Essay on the origin of The Pallavas in India

After the fall of the Satavahanas the Southern Western part of their empire i.e. the region around Banavasi or Vaijayanti (Kanara districts) was occupied by the Chutu family whose kings bore the title of “Satakarni” were probably allied to them. However, they never grew very powerful and their rule was of short duration.

The Eastern region, to the south of the Krishna, passed into the hands of the Pallava who ruled over Tondaimandalam the region round the city of “Kanchipuram” or “Condeveram” which was their capital.

The Pallavas played an important role in South India from the middle of the sixth century A.D. to the end of the ninth century A. D. Dr. KM. Panikkar writes the importance of the Pallava rule that “The Arycinisation of South India was completed during the period of the Pallavas, who grew around the city of Kanchi, South of the river Krishna after the fall of the Satavahanas. The Pallavas constituted the main stream of the cultural life of India”.

I. Origin

The Pallavas are not referred to in the classical Tamil Literature of the “Sangam Age” and are generally regarded as foreigners who immigrated into the Tamil land during the rule of the Satavahanas probably as their feudatories. Some have even identified Pallava with “Pahlava”or “Parthian”.

Others, however, take them to be an indigenous tribe either identical with or allied the “Kurumbas.” In this way, the origin of the Pallavas is lost in obscurity.

According to B.L. Rice and V. Venkayya “the Pallavas are identical with Pahlavas and so are Persians. But this opinion is not tenable because in their records the Pallavas are never indicated as “Pahlavas”.

To Dr. Krishnaswami Aiyangar, the Pallavas were not foreigners like the “Pahlavas” but were the vassals of the Satavahanas.

Prof. R. Sathainathaier said that “Pallavas originated in Tondaimandalam itself and gave up thefeudatory status of Satavahanas after their collapse and became an independent Kingdom.”

Dr. C.V. Vaidya advances the explanation that “the Pallavas are of the same Aryan stock as that of Maharashtras”. According to Dr. K.P. Jayaswal, “the Pallavas were a branch of the “brahmana” royal dynasty of the Vakatakas of North India.

They were professional warriors and consequently caved out a kingdom for themselves in the South.” But this opinion is neutralised by the “Talagunda Inscription” which described the Pallavas as “Kshatriyas”.

According to Prof. D.S. Aiyangar, “The Pallavas were the feudatories of the Satavahanas and acted as officers and governors of the South- Eastern part of Satavahana empire”. He thinks that the term “Pallava” was synonymous with “Tondaiyar” and “Tondaman” which stand for people and rulers of Tondaimandalam.

When Satavahans declined these feudatories, “founded the new dynasty of the Pallavas as distinct from the older chieftains, the Tondamans of the region”. It was a province in the empire of Ashoka and the Pallavas enjoyed the benefits of the Mauryas.

In this way, the most acceptable opinion is the “brahmana” origin of the Pallavas by their patronage of Sanskrit literature, their composition of books in Prakrit and their performance of “asvamedha” sacrifice.

Further we cannot rule out the foreign element of the Pallavas. Probably, the Pallavas were not one distinct tribe or class but a composition of various elements such as -partly foreign, South & North Indian “brahmanas”.

The “brahmanas” must have subjugated the others and when they came to power must have changed their caste into “Kshatriyas”. In that case, the “Talagunda Inscription” which describes the Pallavas as “Kshatriyas” cannot deny the “brahmana” origin of the Pallavas.

Further, “Tondiyara” is a Tamil word whose equivalent word in Sanskrit is “Pallava”. Therefore, the residents of Tondaimandalam were called the Pallavas. That is why their ruling dynasty was also called the Pallava dynasty.