A major intervention in Indian historiography when it was first published, this book examines the power structure of the four monarchies of south India under the Pallava, Pallya, Cera and Colla kingdoms from the seventh through thirteenth centuries of the Common Era. In this revised edition, the author has added a new Introduction in which he addresses the question of when, chronologically, the process of formation of a state becomes visible in south India. He also examines the causative factors that brought about these changes at that particular juncture in history. The new introduction adds immense value to this important book on medieval south Indian history. It will be useful for students and scholars who wish to learn about the nature of state in early medieval India as a whole.