History of the Pallavas of Kanchi c13.38

c13.38

*The Chālukyan Invasion of Kāñchi.*—The Pallava-Chālukya wars which had been lost sight of since the days of Narasimhavarman I, the Mahāmalla, appear to have been once more renewed. The Kēndūr plates of Vikramāditya II describe an actual invasion into the Pallava dominions (*Tuṇḍakaraṣṭra*) and the capture of the city in somewhat graphic terms:—Being resolved to uproot completely his natural enemy (*prakṛti-amitra*) Vikramāditya II (A.D. 733 to 746) reached Tuṇḍāka-Viṣaya, ‘beat and put to flight, at the opening of the campaign, the opposing Pallava king named Nandipōtavarman, took possession of particular musical instruments called *Kaṭumukhavaditra*,¹ the *Samudraghoṣa*, the *khaṭvāṅkhadvaja*, many excellent and well-known intoxicated elephants and a heap of rubies which dispelled darkness by the brilliancy of the multitude of their rays. . . entered without destroying the city of Kāñchi, which was as it were a girdle adorning yonder lady, the region of the south . . . rejoiced the Brāhmaṇas, and poor and helpless people by his uninterrupted liberality . . . acquired high merit by restoring heaps of gold to the stone temple of Rājasimhēśvara, and other gods which have been caused to be built by Narasimha-potavarman . . . distressed by the Pāṇḍya, Chōḷa, Kēraḷa, Kaḷabhra and other kings. . . .’²