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No. 14.]
PATTATT ALMANGALAM GRANT OF NANDIYARMAN.
117
states that it must belong to the reign of Nandivarman III. I consider this conclusion of his to be quite untenable. I would at the outset point out that the Tandantöttam plates which are suppoged to have been issued in the reign of Nandivarman III should correctly be attributed to his grandfather Nandivarman II Pallavamalla. According to the Tandantottam plates the king bore the surname Ekadhirat and this was the surname of Nandivarman Pallavamalla as is clear from the fact that the grant made in the Kāśākudi plates was constituted into a new village under the name Ekadhiramangalam which should have been so termed after the king's surname Ekadhira. The second point to note is that the Nandivarman of our plates was the successor of Hiranyavarman as was the Nandivarman of the Kāsākudi and the Tandantottam plates. The third ground, which is much stronger than all, is furnished in the VaikunthaPerumal temple inscriptions: explaining the sculptures representing the events that took place immediately after the death of Paraméávaravarman II leading to the accession of Wandivarman Pallavamalla. It says:
After the death of Paramēbvaravarman II, a deputation consisting of the Matras,
the Mülaprakritis and the ghatakayar waited on Hiranyavarma-Mahārāja and represented the fact that the country was without a ruler and requested him to grant them & sovereign. Thereupon king Hiranyavarman sent for the chief potentates (kulamallar) and enquired which among them would accept the sovereignty. All of them refusing, he asked his sons Srimalla, Rapamalla, Sangrāmamalla and Pallavamalla. Pallavamalla humbly offered to go, but king Hiranyavarman was at first unwilling to risk his son, who was then only twelve years of age, in such a perilous undertaking. But Hiranyavarman was soon persuaded by Darapikondap5śar to give his consent. Receiving the weapons presented to him both by his father and Daranikondapõsar, Pallavamalla proceeded to Kāñchipuram, crossing on his way several hills, rivers and forests. Hearing of his approach a certain Pallavadi-Araiyar came with a large force, and placed him on an elephant's back and returned to the city where he was received by the feudatory chiefs, the members of the merchants' guild, the mūlaprakritis, and Kādakka-Muttaraiyar. He was then crowned king under the name Nandivarman and with the insignia of Vidēlvidugu, Samudraghosha, Khatvānga-dhvaja and Vrishabha-lanchhana by the ministers, the feudatories, the ghatakayar and the ubhaiya-gana.
The above facts show that Nandivarman Pallavamalla's accession to the throne took place without any bloodshed, the whole country being instrumental in getting him as their sovereign. This fact does also find expression in the Kāsākuļi plates which state that he was chosen by the subjects. The statement that Nandivarman was quite young (i.e., 12 years of age according to the Vaikuntha-Perumal temple inscription) when he became the ruler of the Pallava dominions is correctly reflected in the present grant which states of him w afat gåa to. A further point in favour of our view is that Nandivarman Pallavamalla bore the surname
1 South-Ind. Inerne., Vol. II, p. 520, v. 4 and p. 629, noto 4 * Ibid. p. 359. • Ibid (Texta), Vol. IV, G! No. 135, pp. 10 fl. • South-Ind. Inscra., VOL II, p. 357, v. 27,
