The Pallavas are an extremely interesting dynasty. What's commonly known about them is mentioned in this thread but they are extremely important in Indian history for reasons not mentioned here (I give a short glimpse here
1. The Pallavas preceded the
1. The Pallavas preceded the
Guptas (300 AD-550AD) and survived long after them as well (275 AD-897 AD).
2. Like all (except for the 3 Thamizh) dynasties of Dakshinapatha, Pallavas were (Maharashtri) Prakrit speakers who switched to patronising the local Dravidian languages of the area of their rule.
2. Like all (except for the 3 Thamizh) dynasties of Dakshinapatha, Pallavas were (Maharashtri) Prakrit speakers who switched to patronising the local Dravidian languages of the area of their rule.
3. The limits of their empire were largely Tondaimandalam but their cultural influence was not only spread throughout the subcontinent but also across the world.
4. Hinduism as we know it was born in the Pallava reign and has nothing to do with the Guptas. The Guptas were
4. Hinduism as we know it was born in the Pallava reign and has nothing to do with the Guptas. The Guptas were
Buddhist rulers with the first Gupta king Sri Gupta building a massive Buddhist monastery called म्रिगशिखावन. Chandragupta I (319-335 AD) married a Buddhist Lichavi princess which turned the tiny Gupta state into a dominant kingdom of Eastern India. Gupta king Kumaragupta I (415
455 AD) established the Buddhist university of Nalanda.
5. Hinduism as we know it is what is colloquially known as the "Bhakti movement" referring to the various Hindu sects in practice today. This began with the establishment of the Paadal Peetra Sthalams and Divya Desams and
5. Hinduism as we know it is what is colloquially known as the "Bhakti movement" referring to the various Hindu sects in practice today. This began with the establishment of the Paadal Peetra Sthalams and Divya Desams and
the rise of the Alwars and Nayanars. Thus, Shiva-Vishnu worship literally began in the Pallava era with the Gudimallam Lingam also being from their reign. This slowly spread throughout the subcontinent and the Vaishnavite leanings of Samudragupta (335-375 AD) and Chandragupta
Vikramaditya (375-415 AD) can be ascribed to the religious influences from the Pallava kingdom.
6. The Pallava kingdom was the first time when Hinduism was the majority religion in any region. The claims about the Vedic era are extremely fuzzy and unproven. The Lakulisha and
6. The Pallava kingdom was the first time when Hinduism was the majority religion in any region. The claims about the Vedic era are extremely fuzzy and unproven. The Lakulisha and
Pancharatra orders were the early forms of Shiva and Vishnu worship respectively being minor influences that developed into proper Shiva-Vishnu worship with mass following and royal patronage under the Pallavas.
7. Adi Shankara is dated to the 4th-6th century AD by historians
7. Adi Shankara is dated to the 4th-6th century AD by historians
and thus it seems likely that he was born in the Pallava reign. Most of the legends around him developed later and he lived a short life developing Panchayatan worship incorporating Shiva, Vishnu, Devi and established the @sringerimath in the Pallava kingdom. The Shaiva Sidhantha
order was also established then under which Shavism throughout the world was united under. Dasanamis and Nathpanthis split from them later with the arrival of the Sultanates and decline of the centralised nature of this order.
8. While the Veda Samhitas and early Upanishads
8. While the Veda Samhitas and early Upanishads
were written in the Agraharams of North India, the Puranas and Upanishads were mostly written in the South with the process beginning in the Pallava reign.
9. Not only did Hinduism spread from the Pallava reign throughout India but globally as well. Many Pallava prince's
9. Not only did Hinduism spread from the Pallava reign throughout India but globally as well. Many Pallava prince's
migrated to Southeast Asia and established Smarthin kingdoms leading to the global spread of Hinduism. The Brahmins of Southeast Asia hold allegiance to the @KanchiMatham today.
10. The Pallavas were Smarthin Brahmins who spoke (Maharashtri) Prakrit, lived in Andhra Desh and
10. The Pallavas were Smarthin Brahmins who spoke (Maharashtri) Prakrit, lived in Andhra Desh and
then moved to Tondaimandalam and adopted Sanskrit. As such their legacy is today a part of the ancestry of the Deshashtha Rigvedi Brahmins, Telugu Vaidikis and Vadama Iyers. They claimed ancestry from the Brahmin sage Dronacharya through his son Ashwathama.
The legacy of
The legacy of
Hinduism being born under the Pallavas was taken forward by sages like Ramanujacharya and Madhavacharya with all Hindu orders sprouting from them (but more on that later). The legacy of the Pallavas basically "creating" Hinduism was hidden by Bengali so called "nationalist"
historians like RC Majumdar who hyped up the Guptas and the likes for their own parochial reasons. It's time that such false historiography is dismantled and the truth of Indian and Hindu history is presented to the world.
*adopted Thamizh.
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