A History of South India from Prehistoric Times to the Fall of Vijayanagar c13.35

c13.35

To return to affairs farther south; during his fairly long reign, the Pallava Dantivarman found himself unable to resist the aggression of the Pāṇḍyas from the south or even hold his own against the Rāshṭrakūṭas in the north. He was followed by his son Nandivarman III (844-66), a much abler monarch than his father, who organized a strong confederacy against his aggressive Pāṇḍya contemporary Śrīmāra Śrīvallabha, and early in his reign inflicted a severe defeat on the Pāṇḍya at Tellaru in the Wandiwash taluk of the North Arcot district. His allies were the Gangas, the Cholas, and even the Rāshṭrakūṭas. The location of the field of battle shows the extent to which Pāṇḍya aggression had developed, and this doubtless made it easy for Nandivarman to find support. The victory of Tellaru was a turning point. It gave Nandi the permanent title ‘Tellāṟeṟinda’ and was followed up by further successes as a result of which the Pāṇḍya forces were rolled back into their home country, and the Pallava army advanced as far as the banks of the Vaigai, in the heart of the Pāṇḍya kingdom.