Epigraphia Indica Vol 20

Author(s): Hirananda Shastri
Publisher: Archaeological Survey of India

Page 60

No. 3. ]
THREE TAMIL INSCRIPTIONS OF LALGUDI.
or with both. Therefore, it is needless to take his reign into consideration to determine the period when the later Pallavas ruled. From the Ambūr inscription dated in the 26th year of the reign of Nripatunga, we learn that the Ganga king Prithvipati I was a subordinate of that Palleye king. And since it is recorded in the Udayēndiram plates that this very Ganga king was an ally of the Pallava king Aparajita and fought under his standard and secured victory for him in the battle of Sripurambiyam against Varaguņa (II), it might be said that Aparājita was the immediate successor of Nřipatunga. That he was the last Pallava ruler of Kāñchi is known from the Tiruvālangādu plates which report that the Chola king Aditya I killed him and took possession of his kingdom. This event, we have reasons to believe, must have taken place before A.D. 891, for it is stated in an inscription at Tirumālpuram near Conjeeveram that the village of Sirriyårrür in Manaiyil-nadu was granted as & dévadāna and as a brahmadèya in the 21st year of Tondaimāp-Arfür-tuñjipa-udaiyār i.e., Aditya I. If we allow at least two years for his settlement in the newly conquered country, it may be said that Aditya I killed Aparăjita in about A.D. 888. The latest dates furnished by the stone inscriptions for Nandivarman Pallavamalla, Dantivarman, Nandivarman, the victor of Tellāru, i.e., Nandivarman III, Npipatunga and Aparăjita are 65, 52, 22, 26 and 18, respectively. With the help of these, supplemented to a certain extent by the light of contemporary history, we shall try to settle the chronology of the later Pallava sovereigng. Keeping A.D. 888 as the last year of Aparājita and deducting from it 18, which is the highest regnal year known for him,' we get A.D. 870 for his accession. This date must, therefore, be the year when his predecessor Npipatunga ceased to rule. Since the latest regnal year so far found for him is 26, we get A.D. 844 for his accession. It may be noted here that the initial year of Nripatunga's reign cannot be earlier than this date because in a record of his 18th year the Pandya king Varaguņa-Mahārāja (II) figures as donor and we know for certain that that king's accession took place in A.D. 862.10 We have to take A.D. 844 as the last year of Npipatunga's father Nandivarman III, the victor of Tellāru. The latest regnal year found for him in the inscriptions mentioning the victory of Tellāru is 22.11 But there is a possibility of his having reigned longer. If he had a reign of 22 years, his accession would have to be placed in A.D. 822. This cannot be the case for, we learn from the Western-Ganga grants that the Rashtrakūta king Govinda III and the Pallava king Nandivarman-both crowned kings themselves, fastened the fillet of royalty on the forehead of Sıvamara II Saigotta. The last year of Govinda
1 In a Tamil inscription of Uttaram allir of the time of Kampavarman dated in his 18th year whose text (No. 325) is published in the 8.1.1. (Texta), VOL. VI, the donor is Seyya-Aparăjita, and he is called Perumapadigl. adiyan.
+ Rp. Ind., Vol. IV, p. 182. *$. I. I., Vol. II, p. 384.
It is loart from No. 350 of Vol. VI of 8. 1. 1. (Texts), that Aparajita bore the title Rajamārttapda.
.8. 1. 1., VOL. III, p. 419, v. 49. This statement is confirmed by & stone inscription found at Tilastbånam which stylos Aditya I a "Rijakosarivarman who extended his territory into Topdai-nidu" (Ibid., p. 221. No. 89).
• Annual Report on Epigraphy for 1907, Part II, paras. 29 and 30.
No. 435 of the Madras Epigraphical Collection for 1908. • Rp. Ind., Vol. IV, p. 182.
No. 360 of the Madras Epigraphical collection for 1921. 10 No. 705 of the same collection for 1905. 11 No. 180 of the same collection for 1907.
11 In tho numerous opigraphs dated simply in the reign of Nandivarman without the distinguishing oplthote • Pallavamalhor. Tellirrorinda' tharo must be some belonging to Nandivarma III while the other may be of Pallava malla
10 Ey. Inch, Vol. V, PP. 188 and 16L