The Pallavas and the far south

The Pallavas ruled from Kānchī (today's Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu) and were at their peak in the 7th century under Mahendravarman I and his son Narasimhavarman I, also called Mamalla ('wrestler' or 'warrior'). Narasimhavarman defeated Pulakeśhin II and captured Badami — but then pulled back, leaving the Tungabhadra River as an unwritten boundary between the two powers. He also sent a naval expedition to Sri Lanka to help a Sinhalese prince win back his throne.

Kanchipuram was a cultural centre and a trading hub for spices, textiles (including silk), ivory and other luxuries. The Pallavas traded with Sri Lanka and much of Southeast Asia through sea ports, especially Māmallapuram, where Chinese, Persian and Roman coins have been dug up.

Xuanzang visited Kānchī too. He mentions 100 Buddhist monasteries with 10,000 monks (probably exaggerated), 80 Hindu temples and many Jains, and says the people loved honesty and truth and greatly valued learning.

At Māmallapuram, the Pallavas carved rock-cut caves and monolithic temples ('mono' = one, 'lithic' = stone: carved from a single rock), showing gods and scenes from the Mahābhārata. One granite panel shows Durgā about to kill the buffalo demon Mahiṣhāsura, full of movement.

The Pallavas supported Jain, Vaishnava and Shaiva traditions, and both Sanskrit and Tamil literature; great poets like Daṇḍin lived at their court. Mahendravarman I himself wrote a funny (satirical) Sanskrit play. The Pallavas ruled until the late 9th century, when the Chola king Aditya I overthrew them.

The Pāṇḍyas rose by the 6th century. They controlled much of southern Tamil Nadu (and, briefly, northern Sri Lanka), with their capital at Madurai, and traded with Southeast Asia through ports like Korkai. A copper plate says they had the Mahābhārata translated into Tamil, but that translation has been lost.

Along the Kerala coast, the Cheras (Chera Perumals) stayed independent despite powerful neighbours.

Then came the Cholas, revived by Vijayālaya in the 9th century, with a new capital at Tanjāvūr. His son Aditya I defeated the Pallavas. The Cholas went on to build one of the largest empires in south Indian history, known for efficient government, a powerful navy and grand temples. The fertile Kāveri delta and good irrigation gave steady harvests. Their bronze Naṭarāja, 'Lord of dance', shows the dance of creation and destruction of the universe.