History of the Pallavas of Kanchi c8.10

c8.10

The earliest of the Prakrit charters that we have is dated from the capital city of Kāñchīpuram issued by Śivaskandavarman while he was yet a crown-prince and dated in the 5 tenth year of his father.¹ Śivaskandavarman is described as a Yuvamahārāja and affiliated to the Bhāradvāja-gotra of the Pallava family. The grant is addressed to the Viceroy at Dhānyakaṭa (Dharaṇikoṭṭa near Amarāvati) in the Āndhrapatha. It is thus plain that the kingdom of Śivaskandavarman’s father, who is called Bappa Dēva merely, included Āndhrapatha and Toṇḍamaṇḍalam. The capital of Āndhrapatha the Telugu region, appears to have been Dhānyakaṭaka, while Conjeevaram was the Imperial as well as the local capital of Toṇḍamaṇḍalam, their Tamil dominion. The next in point of time is the grant recorded in the Hirahadagalli plates found in Hirahadagalli in the Bellary District. The king who issued this grant is regarded by all scholars as the same as the Prince who issued the Mayidavolu grant. This is also issued from the city of Kāñchīpuram, and is dated in the eighth year of the king and refers to a grant of the village of Chillerēkaḍumka in the Sātāhaniraṭṭa probably identical with the Satahani-Āhāra of the Myakadoni record ² dated in the eighth year of king Puḷumāvi. The plates, besides recording the details connected with the gift, mention the fact that Śivaskandavarman performed the Aśvamedha, Agniṣṭoma and Vājapeya sacrifices. Of these, if there is any truth in the claim of the first we may reasonably presume that Śivaskandavarman made extensive conquests and that he had some subordinate kings under his rule. There is no means by which we could at present check the accuracy or otherwise of this claim.