Nandivarman II
Encyclopedia
Nandivarman II (720–796 CE) was a Pallava
ruler who ruled in South India
.
king Parameswaravarman
died without any heir and hence the Pallava empire was kingless. Parameswaravarman was the last ruler of the Simhavishnu
line of Pallavas.
That their enemies would not utilize the opportunity to invade the country, the military leaders (dandanayakas), scholars and representatives of mercantile and peasantry formed an entourage and undertook "a long journey" to reach the kingdom of Kambujadesa
(कम्बोजदेश; "land of Kambuja") – modern day Cambodia
and Vietnam
– ruled by a certain Kadavesa Hari Varma, who stemmed from the Pallava lineage and was 6th descendant of Bhimavarman, the brother of the great Simha Vishnu
. The king had four sons. The first three (Kshatriyamalla, Sangramamalla and Rajamalla) declined the offer. The last one by name Pallava Malla Parameswara also known as Nandi Varman, who was then 14 years old, accepted the request. Nandivarman's becoming a king at such a tender age is referred to in many inscriptions and contemporary literature (referring to him as "The one of strong arms who got the kingdom at a tender age" or the one who became king at a tender age).
Nandi varman inherited a kingdom that was made strong by the efforts of his illustrious predecessors like parameswaravarman and Rajasimha. The Deccan enemies of the Pallavas, who had for long been at the receiving end from successive Pallava kings, used the opportunity resulting from the anarchy and seem to have attempted to march against the Pallava kingdom. Nandivarman, then only 13 years old, was not equipped physically and mentally to command an army, nor was he allowed to take to the battlefield as per war rules and thereby the naturally imperialist Pallavas for the first time in their illustrious history made a tactical wait and watch. This, however, did not have any consequence and the Pallava territories were never endangered. The previously mentioned enemy also is known to have been further defeated decisively during an invasion by the benevolent pandyan Srivallabha Pandiyan in whose kingdom the alwar saint Periyalwar (Vishnuchittan) lived and composed. As noted from many of his inscriptions, the period witnessed general peace and trade flourished. The poem Nandikkalambakam, which informs us of his great servitorship to saivite tradition, also says that "ships from faroff continents, loaded with great wealth, creaking to the point of breaking, sailed into the kingdom regularly". Nandi varman was successful in defeating many of his foes, who mainly ruled states in the Deccan (a copperplate reports that he took the kingdom of a certain vishnu Raja in the Deccan) with the help of his brave commander called Udayachandran, who was a part of the entourage that accompanied him from Kambujadesa and "who had long been serving in the king's special forces" in 731 A.D. The previously mentioned king had alongside a king called prithvivyaghra nishadaraja (king of forest tribes) had arrogantly seized the horse let loose by the pallavas in course of their aswamedha sacrifice. He was also a very pious man noted for his munificence to temples at Karkudi (the temple still bears his name as Uyyakondan Tirumalai and is mentioned in Tevaram hymns), vennainallur and parameswara vinnagaram in Kanchipuram. The Pandyan kings, the natural enemies to both Cholas and Pallavas , also met with defeat at his hands. A temple for goddess Bhagavati (Durga) was built in Nagercoil by Nandivarman and this shows that the Pallavas reigned supreme in the south during his period. He died in 796 A.D.
Pallava
The Pallava dynasty was a Tamil dynasty which ruled the northern Tamil Nadu region and the southern Andhra Pradesh region with their capital at Kanchipuram...
ruler who ruled in South India
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...
.
Ascension to the Throne
In A.D 731, the PallavaPallava
The Pallava dynasty was a Tamil dynasty which ruled the northern Tamil Nadu region and the southern Andhra Pradesh region with their capital at Kanchipuram...
king Parameswaravarman
Paramesvaravarman I
Parameswaravarman I was a Pallava emperor who ruled in South India in the latter half of the seventh century.He ascended to the throne after the death of his father Mahendravarman II in 670 CE. His grandfather Narasimhavarman I had already made the Pallava empire the most powerful force in the...
died without any heir and hence the Pallava empire was kingless. Parameswaravarman was the last ruler of the Simhavishnu
Simhavishnu
Simhavishnu , also known as Avanisimha , son of Simhavarman III and one of the Pallava kings of India, was responsible for the revival of the Pallavan dynasty. He was the first Pallava monarch whose domain extended beyond Kanchipuram in the South...
line of Pallavas.
That their enemies would not utilize the opportunity to invade the country, the military leaders (dandanayakas), scholars and representatives of mercantile and peasantry formed an entourage and undertook "a long journey" to reach the kingdom of Kambujadesa
Khmer Empire
The Khmer Empire was one of the most powerful empires in Southeast Asia. The empire, which grew out of the former kingdom of Chenla, at times ruled over and/or vassalized parts of modern-day Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Burma, and Malaysia. Its greatest legacy is Angkor, the site of the capital city...
(कम्बोजदेश; "land of Kambuja") – modern day Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
and Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
– ruled by a certain Kadavesa Hari Varma, who stemmed from the Pallava lineage and was 6th descendant of Bhimavarman, the brother of the great Simha Vishnu
Simhavishnu
Simhavishnu , also known as Avanisimha , son of Simhavarman III and one of the Pallava kings of India, was responsible for the revival of the Pallavan dynasty. He was the first Pallava monarch whose domain extended beyond Kanchipuram in the South...
. The king had four sons. The first three (Kshatriyamalla, Sangramamalla and Rajamalla) declined the offer. The last one by name Pallava Malla Parameswara also known as Nandi Varman, who was then 14 years old, accepted the request. Nandivarman's becoming a king at such a tender age is referred to in many inscriptions and contemporary literature (referring to him as "The one of strong arms who got the kingdom at a tender age" or the one who became king at a tender age).
Rule and conquests
Nandivarman was an intellectual with aptitude in many arts like writing, poetry, music and philosophy. Like his predecessor Rajasimha, he is credited with augmenting temple dramatized dance worship like Kutiyattam with many plays of his own. He is known to have composed the same in Tamil, also, as can be seen from the poem "Nandikkalambakam" that celebrates his erudition in Tamil, while also hailing his great conquests. The alwar saint Tirumangai Alwar, who was a contemporary of this Pallava, also dedicates several verses in his Divyaprabhandam to describe successful wars at Tellaru, Nellai (Tirunelveli), Urayur and Karur. He is also known for his good looks and liking for training in gymnastics.Nandi varman inherited a kingdom that was made strong by the efforts of his illustrious predecessors like parameswaravarman and Rajasimha. The Deccan enemies of the Pallavas, who had for long been at the receiving end from successive Pallava kings, used the opportunity resulting from the anarchy and seem to have attempted to march against the Pallava kingdom. Nandivarman, then only 13 years old, was not equipped physically and mentally to command an army, nor was he allowed to take to the battlefield as per war rules and thereby the naturally imperialist Pallavas for the first time in their illustrious history made a tactical wait and watch. This, however, did not have any consequence and the Pallava territories were never endangered. The previously mentioned enemy also is known to have been further defeated decisively during an invasion by the benevolent pandyan Srivallabha Pandiyan in whose kingdom the alwar saint Periyalwar (Vishnuchittan) lived and composed. As noted from many of his inscriptions, the period witnessed general peace and trade flourished. The poem Nandikkalambakam, which informs us of his great servitorship to saivite tradition, also says that "ships from faroff continents, loaded with great wealth, creaking to the point of breaking, sailed into the kingdom regularly". Nandi varman was successful in defeating many of his foes, who mainly ruled states in the Deccan (a copperplate reports that he took the kingdom of a certain vishnu Raja in the Deccan) with the help of his brave commander called Udayachandran, who was a part of the entourage that accompanied him from Kambujadesa and "who had long been serving in the king's special forces" in 731 A.D. The previously mentioned king had alongside a king called prithvivyaghra nishadaraja (king of forest tribes) had arrogantly seized the horse let loose by the pallavas in course of their aswamedha sacrifice. He was also a very pious man noted for his munificence to temples at Karkudi (the temple still bears his name as Uyyakondan Tirumalai and is mentioned in Tevaram hymns), vennainallur and parameswara vinnagaram in Kanchipuram. The Pandyan kings, the natural enemies to both Cholas and Pallavas , also met with defeat at his hands. A temple for goddess Bhagavati (Durga) was built in Nagercoil by Nandivarman and this shows that the Pallavas reigned supreme in the south during his period. He died in 796 A.D.