The South and the Northeast

While the Guptas ruled the north, the Pallavas grew powerful in the south, in parts of today's Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

Their origins aren't clear, but they seem to have been a tributary of the Sātavāhanas and grew strong as the Sātavāhanas declined. Once again a tributary becomes a power when its overlord fades.

The Pallavas loved art and architecture. Most worshipped Śhiva and built magnificent temples and rock-cut caves.

Their capital Kānchipuram (Tamil Nadu), called the 'city of a thousand temples', became a major centre of learning. Ghaṭikās, centres of learning that began under the Sātavāhanas, helped education grow.

In the north-east, the Kāmarūpa kingdom, ruled by the Varman dynasty, covered the Brahmaputra valley (roughly today's Assam) and northern parts of today's Bengal and Bangladesh. It was a big cultural and political centre, with temples and monasteries that were centres of learning.

An old name for the Brahmaputra valley is Prāgjyotiṣha. (It's the name of a place, not a king!) It appears in the Rāmāyaṇa and Mahābhārata; the Mahābhārata says Bhagadatta, king of Prāgjyotiṣha, fought for the Kauravas. Some real rulers later claimed him as their ancestor.

Both the Pallavas and Kāmarūpa appear in the prayāga praśhasti. Samudragupta defeated a Pallava king and the king of Kāmarūpa, but did not take direct control. They kept their thrones as long as they accepted his rule and paid tribute, which kept the peace.

Defeat a king, leave him his throne, take his tribute: we've seen this pattern again and again!