,
Kanchipuram,
Tamil Nadu, considered as the oldest temple, glorified in the
Nalayira Divya Prabandham, the early medieval Tamil canon of the
Alvar saints from the 500 to 800 CE. It is one among the 108
Divya Desams dedicated to
Maha Vishnu. one of the oldest temples in the city The origins of the Pallavas have been debated by scholars. The available historical materials include three copper-plate grants of Sivaskandavarman in the first quarter of the 4th century, all issued from
Kanchipuram but found in various parts of
Andhra Pradesh, and another inscription of
Simhavarman I half century earlier in the
Palnadu (Pallava Nadu) area of the western
Guntur district. All the early documents are in
Prakrit, and scholars find similarities in palaeography and language with the
Satavahanas and the
Mauryas. Their early coins are said to be similar to those of Satavahanas. Two main theories regarding the origins of the Pallavas have emerged based on available historical data. The first theory suggests that the Pallavas were initially subordinate to the Satavahanas, a ruling dynasty in the
Andhradesa region (north of the Penna River in modern-day
Andhra Pradesh). According to this theory, the Pallavas later expanded their influence southward, eventually establishing their power in Kanchi (modern-day
Kanchipuram). The second theory proposes that the Pallavas originated in Kanchi itself, where they initially rose to prominence. From there, they expanded their dominion northward, reaching as far as the Krishna River. Another theory posits that the Pallavas were descendants of Chola Prince
Ilandiraiyan and had their roots in
Tondaimandalam, the region around Kanchi. These theories provide different perspectives on the Pallavas' early history and territorial expansion, but the exact origins of the Pallava dynasty continue to be a subject of debate among historians. The proponents of the Andhra origin theory include
S. Krishnaswami Aiyangar and
K. A. Nilakanta Sastri. They believe that Pallavas were originally feudatories of the Satavahanas in the south-eastern part of their empire who became independent when the Satavahana power declined. They are seen to be "strangers to the Tamil country", unrelated to the ancient lines of Cheras, Pandyas and Cholas. Since Simhavarman's grant bears no regal titles, they believe that he might have been a subsidiary to the
Andhra Ikshvakus who were in power in
Andhradesa at that time. In the following half-century, the Pallavas became independent and expanded up to Kanchi. According to historian N. Subramanian, the Tamil origin theory of the Pallavas is considered plausible based on literary and historical evidence. He states that a tribe called the Thirayar lived in the Vengadam region in northeastern Tamil Nadu and they are mentioned in Sangam literature such as Ahananuru. It is also believed that another group called the Thondaiyar from the Aruvanadu region may have been related to the Thirayars. It is suggested that there was migration and interaction between these groups, which may have been accelerated by Karikala Chola's invasions of Thondaimandala. As a result, settlements may have formed in the vicinity of Kanchi and later these groups may have merged. He believes that this hybridity may have led to the origin of the Pallavas. He also explains that words like "Ilanthiraiyar" found in Sangam literature may not be the names of individual people, but may be a generic name denoting a position or clan identity. Thus, it is believed that the Theriyas and their associated groups may have played an important role in the political system of the region, and that the Pallavas may have emerged from this type of local organization. The Culavamsa, the Sri Lankan chronicle, refers to the Pallava ruler Narasimhavarman I by the epithet “Kanduvethi” (or “Kaduvetti”). Some historians interpret this title as linguistically related to the term “Kadavan,” a designation later associated with the Kadava chiefs, and consider it indicative of an connection between early Pallavas with the Kadava lineage.
S. Krishnaswami Aiyengar also speculates that the Pallavas were natives of
Tondaimandalam and the name Pallava is identical with the word Tondaiyar. Sircar points out that the family legends of the Pallavas speak of an ancestor descending from
Ashwatthama, the legendary warrior of
Mahabharata, and his union with a
Naga princess. According to
Ptolemy, the
Aruvanadu region between the northern and southern Penner rivers (
Penna and
Ponnaiyar) was ruled by a king Basaronaga around 140 CE. By marrying into this
Naga family, the Pallavas would have acquired control of the region near Kanchi. While Sircar allows that Pallavas might have been provincial rulers under the later Satavahanas with a partial northern lineage, Sathianathaier sees them as natives of
Tondaimandalam (the core region of Aruvanadu). He argues that they could well have adopted northern Indian practices under the Mauryan
Asoka's rule. He relates the name "Pallava" to
Pulindas, whose heritage is borne by names such as "Pulinadu" and "Puliyurkottam" in the region. According to
Sir H. A. Stuart the Pallavas were
Kurumbas and
Kurubas their modern representatives. This is supported by Marathi historian
R. C. Dhere who stated that Pallavas were originally pastoralists that belonged to Kuruba lineages. The territory of Pallavas was bordered by the
Coromandel Coast along present Tamil Nadu and southern Andhra Pradesh. Out of the coins found here, the class of gold and silver coins belonging to the 2nd-7th century CE period contain the Pallava emblem, the maned lion, together with
Kannada or
Sanskrit inscription which showed that the Pallavas used Kannada too in their administration along with Prakrit, Sanskrit and Tamil. Overlaid on these theories is another hypothesis of Sathianathaier which claims that "Pallava" is a derivative of
Pahlava (the Sanskrit term for Parthians). According to him, partial support for the theory can be derived from a crown shaped like an elephant's scalp depicted on some sculptures, which seems to resemble the crown of
Demetrius I. The
Mahakuta Pillar inscription of
Kirttivarman I claims that Dramila term to describe Pallavas. "Dramila" is a term, often used interchangeably with "Dravida," referring to the ancient
Tamil kingdoms and their
people)
Kadavas were related to the Pallava dynasty and ruled from
Kudalur near
Cuddalore in
Tamil Nadu.
Hiranyavarman, the father of
Nandivarman II Pallavamalla is said to have belonged to the Kadavakula in epigraphs. The title
Kadava is found among the several titles assumed by
Mahendravarman I,
Narasimhavarman I and
Narasimhavarman II. It describe the Pallava kings used the
kadava title. The Kadava name with Kadavarayar is found in
Tamil literature to refer to the
Pallavas. The relationship of the
Kadavas to the main Pallava dynasty is documented in an inscription in
Kanchipuram. The kings of the collateral line of the Pallavas who were descended from
Bhimavarman, the brother of
Simhavishnu, are called the
Kadavas. The Pallava king
Nandivarman II (Pallavamalla) is praised as "one who was born to raise the prestige of the Kadava family." ==Rivalries==