History of the Pallavas of Kanchi c13.56

c13.56

Among the localities mentioned wherein Udayachandra achieved victories for his master occurs, Nellore which is identical with the headquarter station of the modern Nellore District. Nelvēli is probably identical with Nenmali mentioned by Tirumaṅgai Āḷvār in his Periya-Tirumoḷi.² It is identified by Dr. Hultzsch with modern Tinnevelly. If the Śabaras are identical with the modern Sauras of the Ganjam and Vizagapatam District it would not be correct to identify Nelvēli where the Śabara king is said to have been killed (l. 52) with Tinnevelly. It is therefore to be identified with some other place on the border of the Telugu districts. We may identify the Vishṇurāja with the Eastern Chāḷukya king Vishṇuvardhana III who was a contemporary Vikramāditya II. The Śankaragrāma mentioned in the Udayēndiram plates has been identified with Sankaramangai mentioned in the larger Śinnamanūr plates, while Maṇṇaikuḍi is identical probably with the Maṇṇikurichchi of the Veḷvikuḍi plates where Kō-Śadaiyan claims a victory over the Pallavas. Maṇṇaikuḍi may be identified with the village of Maṇakuḍi in the Arantangi Taluk of the Tanjore District. The battle-fields of Nimbavana, Chūtavana and Śankaragrāma may be similarly identified with Veppangāḍu, Kovilūr (Tiruvūsattānam of the Tēvāram) and Sankaranārkuḍikāḍu.¹ The region in and around these places in the Tanjore District appears to have figured largely in the campaigns of the Pallavas against the Pāṇḍyas, and are evidently alluded to in the hymns of Tirumaṅgai Āḷvār, in the Paramēśvaraviṇṇagarapatikam.