallavas. The Mamandur inscription
contains a note on the notation of vocal music. The Kudumianmalai inscription
referred to musical notes and instruments. The Alwars and Nayanmars composed their
hymns in various musical notes. Dance and drama also developed during this
period. The sculptures of this period depict many dancing postures. The
Sittannavasal paintings belonged to this period. The commentary called
Dakshinchitra was compiled during the reign of Mahendravarman I, who had the
title Chittirakkarapuli.
Summary-Learning
Outcome
After
learning this lesson the students will be to explain
·
The different theories about the
origin of the Pallavas.
·
The political history of the Pallavas
and their military accomplishments
·
Administrative system under the
Pallavas.
·
Their cultural contributions.
·
Architectural achievements of the
Pallavas.
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