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EPIGRAPHIA INDICA.
[Vol. XV.
Prakrit cbarters of siva-Skandavarman and Vijaya-Skandavarman do actually belong at least to the beginning of the 4th century A.D., if not earlier. Vishnugopa, the contemporary of Samudragupta, was perhaps, therefore, of & somewhat later period, when already Praksit was beginning to be replaced by Sanskrit in the language of the documents. In a stone inscription at Vāyalür, not far from Sadras, is given a long list of early Pallava names with, however, no apparently definite plan of supplying a regular genealogical succession. I have noted in detail the contents of this record at page 77 of the Madras Epigraphical Report for 1909, paragraph 17.1 The name Vishnugopa is there mentioned thrice ; and it is not unlikely that one of these three, perhaps the earliest of them, is identical with Vishnugopa, the contemporary of Samudragupta, who was still ruling with his capital at Kāñchi. From what follows it will be apparent that now, i.e., about 350 A.D., the Pallavas-perhaps on account of the disturbances caused by the victorious campaign of Samudragupta from the north or owing to the rise of the Kadambas mentioned in the Tālgund inscription were dispossessed of their territory round Kanchi and pushed back farther into the interior.
This brings us to the period of the Sanskrit charters, which must have commenced somewhere about the 5th century A.D., and continued down to almost the beginning of the 7th. Four Pallava grants of this age have been edited with texts and translations. Three of these refer to the royal camps from which the grants were issued, viz., Palakkada, Daśanapura and Mēnmāture. The fourth, which is supposed to be the latest in chronological order, mentions Kāñchi again as the capital of the Pallava kings. All the records give four generations of- kings, including that of the donor. The first, viz., the Uruvapalli plates, mention (1) Skandavarman, (2) his son Viravarman, (3) his son Skandavarman, and (4) his son, the donor, yupa-maharaja Vishnugopavarman. Curiously, however, these plates are dated in the 11th year of the king Mahāraja Simhavarman. The Mangaļir copper-plates, which come next in order, speak of (1) Viravarman, (2) his son Skandavarman, (3) his son yuvardja Vishnugopavarman, and (4) his son, the donor, Dharma-mahārāja Simhavarman. The third record pubLished is the Pikira grant, which supplies the names of (1) Viravarman, (2) his son Skandavarman, (3) his son, yuva-maharaja Vishnugopa, and (4) his son, the donor, Simhavarman. The last document of the series known so far is the Chendalár plates, which supplies the names of (1) Skandavarman, (2) his son Kumäravishịa I, (3) his son Buddhavarman, and (4) his son, the donor, Kumāravishịu II. The first three plates agree in giving in regular order of succession the names Skandavarman I, his son Viravarman and his son Skandavarman II. The latter's son, yuva-maharaja or yuvardja (i..., the crown-prince) VishạngOpavarman, dates his Uruvupalli grant in the reign of a certain Simhavarman, whom Dr. Fleet supposes to be an unspecified elder brother of the crown-prince, then reigning on the throne. The second and third grants belong to the time of the dharma-maharāja Simhavarman, who was & son of the yuva-mahāraja Vishṇugopa. In discussing the date of the third copper
1 Professor G. J. Dubreuil in his latest book "The Pallavas" (pp. 18 ff.) expresses, however, the opinion that the Viyalur inscription gives "& complete list " of the Pallava kings "in the order of their succession."
* Above, Vol. VIII, pp. 28 f. Still another stronger cause is to be found in the rise of the Cholas under Karikala, who is stated in the unpublished Tiruvalangadu plates of Rájöndra-Chola I, to have made Kafichi new with gold. The date of Karikala has been roughly fixed to be the 6th century A.D. But, since after Vishộugopa of Kanchi of the middle of the 4th century we do not know, 80 far, of any Pallava rulers of that town until the time of Kumaravishņu I, son of Skandafishya (Skandavarman II), who, according to the Vélürpalaiyam plates (S.I. I., Vol. II, p. 502), To-captured Käñohi in about the 6th century, the possibility of Karikala or his immediate ancestors having taken possession of Káñchi in the period between the middle of the 4th century And the 6th becoines apparent.
· Pallava inscriptions from the 7th century and after are a mixture of Tamil and Sanskrit. • Ind. Ant., Vol. V, pp. 51 f.
• Ibid., Pp. 155 f. . Above, Vol. VIII, pp. 159 f.
1 Ibid., pp. 233 f.
