During the whole period of their history extending from about A.D. 200 to the end of the 9th century the Pallava power centred round Kanchi, which became definitely associated with them, at any rate from the days of Samudragupta onwards, though a very much earlier ruler states in a charter that he issued that he ruled from Kanchi. Kanchi was the centre and capital of the region known to the Tamils as Tondaman-dalam and the Pallavas came into possession of that region exactly. They show almost from the beginning of their history, to have brought along with them the culture of the north, that is Aryan culture as distinguished from what may be called Dravidian. Their charters were all issued either in Prakrit or in Sanskrit. It may even be regarded that during their age Sanskrit literature came in for some encourage-ment in the region which must be regarded Pallava. The Jain work Lokavibhaga already referred to is a work which was composed in Cuddalore in the fifth century. That is not all.