The Pallavas were a dynasty that ruled northern Tamil Nadu and parts of Andhra from their capital at Kanchipuram, mainly from the sixth to the ninth century CE, and pioneered Dravidian temple architecture at Mamallapuram and Kanchi.
The early history of the Pallavas is known mostly from copper-plate grants in Prakrit and Sanskrit, and their origins are debated. Samudragupta's Allahabad pillar inscription mentions a ruler named Vishnugopa of Kanchi among the southern kings he defeated in the fourth century, which suggests Pallava rule at Kanchi by then.
The dynasty's main phase begins with Simhavishnu in the late sixth century, who extended control over the Kaveri delta. His son Mahendravarman I was a poet, a patron of music and the author of the Sanskrit farce Mattavilasa Prahasana; he began the cutting of rock shrines. He fought Pulakeshin II of the Chalukyas, who advanced close to Kanchi. His son Narasimhavarman I took revenge by capturing and sacking the Chalukya capital Vatapi around 642 CE, earning the title Vatapikonda. Later rulers kept up the rivalry, and the Pallavas were finally supplanted by the rising Cholas under Aditya I in the late ninth century.
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