The Pallava dynasty (275 CE – 897 CE) 🎠

➥ The Pallavas were a powerful south Indian dynasty ruling parts of southern India during the Classical age. They were speakers of Tamil and Telegu, along with Prakrit and Sanskrit. Hinduism was their foremost religion but they were also ardent supporters of Buddhism. Kancheepuram, in Tamil Nadu was the capital of the Pallava kingdom.

➥ The Pallava dynasty is remembered for its fine architectural and engineering achievements such as the Shore Temple in Mamallapuram. There are superb excavated pillared halls 

and exquisite monolithic shrines known as Pancharathas in Mahabalipuram. Early temples were mostly dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. The Pallavas also built hundreds of Buddhist shrines and temples.

➥ The Pallavas were also responsible for the development of modern south Indian scripts known as Grantha script (கிரந்த எழுத்து). Ultimately, this script not only influenced south India but went far beyond the shores of India into Southeast Asia.

➥ The origins of the Pallavas is debated and it is thought their roots are from the Satavahana dynasty or are from the Andhra area.

➥ The Chinese traveller Xuanzang visited Kancheepuram during Pallava rule and talked about their benign rule.

➥ The Pallavas were instrumental in the transition from rock-cut architecture to stone temples. The earliest examples of Pallava constructions are rock-cut temples dating from 610–690 CE and structural temples between 690–900 CE. Mahendravarman I extended the Pallava Kingdom and was one of the greatest sovereigns. Some of the most ornate monuments and temples in southern India, carved out of solid rock, were introduced under his rule. Narasimhavarman II built the Shore Temple. It was during this period from the 7th-century onwards that the unique Dravidian style architecture was being born.

➥ The Pallavas not only built a strong empire within India but created strong influences in neighbouring Sri Lanka and sent a small number of colonisers to Southeast Asia via commercial enterprise thus spreading Indian culture.

➥ After over six centuries of power and growth the Pallava kingdom declined under regular military attacks by neighbouring Western Chalukyans and Cholas. The powerful Chola empire of south India took over the former Pallava territories by 900 CE.

➥ The Pallavas are remembered as a powerful kingdom that lasted for hundreds of years, contributing massively to different aspects of classical Indian (particularly south Indian) civilisation. Not to mention they planted the first major footprints of Indian culture in Southeast Asia - helping in creating the languages and cultures of the present-day nations of Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam and Laos.