History of the Pallavas of Kanchi c7.s1.41

c7.s1.41

This explains according to him that in the fourth century A.D. the word Pallava was little used by them. Another ingenious suggestion made on similar lines is that of Mr. Swaminatha Aiyar, based upon the apparent similarity of the words Tiraiya, Draya and Darya in Persian. ‘Draya’ and ‘Darya’ according to this writer mean the sea in Persian, and Tiraiyar is apparently a Persian-derived name meaning seamen. He would thus ascribe to the Tiraiyar a Persian or Pahlava origin. As the fact seems to accord with the Persian origin of the Pallavas held by certain scholars it was thought by the author as giving the most satisfactory solution of the question. But as was already stated, the Persian origin of the Pallavas rests on the doubtful philological resemblance of words to which the addition of Tiraiya and Draya are now sought to be added. Apart from the resemblance of the words, is there anything positive which supports the identification of these different people Tiraiyar and the Pallavas? The evidence at our disposal on the other hand is wholly against it, and in the existing state of research it is not possible to regard the identification as established. The Pallava kings of the copper-plate charters must therefore be looked upon as different from the Tiraiyar, and the early members of the family such as Śivaskaṇdavarman, Budhavarman, etc., have very little to do with the kings and chiefs known as Tiraiyan and Iḷam-Tiraiyan figuring in early Tamil literature. Another consideration which militates strongly