Defence
Which south Indian dynasty first issued its royal grants in Prakrit and later shifted to Sanskrit, and still later used both Sanskrit and Tamil?
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)View answer ▾Hide ▴
Answer: Option A — Pallavas of Kanchi
Detailed Solution
The Pallavas of Kanchi (in Tondaimandalam, the northern part of present-day Tamil Nadu) first issued their royal grants (copper plates) in Prakrit, later shifted to Sanskrit, and still later used both Sanskrit and Tamil.
The language of Pallava records:
- Early Pallava grants (3rd-4th century CE), such as the Mayidavolu and Hirahadagalli plates, were written in Prakrit.
- From about the 4th-5th century, the Pallavas issued grants in Sanskrit.
From the time of the later Pallavas (7th-9th centuries), grants were often bilingual: the genealogy and praise of the king (prashasti) were in Sanskrit, and the details of the grant (such as the boundaries of land) were in Tamil.
This pattern was followed by later dynasties such as the Cholas.
The scripts used were Brahmi and later the Pallava Grantha script.
Significance:
- This shift reflects the spread of Sanskrit as the language of royal power and Brahmanical culture across India in the early medieval period.
- The use of Tamil for practical details shows the importance of the local language for administration.
- The Pallava Grantha script influenced the scripts of South-East Asia.
About the Pallavas:
- They ruled from Kanchipuram (Kanchi) from about the 3rd to the 9th century.
- Mahendravarman I and Narasimhavarman I were famous rulers.
- They built the famous monuments of Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram), such as the rathas and the Shore Temple, and the Kailasanatha temple at Kanchi.
- They fought long wars with the Chalukyas of Badami.
- Kanchi was a great centre of learning.
Other early dynasties of south India:
- The Cholas: their inscriptions were mainly in Tamil (with Sanskrit preambles).
- The Pandyas: used Tamil and Sanskrit.
- The Kadambas: their Halmidi inscription is the earliest known Kannada inscription; they used Prakrit, Sanskrit and Kannada.
Why not the other options?
- ✗The Cholas, Pandyas and Kadambas followed other patterns.
Quick tip
Remember: Pallavas of Kanchi = grants first in Prakrit, then Sanskrit, then bilingual Sanskrit-Tamil (Pallava Grantha script); Halmidi inscription = earliest Kannada (Kadambas).
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Early Medieval India & South Indian Kingdoms — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Early Medieval India & South Indian Kingdoms, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers India from about the 7th to the 12th century: the Rajput dynasties, the tripartite struggle between the Palas, Pratiharas and Rashtrakutas, and the South Indian kingdoms of the Chalukyas, Pallavas, Cholas and Pandyas, along with the Sangam age and the temple architecture of the period. Questions often ask which dynasty built a temple (the Pallavas built the Shore Temple at Mahabalipuram, and Rajaraja Chola I built the Brihadeeswara Temple at Thanjavur), the capitals of dynasties, and the local self-government of the Cholas. Learning each dynasty with its capital, greatest ruler and one monument is the quickest way to answer these questions. Practise the early medieval India questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.