Nandivarman II (718 CE – 796 CE) was a

Pallava 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 ...

ruler who ruled in

South India South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union terr ...

. Sen states Nandivarman reigned from 731 CE – 796 CE and built the Vaikuntha-Perumal Temple. He was born in the country of

Champa Champa ( Cham: ꨌꩌꨛꨩ; km, ចាម្ប៉ា; vi, Chiêm Thành or ) were a collection of independent Cham polities that extended across the coast of what is contemporary central and southern Vietnam from approximately the 2nd ...

(modern day

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making ...

) into a local dynasty of Pallava origin and was elected as a Pallava king at the age of 13.

Background

Paramesvaravarman II was succeeded by 12 year old Nandivarman II Pallavamalla who belonged to the collateral line of Pallavas called the Kadavas. The latter were the descendants of Bhimavarman, the brother of

Simhavishnu Simhavishnu (IAST: Siṃhaviṣṇu) 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 K ...

. Hiranyavarman, the father of Nandivarman Pallavamalla is said to have belonged to the Kadavakula in epigraphs. Nandivarman II himself is described as "one who was born to raise the prestige of the Kadava family". He is credited to have built the

Tiru Parameswara Vinnagaram Thiru Parameswara Vinnagaram or Vaikunta Perumal Temple is a temple dedicated to Vishnu, located in Kanchipuram in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, the temple is glorified in the ''Divya ...

. The term ''Kaduvetti'' in

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, na ...

means ''destroyer or clearer of forests'' as the Pallavas like their ancestor Mukkanti Kaduvetti alias Trilochana Pallava were known to often clear forests and introduce civilization by settling Brahmins and other communities. The previous ruler Paramesvaravarman II did not have an heir so the ministers, feudatories and advisors of the kingdom took an expedition to neighboring kingdoms and distant lands to find a suitable prince of the original line. Upon reaching Kambujadesa, modern day Cambodia and southern Vietnam, they finally identified Nandivarman II as belonging to the original line and willing to ascend the throne. Accordingly, he was brought and then installed on the throne of the Pallava kingdom.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Nandivarman 02 720 births 796 deaths Pallava kings