History of the Pallavas of Kanchi c13.s1.18

c13.s1.18

*Some Celebrities of the Period.*—It has already been pointed out that the king himself like other royal members of the family was a scholar of considerable reputation and is compared to Karṇisuta for his acquaintance with arts and to Valmīki the first poet in the composition of poems (*v.* 28) while verse 4 of the Taṇḍantōṭṭam plates record the fact that the learned people cling to him as the gods to Śakra. Among the Sanskrit poets of this period mentioned in the royal charters may be mentioned Paramēśvara, Uttara Karanika, and Trivikrama the composers of the prasasti in the Udayēndiram. Taṇḍantōṭṭam and Kaśākkuḍi plates. The celebrated scholar and saint Tirumangai Āḷvār was his contemporary and is another product of the times reputed for his skill in dialectics and known as the master of four kinds of poetical compositions. (*Chatushkavi*, Nālukaviperumāḷ). His work in the *Nalāyiraprabhandam* exceeds those of any other Vaishṇava saint excepting that of Nammāḷvār and forms one of the most precious collections that have come down to us. His great regard for the Pallava family and individual Pallava kings and their services finds continuous mention in his hymns to an extent far greater than in the *Tēvāram* hymns, or other works by the Vaishṇava Āḷvārs themselves. He was for some time a petty chieftain of Āḷināḍu in the Chōḷamaṇḍala before he became a devout Vaishṇava saint. His contributions in the *Nālāyiraprabandham* are *Periya-Tirumoḷi*, *Tirukuṛuṇḍaṇḍakam*, *Tiruṇeḍuṇḍaṇḍakam*, *Śiriya-Tirumaḍal*, *Periya-Tirumaḍal*, *Tiruvelukkūṛṛirukkai*.