The first important ruler was Siva Skandavarman who performed an
Aswamedha and other Vedic sacrifices. His capital was kanchi.
Samudragupta forced the pallava king, Vishnugopa, to acknowledge the
Gupta suzerainty. And the story of the Pallavas in the 5th and 6th
centuries is very sketchy.
By end of the sixth century the Pallavas re-emerged on the scene.
Simhavishnu (575 to 600 A.D.) captured the territory of the Cholas and
humbled the pride of his neighbours including Ceylon. He was
ovavaishnava faith as borne out by the magnificent reliefs representing
Simhavishnu and two of his consorts in the Varsha cave at Mamallpuram.
With Mahendravarman I, the son and successor of Simhavishnu, began
thetitanic tripartite struggle with the Chalukyas of Vatapi and the
Cholas. The Chalukya king, Pulakesin II, captured Kanchi. Pulakesin II
won the pitched battle fought at Pullalur, fifteen miles north of
Kanchi.
However, Narsimhavaram I, the son and successor of Mahendravarman I,
defeated pulskesin II in many battles and probably killed pulakesin
himself. He also defeated the Cholas, the Cheras and the pandyas. He
even sent two naval expeditions to Ceylon and placed his protégé on the
throne of Ceylon. Narasimhavarman I was a great builder too.
Mamallapuram was embellished during his time. Hiuen-Tsand visited his
kingdom. He states that the soil was fertile and produced abundance of
grain; flowers and fruits were many precious gems and other luxury
articles were known; and the people were courageous and greatly attached
to learning, honestry and truth.
Narasimhavarman II. He too, fought with the chalukyas. He was succeeded
by Paramesvaravarman I in whose reign Vikramadhitya I of the Chalukyas,
in alliance with the Pandyas, renewed the hostilities. He probably
captured the city of Kanchi. Later, Paramesvarvarman I defeated
Vikramadhity II. The Pallava records claim that the Chalukya pattack was
hurled back.
Yet, as we know, the Chalukyas once again swept through the Pallava
dominions under the captainship of Vikramaditya II in the 8th century,
A.D. Nandivarman was defeated and Kanchi was captured. By then, the
Pallavas faced a serious challenge from the rising dynasties of the
south. The Pandyas advanced along the banks of Kanchi. The last nail in
the coffin was driven by Aditya Chola who defeated Aparajita Pallava and
took possession of his kingdom towards the end of the 9th century A.D.
The Chalukya victory over the Pallavas in 740 A.D. was the beginning of
the end of the Pallavas supremacy. The Cholas, in alliance with the
Pandyas, defeated the Pallavas by the close of the 9th century. Very
soon even the Chalukyas collapses but the Pallavas: chiefs continued to
exist till the end of the 13th century. After the 17th century. All
traces of the Pallavas as a distinct community of clan disappeared; but
the Kallar, Palli and Vellala castes trace their origir origin from
them.
The Chalukya-Pallava war
began with Pulkasin II and ended with the collapse of both the
dynasties singnificantly, the power that rose thereafter, the
Rushtrakutas and the cholas, continued the same sort of struggle. This
was because the Chalukya-Pallava struggled was to a great extent
determined by the geographical loation of the Chalukya and Pallava
kingdoms.
After the first bout was over, the Pallavas agenged their defeat during
the days of Narasimhavarman I. He captured the lost territories. In thie
he was assisted by the king of Ceylon. He entered the capital of Bademi
in 642 A.D. and assumed the title of Vatapikonda, that is, the
conqueror or Vatapi.
After that, for the next tweleve years there was a respite; the Pallavas
were involved in naval wars while supporting the Ceylonese kings, and
the Chalukyas were troubledby their feudatories, Afther the Chalukyan
house was set in order in 655, they re-occupied the terrirtories lost to
the Pallavas. This was the third phase. Soon thej tables were reversed.
There was a rift in the Chalukyan royal family. Taking advantage of
this, the Pallavas once again entered Badami. Details of relating to
this compaign are to be found in the Pallava grant found near Kanchi.
This was th fourth phase.
The fifth phase started when the Chalukyas and the Gangas united in 731
to attack the Pallavas. The reigning Pallava king was killed and Kanchi
was occupied. Later, the council of ministers chose Nandivarman II.
In the last phase the ball was in the the court of Pallavas. At this
time, the neighbours of the Pallavas in the south, that is, the Pandays,
Joined the conflict. The Pandyas of Madura were not well disposed
towards the Pallavas. In the meantime the Chalukyas wre threatened by
the Arabs, the latter already being in occupation of Sing. While the
Chalukyas were engrossed in the threat from the north, one of their
feudatories Dantidurga, broke away from the but they, too, within a
century ment their end, the last of the Pallavas was assassinated by the
son of a feudatory.
