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DECEMBER, 1908.) ANCIENT HISTORY OF THE NELLORE DISTRICT.
351
ANCIENT HISTORY OF THE NELLORE DISTRICT.
BY V. VENKAYYA, M. A., RAI BAHADUR.
(Continued from p. 984.)
Pallava Expansion in the Tamil Country. Early in the 7th century A.1. the Pallavas were apparently driven out froin their northern possessions and the splendour of the lord of the Pallavas, who had opposed the rise of his (i. e. Pulikësiu's) power" was "obscured by the dust of his (the latter's ) army " and the former was forced "to vanish behind the walls of Kanchipura." 51 The kingdom of Vengi was sabsequently founded and Kubja-Vishịuvardhana, the younger brother of Palikesin 11., was appointed to govern the province sometime before A. D. 632.52 In defining the boundaries of Vergi, Dr. Fleet gives the river Kộishna as its southern limit, but subsequently remarks that the more northern portions of the Pallava dominions appear to have been quickly absorbed into the Eastern Chalukya country.63 We may, therefore, suppose that, soon after the Eastern Chalukya king dom had been founded, the northern portion of the Nellore District was annexed by it, 54 while the southern portion continued under the Pallavas and was accordingly included in Tonçai-nadu.56 This name was eventually altered into Jayangonda-Chola-maydnlam,50 which, as will be shown later on, extended at least as far north as the Atmakûr tålak.57 Where exactly the boundary line lay between Vângi and Tondai-nada cannot be ascertained at present. In the Țéki plates of Chôdaganga, dated in A. D. 1086-87, the river Mannêru is said to be the southern boundary of the Vêngi kingdom.58 It is not unlikely that this river formed the boundary between Veigi and Ton lai-nadu even in earlier times. That portion of the Nellore District, which was sabject to Eastern Chalukya domination, naturally adopted, from its frequent contact with the Andhra country, Telugu for its vernacular, while in the southern portion, which was governed by the Pallavas of Conjeeveram, Tamil seems to have prevailed until the Vijayanagara conqaest.
Though the Western Chalakya king Palikesin II. drove the Pallavas out of the Teluga country, yet, towards the close of his reign, the latter became powerful and actually defeated him and seized his capital Vâtâpi, i. e. Bådami, in the Bombay Presidency, about A. D. 642.69 But his son Vikramaditya I. conquered the Pallava king Paramêśvaravarman I. and probably led an expedition against Kanchi.co The Pallavas apparently lost, at least temporarily, a portion of their dominions. About the same time there was a powerful coalition to uproot the Eastern Chalukya Indra-Bhattaraka, who is said to have reigned for seven days in A. D. 663.81 It is not known whether the Western Chalukya Vikramaditya I. took any active part either in favour of or against his cousin or not. The Talamanchi plates (CP.24), dated in A. D. 660, belong to his reign, but as the village granted has not yet been identified, the inscription cannot be taken to prove that the dominions of Vikramaditya I. extended into the Nellore District.63 At any rate, the grants of Vishņuvardhana II. (A. D. 663 to 673 )4 and Mangi-Yuvardjas (A. D. 672-96 ) found in the Nellore District may be taken to prove the restoration of the Eastern Chalukyas in Vêngi. Vishņuvardhana III. (A. D. 709-46 ), who 61 Ep. Ind., Vol. VI, p. 11. 03 Bombay Gazetteer, Vol. I, p. 352.
08 Ante, Vol. XX, p. 98. * About A. D. 640, when the Chinose pilgrim Hinen Tsiang visited Southern India, there was a kingdom called Dhanakataka or Mahd-Andhra, whose capital seems to have been Bozvada. Dhanakataka was 1,000 li or HO south of Andhra and was 6,000 li in circuit (or twice the extent of Andhra); Beal's Buddhist Records of the Western World, Vol. II, p. 221. The northern portion of the Nellore District was probably included in Dhadakataka. 06 See the Bombay Gaselteer, Vol. I, p. 318.
66 South-Ind. Inscrs., Vol. II, p. 312 IT See p. 854 below.
68 Ep. Ind., Vol. VI, p. 885. *Bombay Gazetteer, Vol. I, p.858.
* Ibid., p. 362.
1 Ante, Vol. XX, p. 97. 1 Ep. Ind., Vol. IX, p. 98. The king granted the village of Elanatti to the north of Kolhukonra to his Brahmaņa preceptor Sriméghaobarya of the Vasishtha gotra. The writer of the grant was Vajravarman of the Vaidya family.
Two copper-plats grants of Vikram Aditya I, and two of his son Vinayaditya have been discovered in the neighbouring distriot of Karnal. Anto, Vol. XX, p. 98.
6 Ep. Ind., Vol. VIII, p. 236.
