Narasimhavarman I
Encyclopedia
Narasimhavarman I was a Tamil king of the Pallava dynasty who ruled South India
from 630–668 CE. He shared his father Mahendravarman I
's love of art and completed the work started by Mahendravarman in Mahabalipuram.
He avenged his father's defeat at the hands of the Chalukya king, Pulakesin II in the year 642 CE. Narasimhavarman was also known as Mamallan (great wrestler) and Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram) was named after him. It was during his reign that the Chinese traveller Hieun Tsang
visited Kanchipuram
.
Narasimhavarman I was a devotee of Siva. The great Nayanmar saints like Appar and Tirugnanasambandar lived during his reign.
Narasimhavarman I was succeeded by his son Mahendravarman II
in the year 668 CE.
of the Sangam age, Samudragupta
, Chandragupta Maurya
, Ashoka
, Rajaraja Chola I
, his great warrior son Rajendra Chola.
, a renowned early Chalukya king, had previously raided various northern Pallava provinces and forts. However, he was unable to capture the Pallava capital of Kanchipuram
. This led to a long conflict between the Chalukyas and the Pallavas.
Pulakesi II again attempted to seize the Pallava capital and undertook another expedition several years later. However, the Pallava reign had moved on to Narasimhavarman I by then. Narasimhavarman defeated the Chalukyas in several battles, including one at Manimangalam 20 miles to the east of Kanchipuram. The king states that he could see the back of his dreaded enemy as he tore apart his army.Encouraged by this victory, Narasimhavarman led his army along with his general Paranjothi and invaded Vatapi, successfully defeating the Chalukya king Pulakesi II in 642 CE.
He returned victorious to Kanchipuram, and was given the title Vatapikondan (one who conquered Vatapi).
His general Paranjothi (a Vikrama Kesari, also known as paradurgamarddana) was known very well for his devotion to Lord Siva and as one of the 63 Nayanmar saints, is said to have indeed personally destroyed the city of Vatapi under the command of Narasimhavarman I. He is also known as 'Siruthonttar', a dutiful warrior and a practicing medic who had "mastered several treatises in medicine". This vikramakesari had at the insistence of lord sivan sacrificed his child without any qualms. There was a confusion as to whether the ganesha at a temple in chengattankudy could have been a result of this invasion but this seems not to be true because the temple and association of lord ganesha with the same are well described in sthalapuranam or the literature discussing the importance of the place. The ganesha seems to be installed several thousands of years ago in a previous epoch.The pallava grants are very clear on how they viewed the kingdom of this enemy and the status accorded to the same. All literature of the period and hence describe them as evil, degenerate, opportunistic and untruthful kingdoms of age of kali. They are described as evil empire who are to be confronted continually and regularly and not to be treated as either subordinates or tributaries. The capital vatapi was completely destroyed and the kingdom for years never really recovered from this brutal assault by pallavas who succeeded in maintaining their hegemony all over the subcontinent and south Asia continually. Many grants refer to this event as:" kilisayoneriva vimattita vathapi" or the one who destroyed vatapi, the same way sage agastya had killed a demon by that name long ago.(**)
It has to be noted here that even though Narasimhavarman I was punitive he was not the first of pallava kings both to confront or decimate this enemy many pallava kings through ages had been undertaking expeditions into this deccan territory. Grants of Sree Rajasimha mention the punitive, destructive expeditions undertaken by many pallavas through centuries into this territory.
refer to Narasimhavarman's conquest of Ceylon. The Mahavamsa
also confirms these facts.
's work, Sivagamiyin Sabadham
, is based on Narasimhavarman's early years and his fights with the Chalukyas. Kalki Krishnamurthy's Parthiban kanavu
is based on the later years of Narasimhavarman's rule.
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
from 630–668 CE. He shared his father Mahendravarman I
Mahendravarman I
Mahendravarman I was a Pallava king who ruled the Northern regions of what forms present-day Tamil Nadu in India in the early 7th century. He was the son of Simhavishnu, who defeated the Kalabhras and re-established the Pallava kingdom....
's love of art and completed the work started by Mahendravarman in Mahabalipuram.
He avenged his father's defeat at the hands of the Chalukya king, Pulakesin II in the year 642 CE. Narasimhavarman was also known as Mamallan (great wrestler) and Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram) was named after him. It was during his reign that the Chinese traveller Hieun Tsang
Xuanzang
Xuanzang was a famous Chinese Buddhist monk, scholar, traveler, and translator who described the interaction between China and India in the early Tang period...
visited Kanchipuram
Kanchipuram
Kanchipuram, or Kanchi, is a temple city and a municipality in Kanchipuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a temple town and the headquarters of Kanchipuram district...
.
Narasimhavarman I was a devotee of Siva. The great Nayanmar saints like Appar and Tirugnanasambandar lived during his reign.
Narasimhavarman I was succeeded by his son Mahendravarman II
Mahendravarman II
Mahendravarman II was a Tamil king of the Pallava dynasty who ruled South India from 668–672 CE. He was the son of Narasimhavarman I, a Tamil king of the Pallava dynasty who ruled South India from 630–668 CE. He was succeeded by his son Paramesvaravarman I....
in the year 668 CE.
Military Conquests
Narasimhavarman I is claimed to be one of the Seven Indian kings who never lost on the battlefield to their enemies, the others being Karikala CholaKarikala Chola
Karikala Chola or Karikala Chozhan was one of the great Tamil kings of Early Chola during the Sangam period. He was the son of Ilamcetcenni and ruled around 270 BC....
of the Sangam age, Samudragupta
Samudragupta
Samudragupta , ruler of the Gupta Empire , and successor to Chandragupta I, is considered to be one of the greatest military geniuses in Indian history according to Historian V. A. Smith. His name is taken to be a title acquired by his conquests...
, Chandragupta Maurya
Chandragupta Maurya
Chandragupta Maurya , was the founder of the Maurya Empire. Chandragupta succeeded in conquering most of the Indian subcontinent. Chandragupta is considered the first unifier of India and its first genuine emperor...
, Ashoka
Ashoka
Ashok Maurya or Ashoka , popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was an Indian emperor of the Maurya Dynasty who ruled almost all of the Indian subcontinent from ca. 269 BC to 232 BC. One of India's greatest emperors, Ashoka reigned over most of present-day India after a number of military conquests...
, Rajaraja Chola I
Rajaraja Chola I
Raja Raja Chola I born Arunmozhi Thevar , popularly known as Raja Raja the Great, is one of the greatest emperors of the Tamil Chola Empire of India who ruled between 985 and 1014 CE...
, his great warrior son Rajendra Chola.
War with the Chalukyas
Pulakesi IIPulakesi II
Pulakesin II is the most famous ruler of the Chalukya dynasty. In his reign the Chalukyas of Badami saw their kingdom extend over most of the Deccan.-Early life and accession:...
, a renowned early Chalukya king, had previously raided various northern Pallava provinces and forts. However, he was unable to capture the Pallava capital of Kanchipuram
Kanchipuram
Kanchipuram, or Kanchi, is a temple city and a municipality in Kanchipuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a temple town and the headquarters of Kanchipuram district...
. This led to a long conflict between the Chalukyas and the Pallavas.
Pulakesi II again attempted to seize the Pallava capital and undertook another expedition several years later. However, the Pallava reign had moved on to Narasimhavarman I by then. Narasimhavarman defeated the Chalukyas in several battles, including one at Manimangalam 20 miles to the east of Kanchipuram. The king states that he could see the back of his dreaded enemy as he tore apart his army.Encouraged by this victory, Narasimhavarman led his army along with his general Paranjothi and invaded Vatapi, successfully defeating the Chalukya king Pulakesi II in 642 CE.
He returned victorious to Kanchipuram, and was given the title Vatapikondan (one who conquered Vatapi).
His general Paranjothi (a Vikrama Kesari, also known as paradurgamarddana) was known very well for his devotion to Lord Siva and as one of the 63 Nayanmar saints, is said to have indeed personally destroyed the city of Vatapi under the command of Narasimhavarman I. He is also known as 'Siruthonttar', a dutiful warrior and a practicing medic who had "mastered several treatises in medicine". This vikramakesari had at the insistence of lord sivan sacrificed his child without any qualms. There was a confusion as to whether the ganesha at a temple in chengattankudy could have been a result of this invasion but this seems not to be true because the temple and association of lord ganesha with the same are well described in sthalapuranam or the literature discussing the importance of the place. The ganesha seems to be installed several thousands of years ago in a previous epoch.The pallava grants are very clear on how they viewed the kingdom of this enemy and the status accorded to the same. All literature of the period and hence describe them as evil, degenerate, opportunistic and untruthful kingdoms of age of kali. They are described as evil empire who are to be confronted continually and regularly and not to be treated as either subordinates or tributaries. The capital vatapi was completely destroyed and the kingdom for years never really recovered from this brutal assault by pallavas who succeeded in maintaining their hegemony all over the subcontinent and south Asia continually. Many grants refer to this event as:" kilisayoneriva vimattita vathapi" or the one who destroyed vatapi, the same way sage agastya had killed a demon by that name long ago.(**)
It has to be noted here that even though Narasimhavarman I was punitive he was not the first of pallava kings both to confront or decimate this enemy many pallava kings through ages had been undertaking expeditions into this deccan territory. Grants of Sree Rajasimha mention the punitive, destructive expeditions undertaken by many pallavas through centuries into this territory.
Influence on Ceylon politics
The Sinhalese prince Manavarma lived at the court of Narasimhavarman and had helped him crush his enemy Pulakesin II. In return, Narasimhavarman supplied Manavarma twice with an army to invade Ceylon. The second attack was successful. Manavarma occupied Ceylon, over which he is supposed to have ruled from A. D. 691 to 726. The Kasakudi copper platesTamil Copper-plate inscriptions
Tamil copper-plate inscriptions are copper-plate records of grants of villages, plots of cultivable lands or other privileges to private individuals or public institutions by the members of the various South Indian royal dynasties. The study of these inscriptions, has been especially important in...
refer to Narasimhavarman's conquest of Ceylon. The Mahavamsa
Mahavamsa
The Mahavamsa is a historical poem written in the Pali language, of the kings of Sri Lanka...
also confirms these facts.
Narasimhavarman in Literature
Kalki KrishnamurthyKalki Krishnamurthy
Kalki was the pen name of R. Krishnamurthy , a noted Tamil writer, film & music critic, Indian independence activist and journalist from Tamil Nadu, India.- Biography:...
's work, Sivagamiyin Sabadham
Sivagamiyin sabadham
Sivagamiyin sabatham is a Tamil historical novel written by Kalki in 1944. Believed by some to be one of the first historical novels in Tamil it was originally serialized in the weekly Kalki for about 12 years. This was later published as a novel...
, is based on Narasimhavarman's early years and his fights with the Chalukyas. Kalki Krishnamurthy's Parthiban kanavu
Parthiban Kanavu
Parthiban Kanavu is a famous Tamil novel written by Kalki Krishnamurthy.-Plot summary:This novel deals with the attempts of the son of Chola king Parthiban, Vikraman, to attain independence from the Pallava ruler, Narasimhavarman.The Cholas remain vassals of the Pallavas...
is based on the later years of Narasimhavarman's rule.