History of the Pallavas of Kanchi c13.s1.1

c13.s1.1

The Rāṣṭrakūṭa kings who were contemporary with Nandivarman Pallavamalla claim victories over the Pallavas and their city. The Kaḍaba plates³ distinctly mention Vayiramēga as a surname of Dantidurga Rāṣṭrakūṭa. Now, Vayiramēga is mentioned in Tirumaṅgai Āḷvār's hymns on the deity of Ashṭabhuja in Kāñchīpuram along with the local ruler of Kāñchi.⁴ The verse under consideration has reference to two rulers, the local Pallava ruler of Kāñchi and the foreign Rāṣṭrakūṭa ruler Vayiramēga in occupation of Kāñchi just then. The conquest of Kāñchi is also alluded to in the Ellora inscription as well as in the Bagumra plates ¹ of Govinda III from which we learn that Dantidurga first reduced the lowermost (southern) country, then turned his enemies to Madhyadēśa and finally conquered the city of Kāñchi.² From the Vēlūr-pāḷayam plates we learn that Nandivarman Pallavamalla's queen was called Rēva and that his son was called Dantivarman. From this it has been conjectured that there was soon after the invasions of Kāñchi by Dantidurga a marriage alliance ³ between the Pallava king and the daughter of Dantidurga, and the son born to the Rāshṭrakūṭa princess was called Dantivarman after the maternal grandfather. This Rāshṭrakūṭa-Pallava pact does not appear to have prevented Govinda III from leading another invasion on the Pallava capital and levying tribute from Dantiga of Kāñchi.⁴