Pallava dynasty (early 4th century - late 9th century AD) ruled northern Tamil Nadu and southern Andhra Pradesh of present day India with their capital at Kanchi. They established themselves as a notable rising power in the region in third-fourth century and by the beginning of the seventh century AD, the Pallavas along with the Chalukyas of Badami and the Pandyas of Madurai, emerged to be the three major states of southern India.

The term pallava means creeper, and is a Sanskrit version of the Tamil word tondai. The Pallavas were a local tribe with their authority in the Tondainadu. The Pallavas gained prominence after the eclipse of the Satavahana dynasty, whom the Pallavas served as feudatories.

They attacked and wiped out the weakened Chola state, and reduced the Cholas into a marginal role in South India. The Gupta emperor Samudragupta is known to have brought Pallavas under their sway. The early Pallavas came into conflict with the Kadambas, the rulers of northern Karnataka and Konkan in the fourth century AD. Soon Pallavas recognized the Kadamba authority over them. The revolt led by the Kalabhras affected the Pallavas and it was put down by the allied efforts of Pallavas, Pandyas and Chalukyas. After the Kalabhra upheaval the long struggle between the Pallavas and Chalukyas of Badami for supremacy in peninsular India began. Both tried to establish control over the Krishna-Tungabhadra doab. Although the Chalukya ruler Pulakeshin II almost reached the Pallava capitalm his second invasion ended in failure. The Pallava ruler Narasimhavarman occupied Vatapi, defeated the Pandyas, Cholas and Cheras. The conflict resumed in the first half of the eight century with multiple Pallava setbacks. The Chalukyas overrun them completely in 740 AD, ending the Pallava supremacy in South India.