Aparajita Varman, (reigned 880-897 CE) commonly referred as Aparajita, was a king of the

Pallava dynasty The Pallava dynasty existed from 275 CE to 897 CE, ruling a significant portion of the Deccan, also known as Tondaimandalam. The Pallavas played a crucial role in shaping in particular southern Indian history and heritage. The dynasty ros ...

. He was the son of Kampavarman and the

Ganga The Ganges ( ; in India: Ganga, ; in Bangladesh: Padma, ). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international which goes through India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China." is a trans-boundary riv ...

princess Vijaya. Considered the last known Pallava ruler, he was defeated and killed in c. 897 CE in a battle against Aditya I. The

Pallava The Pallava dynasty existed from 275 CE to 897 CE, ruling a significant portion of South India, the Deccan, also known as Tondaimandalam. The Pallavas played a crucial role in shaping in particular southern Indian history and heritage. The ...

reign over Tondaimandalam came to an end thereafter as the Pallava territories were annexed into the

Chola Empire The Chola Empire, which is often referred to as the Imperial Cholas, was a medieval thalassocratic empire based in southern India that was ruled by the Chola dynasty, and comprised overseas dominions, protectorates and spheres of influence ...

. In 880 CE, Aparajita fought a battle against the

Pandya The Pandya dynasty (), also referred to as the Pandyas of Madurai, was an ancient Tamil dynasty of South India, and among the four great kingdoms of Tamilakam, the other three being the Pallavas, the Cholas and the Cheras. Existing sinc ...

ruler Varagunavarman II and had him defeated.

Reign

A Somaskanda depiction on the rear wall of the sanctum of a temple commissioned by him in Tiruttani is regarded as the last known use of that stylistic tradition. In 885, he transferred the rule of

Thanjavur Thanjavur (), also known as Thanjai, previously known as Tanjore, Pletcher 2010, p. 195 is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the 12th biggest city in Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is an important center of southern Indian religion, art ...

to his ally and vassal Aditya I as a reward for his contribution to the victory at Thirupurambiyam. The

Cholas The Chola dynasty () was a Tamil dynasty originating from Southern India. At its height, it ruled over the Chola Empire, an expansive maritime empire. The earliest datable references to the Chola are from inscriptions dated to the 3rd cen ...

under Aditya I at first were minor allies of the Pallavas, but later attacked them, defeated and killed Aparajitavarman, thus marking the end of the Pallava reign in Southern India.

References

{{reflist Pallava kings