The Battle of Pullalur was a battle fought between the

Chalukya The Chalukya dynasty () was a Classical Indian dynasty that ruled large parts of southern and central India between the 6th and the 12th centuries. During this period, they ruled as three related yet individual dynasties. The earliest dynasty ...

king Pulakesin II and the Pallava king

Mahendravarman I Mahendravarman I (600–630 CE) was a Pallava emperor who ruled the Southern portion of present-day Andhra region and Northern regions of what forms present-day Tamil Nadu in India in the early 7th century. He was a scholar, painter, architec ...

in the town of Pullalur or Pollilur in about 618–19.

Causes

The rapid expansion of the Chalukya Empire had resulted in the Chalukya annexation of the Vishnukundin kingdom. The Vishnukundins were allies of the

Pallavas The Pallava dynasty existed from 275 CE to 897 CE, ruling a significant portion of the Deccan, also known as Tondaimandalam. The dynasty rose to prominence after the downfall of the Satavahana dynasty, with whom they had formerly served as f ...

Kanchi Kanchipuram ('; ) also known as ''Conjeevaram,'' is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu in the Tondaimandalam region, from Chennaithe capital of Tamil Nadu. Known as the ''City of Thousand Temples'', Kanchipuram is known for its templ ...

who were emerging as a major power in the 6th century AD. This embittered the Pallavas against them and a large number of battles were fought.

Dikshit Dikshit (ISO: , ; also spelled as Dixit or Dikshitar) is traditionally a Hindu family name. Origin The word is an adjectival form of the Sanskrit word ''diksha'', meaning provider of knowledge. ''Dikshita'' in Sanskrit derives itself as a person ...

, p 93

Events

In about 617–18, Pulakesin II invaded and annexed

Vengi Vengi (or Venginadu) is a delta region spread over the Krishna and Godavari River, (also called Godavari and Krishna districts), the region is also known as Godavari Delta, that used to house world famous diamond mines in the Medieval period ...

, p 94 After his success against Vengi, he proceeded southwards and confining the Pallavas to the area around Kanchi. The Pallava king

met Pulakesin at the town of Pullalur or

Pollilur Pullalur or Pollilur is a village in the Kanchipuram taluk of Kanchipuram district in Tamil Nadu, India. The village has been the site of three historic battles - the Battle of Pullalur fought between the Chalukya king Pulakesin II and the P ...

, about nine miles north of Kanchi. In the ensuing battle, Mahendravarman is believed to have given Pulikesin II a devastating defeat. The

Aihole Aihole (pronounced "Eye-hoḷé"), also referred to as Aivalli, Ahivolal or Aryapura, is a historic site of ancient and medieval era Buddhist, Hindu and Jain monuments in Karnataka, India that dates from the sixth century through the twelfth ...

inscription of Pulakesin II gives a detailed description of the battle But Historians contradicts this inscription as not so true as Pallavas are ascending in power and had advanced military than Chalukyas The Kasakudi plates state: While Mahendravarman's enemies are not mentioned by name, some historians interpret this edit as a description of Pallava victory over the Chalukyas. However, many feel that a Pallava victory might have been most probable as there are evidences of the Chalukya army's incursions as far south and rapidly retreating after the battle.

Aftermath

Following this, Pulakesin attacked Kanchi but unable to penetrate the defences of the Pallava capital, he proceeded southwards and tried to ravage the northern and central parts of Tamil Nadu intruding as far as the Kaveri River. Then, after Pallavas and Cholas opposition, unable to accept his submission, Pulakesin II returned to Vatapi.

References

Bibliography

* * {{coord missing, Tamil Nadu

Pullalur Pullalur or Pollilur is a village in the Kanchipuram taluk of Kanchipuram district in Tamil Nadu, India. The village has been the site of three historic battles - the Battle of Pullalur fought between the Chalukya king Pulakesin II and the P ...

7th century in India Chalukya dynasty Tamil history Pallava dynasty