Tax Exemptions on Pallava Copper Plates

Like the use of archaeology, coinage, painting, sculpture, literature and epigraphy, copper plates help us to know about thehistory, customs, culture, civilization and life of the ancient Tamils. The Pallavas ruled Tamil Nadu from 3rd century AD to 9th century AD with Kanchipuram as their capital. The Pallavas were the successors of the Chera, Chola and Pandya kings who ruled Tamilnadu during the Sangam Age. In the absence of sufficient literary evidence, their inscriptions and copper plates serve asmirrors of Pallava history. The Pallavas are credited with the publication of the largest number of copper plates. The purpose of this study is to examine the tax exemptions known from the copper plates left by them.