EP03 | ಚಾಲುಕ್ಯರು | ಪುಲಿಕೇಶಿಯ ನಂತರದ ದಿನಗಳು...

Paranjyoti, also known as Sirruthondar, was a 7th‑century Pallava general who served under King Narasimhavarman I (630‑668 CE). Originally a warrior of the Pallava dynasty, he distinguished himself in the campaign against the Chalukyas of Vatapi and is credited with leading the Pallava forces that captured Vatapi in 642 CE, killing the Chalukya king Pulakeshin II  ¹ ². After his military career, Paranjyoti renounced violence and became a Saivite monk, eventually being counted among the 63 Nayanars, the Shaivite saints of Tamil tradition. His legend is celebrated in Tamil literature, notably in Kalki Krishnamurthy’s novel Sivagamiyin Sapatham  ¹. Would you like to know more about the Vatapi conquest or how Paranjyoti’s story is remembered in Tamil religious texts?