The Early History of the Deccan (Parts I–XI) v1.c9.s2.t5.7

v1.c9.s2.t5.7

The Nausārī plates of Dharāśraya mention only one achievement of Vikramāditya, the subjugation of the dynasty of the Pallavas by his irresistible might,² and this in a manner which indicates that the event was either quite recent or actually in progress at the time of the grant. This impression is strengthened by the fact that Vikramāditya was in a large military camp (*mahāskandhāvāra*) in Malliyūr to the west of Kāñchīpuram during A.D. 670–1, a period corresponding to the 16th year of his reign.³ Then there are the Gadvāl plates issued in A.D. 674 from the victorious camp at Uragapura in the Cholika-viṣaya, Uṛaiyūr on the south bank of the Kāvēri,⁴ which give further details of this invasion of the Pallava kingdom, details which must be considered along with others to be gathered from various Pallava inscriptions. The Gadvāl plates devote four verses, not found in earlier records,⁵ to the Pallava war; but as usual these verses contain more rhetoric than history. The first verse states that victory was achieved by Śrīvallabha who crushed the glory of Narasimha, caused the dissolution of the valour of Mahendra, and subdued Īśvara with his eyes. Here is obviously a play upon the names of three successive Pallava monarchs, Narasimhavarman I, Mahendravarman II, and Parameśvaravarman I, by conquering whom Vikramāditya excelled the three divinities whose names they bore—Narasimha, Mahendra, and Īśvara.⁶ The second verse states that Śrīvallabha, the favourite of fortune, became even more so after having forcibly wooed the lady of the Southern Quarter and taken possession of Kāñchī, the city which was her girdle. In the third verse Rāṇarasika (war-lust) is said to have rightly borne the title Rājamalla (wrestler with kings), since he had destroyed the family of Mahāmalla (the great wrestler), i.e. Narasimhavarman. The last verse describes the defences of Kāñchī, the strength of its ramparts and the depth of its moat, adding that the city was captured by the conqueror of Īśvarapōta-rāja. The third and fourth verses thus only repeat in other words the ideas of the first two. To turn to the other side of the medal; after a long and tiresome description of a battle,⁷ the Kūram grant of Parameśvaravarman asserts that he forced Vikramāditya, whose army consisted of several lakhs of men, to take flight, alone and covered only by a rag. In later inscriptions we read that Parameśvaravarman gained victory over the forces of the Vallabha in a battle at Peruvaḷanallūr;¹ that his valour dried up the slough of the army of Raṇarasika;² and that lastly he oppressed the city of Raṇarasika,³ doubtless Bādāmi.