Narasimhavarman II
| Narasimhavarman II | |
|---|---|
| Pallava King | |
| Reign | 700–728 CE (28 years) |
| Predecessor | Paramesvaravarman I |
| Successor | Paramesvaravarman II |
| Issue | Mahendravarman III, Paramesvaravarman II |
| Dynasty | Pallava |
| Father | Paramesvaravarman I |
| Pallava Kings (200s–800s) | |
| Vishnugopa II | |
| Simhavarman III | |
| Simhavishnu | |
| Mahendravarman I | (600-630) |
| Narasimhavarman I | (630–668) |
| Mahendravarman II | (668–670) |
| Paramesvaravarman I | (670–695) |
| Narasimhavarman II | (700-728) |
| Paramesvaravarman II | (728–731) |
| Nandivarman II | (731–795) |
| Dantivarman | (795–846) |
| Nandivarman III | (846-869) |
| Aparajitavarman | (880-897) |
|
Aditya I (Chola Empire) |
(870-907) |
Narasimhavarman II (r. 700 - 728 CE), popularly known as Rajasimha Pallava, was a ruler of the Pallava kingdom. Sen states Narasimhavarman, or Rajamalla, reigned from 695-722 AD. Rajasimha is credited with the construction of the Shore Temple, Isvara and Mukunda Temples in Mahabalipuram, the Panamalai Temple in South Arcot, plus the Kailasanathar Temple and Vaikuntha-Perumal Temples in Kanchipuram. Rajasimha's reign was period of great literary and architectural advancements and he is often grouped by historians with Mahendravarman I and Narasimhavarman I as one of the greatest Pallava rulers.
By the time Rajasimha ascended the throne, the Pallavas were by the large most powerful military force in the subcontinent. His father Parameswaravarman I was among the greatest of warrior kings of ancient India, the Amaravati Pallava inscription praises him of being: "As vigorous and strong as lord sambhu (siva)". Parameswaravarman I had subdued all his formidable enemies to extend the Pallava empire far and away. Rajasimha followed up very well.The Vayalur inscription of Pallavas issued on the eve of the coronation of Rajasimha (695.C.E-728.C.E), gives a lineage of 54 rulers through the epochs of Kritam, Dwaparam and Kali up to emperor Rajasimha, this includes 47 kings after Aswattaman, the great warrior ancestor of the Pallavas.
Rajasimha, like of most of Pallava kings before him, was a great militarist. That the Pallavas were recognized as a major power during his period is testified by the fact that he exchanged ambassadors with China. In general his period was relatively free from major wars and Pallava domination of south east Asia continued.
Rajasimha was a skilled dramatist and poet. He wrote many works in Sanskrit. Most of these are missing. His Sanskrit plays had themes from Ramayana, Mahabharatha and puranas. Kutiyattam, which is considered as the most ancient available form of dance drama and is still in vogue in Kerala, uses some of his plays (like kailasodharanam) for subject matter and so does chakyar koothu another ancient Tamil dramatized worship service. another play called "kamsavadham" dealing with lord krishna's killing of kamsa also was written by the king.
...
Wikipedia