సింహవిష్ణు: కూర్పుల మధ్య తేడాలు

| dynasty = [[Pallava dynasty|Pallava]]

}}

'''Simhavishnu''', 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 [[Kanchipuram]] (Kanchi) in the South. He was portrayed as a great conqueror in ''[[Mattavilasa Prahasana]]'' (drunken revelry), a drama written by his son [[Mahendravarman I]].

 

[[Hero stone]]s of the reigns of Simhavishnu and his father Simhavarman show his highest regnal year to be the thirty-third, and on this basis he ruled for over 33 years.<ref name=sastri135>KAN Sastri, A History of South India, p135</ref> Sen states he ruled from 575-600 AD, and conquered Chola.<ref name="sen2">{{Cite book |last=Sen |first=Sailendra |title=A Textbook of Medieval Indian History |publisher=Primus Books |year=2013 |isbn=978-9-38060-734-4 |pages=41–42}}</ref> However, there is no exact consensus as to Simhavishnu's period on the throne. Recent epigraphical evidence supports the period of 537–570 CE, whereas older generation historians like T.V. Mahalingam claimed it to be 575–615 CE. KAN Sastri tentatively places Simhavishnu's reign between 555–590&nbsp;CE.

 

When Simhavishnu ascended the throne, the Pallava dynasty was beginning to reassert its supremacy. His father Simhavarman was an accomplished militarist who according to a grant by Rajasimha Pallava ([[Narasimhavarman II]]) in the 8th century AD, had destroyed the town and army of Ranarasika, a Chalukyan king of the [[Deccan Plateau|Deccan]].

 

Simhavishnu led the revival of the Pallavas, and the period starting with him came to be known as the Greater Pallavas or Later Pallavas dynasty. The great struggle between the Pallavas and the Chalukyas, which would last for more than two centuries, began during the reign of Simhavishnu.

 

Simhavishnu is known to have been the patron of the [[Sanskrit]] poet [[Bharavi]], who wrote of the duel between [[Lord Shiva|Siva]] and [[Arjuna]] known as Kirata Arjuneeya, after which Lord Shiva blessed Arjuna with the divine 'Pasupata' missile.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=fTLlcGlkdjkC&pg=PA200&lpg=PA200&dq=pasupata'+missile&source=web&ots=AEBEUPKM8D&sig=mYYamXp5aVMKBy83zAa80ob6hXc&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result David Smith, ''The Dance of Siva: Religion, Art and Poetry in South India,'' Cambridge (2004) p.200] {{ISBN|0-521-52865-8}}</ref> The structure of Bharavi's play suggests that it was written for ''[[koodiyattam]]'' plays for worship in temples during festivals. Kirata Arjuneeya is used as a subject for ''koodiyattam'' performances even today.

 

As with most Indian monarchs, Simhavishnu also accepted his servility to the Almighty. Great endowments were given to temples across the Tamil region. His father Simhavarma also may have entered the Tamil pantheon of Saivite saints who had gained ''[[Moksha|mukti]]'' at the feet of the lord.

 

In the [[Tamil copper-plate inscriptions|Udayendiram copper plates]] of [[Nandivarman II]], Simhavishnu was a devotee of [[Vishnu]]. This is a noteworthy point as his son Mahendravarman I was a [[Jainism|Jaina]] who opposed all the Saivaite practices before being converted to [[Saivism]]. Simhavishnu's portrait can be seen in the stone engraving at the [[Varaha Cave Temple|Adivaraha Mandap]], an elegant shrine at [[Mahabalipuram]]. The monuments and temples in Mahabalipuram are achievements of the Pallava dynasty, and they still exist in [[Tamil Nadu]]. Simhavishnu was succeeded by his son [[Mahendravarman I]].

 

{{reflist}}

 

* {{cite book | first= K. A. N. | last= Sastri | authorlink= | coauthors= | origyear = 1955| year=2008 | title= A History of South India| edition= 4th| publisher= Oxford University Press | location= New Delhi, India| id= }}

* Hirsh, Marilyn "Mahendravarman I Pallava: Artist and Patron of Mamallapuram", ''Artibus Asiae'', Vol. 48, No. 1/2. (1987), pp.&nbsp;113

 

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050913113639/http://faculty.sxu.edu/~rabe/simhavishnu.htm Simhavishnu portrait]