History of the Pallavas of Kanchi c11.s1.1

c11.s1.1

FROM the beginning of the reign of Simhavishnu, also known as Simhavishnupottarayan and Avanisimha, about the last quarter of the sixth century, a new epoch begins in the history of the Pallava power. From this period onward the Pallava authority begins to penetrate much farther into the Tamil country than before. Again during this period flourished the greatest of the Śaiva and Vaishnava saints, the majority of the Ālvārs and the Nāyanmārs who by their memorable religious propagandic work handed down in their hymns, were destined to revolutionize South Indian religious thought and outlook. In another respect also, this period of Pallava history is of special importance in South Indian history. It was during this period that a beginning is believed to have been made in the Tamil land to build temples and other monuments in stone instead of in perishable material such as wood and brick. This important change in the building material was destined in the course of a few centuries to cover the whole of the Southern India with a network of temples dedicated to Śiva, Vishnu and Brahma. Above all, the active spread of Sanskrit culture and learning in the Tamil country was systematically and sedulously encouraged by the Pallava kings of this period, and recent research seems to support the view that some of the greatest poets and rhetoricians including Bhāravi and Daṇḍin the authors of *Kirātārjunīya* and *Kāvyādarśa*, flourished in this age at the Pallava court at Kañchīpuram.