Who are Pallavas? | Tamil | Madan Gowri

The origin of the Pallavas remains obscure. The early kings of the race are said to have ruled from Kanchipuram as their political headquarters. They extended their territories as far as the Northern part of Andhra.

In the South, the Pallava Kingdom extended as far as the river Kaveri. The Prakrit copper plates, assignable on Paleographic grounds to the period 250-350 A.D., mention the names of Pallava kings who probably ruled about the beginning of the fourth century A.D.

Shivaskandavarman was perhaps the greatest among the early Pallava rulers, who ruled probably in the beginning of the fourth century A.D. The Pallava rulers ruled over the modern Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. The contemporary Gangas and Kadamba rulers acknowledged the suzerainty of Pallavas.

The growth and development of Pallava history becomes more definite from the second half of sixth century A.D. One ruler Simhavarman ascended the throne in 575 A.D. He was a Buddhist. He is contemporary Tamil ruler. Ceylon was also included in his kingdom. Mahendravarman (600-630 AD), the successor of Simhavarman, was a great ruler. He was also a poet, musician and builder of temples.