History of the Pallavas of Kanchi c9.s2.6

c9.s2.6

Skandasishya (Skandavarman).—From the Vēlūrpāḷayam plates again (verse 7) we learn that the son of Vīrakūrcha, who is probably identical with Vīrakūrchavarman of the Darśi copper-plate fragment, was Skaṇdaśishya. He is described in this record as the ‘moon in the sky of this family’ and is said to have seized the ghaṭika of the twice-born from King Satyasēna. This achievement of his enables us to fix his period more or less definitely, although the identity of Satyasēna has not been completely worked out. The reference to a ghaṭika at this early period is interesting. There is also a reference, in the Tālaguṇḍa inscription of Kakutsthavarman, ascribed to the first half of the sixth century, to Kāñchī being called a ghaṭika. But no one has attempted to identify the King Satyasēna mentioned in the Vēlūrpālayam plates. In his introductions to these plates published in the South Indian Inscriptions, Mr. H. Krishna Sastri says that he remains unidentified.¹ Dr. S. Krishnaswami Aiyangar suggests the possibility that the Satyasēna here referred to may be Mahākshatrapa Svāmi Satyasēna of the coins whose time would be the ninth decade of the fourth century A.D.² It is uncertain whether the power of the Kshatrapas extended sufficiently southward so as to make them come into hostile contact with the Pallava kings. The probability is that the Pallavas co-operated with the dynasty of Western Dakhan, the Vākāṭakas, in inflicting a defeat on the Kshatrapas and this interpretation of the situation, therefore, seems to be in accordance with the general trend of Vākāṭaka history as this is the period to which the conquest of Kuntala by the Vākāṭaka-Prithvīsēna I is ascribable. ‘Such an advance,’ as has been pointed out, ‘is possible only by the overthrow of the Kshatrapas, and other successors of the Āndhras in this region.’