Question

Give an account of the reign of Mahendravarman I.

Answer 1

Mahendravarma I  (600–630 CE) 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.During his reign, the Chalukya king Pulakesi II attacked the Pallava kingdom. The Pallavas fought a series of wars in the northern Vengi region, before Mahendravarma decimated his chief enemies at Pullalur (according to Pallava grants at Kuram, kasakudi and tadantottam). Although Mahendravarma saved his capital, he lost the northern provinces to Pulakesi.Tamil literature flourished under his rule, with the rise in popularity of Teveram written by Appar and Sambandhar.