http://www.chennainetwork.com/kalki/kalki.html for English version http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ponniyin_Selvan Jump to: navigation, search Ponniyin Selvan ("The Son of Ponni") is a famous 20th-century Tamil historical novel written by Kalki Krishnamurthy. Written in 5 volumes, this narrates the story of Arulmozhivarman (later crowned as Rajaraja Chola). Book Cover of Ponniyin Selvan, Volume -I
Ponniyin Selvan (Ponni's Son) dealt with the fortunes of the Chola empire during the 10th century. It was serialised in the Tamil periodical Kalki. The serialisation went on for nearly five years and every week its publication was awaited with great interest. Contents[hide]
Historical background Ponniyin Selvan is a romantic story, which has real historical characters and real historical incidents. Vijayalaya Cholan (848-871 CE) was the founder of the later Chola dynasty. He conquered the country from a vassal chief of the Pallavas, and established Thanjavur as the capital of the dynasty. His son and successor Aditya I conquered the Pallavas and the Kongu country. Later, under the leadership of his son Parantaka I (c 907-955 CE), the cholas acquired a dominion which foreshadowed the greater empire of Rajaraja and Kulothunga Chola I. Parantaka I won victories over the Banas, the Gangas, the Pandya and the King of Ceylon. This fact and the extent of his conquest are known from his inscriptions. Towards the end of his reign, or before his death, the Rashtrakutas under Krishna III invaded the Tamil Country, killed the Chola prince Rajaditya at Takkolam (near Arakonam) in c. 948 CE , and seized Tondainadu which they seemed to have ruled for about a quarter of a century, confining the sway of the Cholas to their ancestral dominion comprising the Tanjavur and Thiruchirapalli districts. The names of the next five kings after Rajaditya are known, but little is on record regarding their life history. They were Gandaraditya, Arinjaya Chola, Parantaka Chola II, Aditya Karikalan or Aditya II and Madurantaka. Aditya Karikala II appears to have re-conquered Tondainadu a few years later. On Aditya's death, or on the death of Parantaka II, whichever was the later, the succession was probably disputed. Most of the nobles and subjects preferred that Arulmozhivarman (Rajaraja) ascend the throne, but he himself was in favour of his uncle, Madurantaka Uththama Chola becoming the king. Eventually, Arunmolivarman was appointed heir-apparent. Rajarajan became the king in 985 CE His reign was the starting point of a period of unexampled prosperity. Ponniyin Selvan was the sobriquet given to Raja Raja Chola. The original title of Arulmozhivarman was Rajakesari Varman or Mummudi-Sola-Deva. He was the second son of the Parantaka Chola II alias Sundara Chola and Vaanavan Maadevi. Rajarajan had an elder sister, Kundavaiyar and an elder brother, Aditya Karikala. Rajaraja had a high regard for his sister, who spent her later life in Tanjore with her younger brother, his first daughter was named after her. Kalki��s other sources were stone inscriptions, copper-plates and other books. There is a stone tablet in the great temple of Thanjavur which has the following inscription: ��The revered elder sister of Raja Raja Chozhar, the consort of Vallavarayar Vandiyathevar, Azwar Paranthakar Kundavaiyar��. The book sources were K.A.Nilakanta Sastri��s The Cholas and T.V.Sadasiva Pandarathar��s Pirkala Chozhar Charitttiram. The second book has a five line reference to Vandiyathevan and from that, he became the hero of this novel. The names of the conspirators also came from a stone inscription. A Lot of the information about the activities of various kings came from inscriptions like these as well as copper plates like the one found at Anbil. The Thiruvalangadu copper-plates state, "The Choza people were very keen that after Sundara Chola, Arulmozhi Varman should ascend the throne and rule their country. But Arulmozhi Varman respected the right of his Uncle Uttama Chozha, the son of his father��s younger brother, Gandaraditya, to the throne and crowned him King".
Plot Details Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow. The story revolves around Vandiyathevan, a charming young man who sets out to the Chola land to deliver a message to the King and the princess from the Crown Prince. The story shuttles between Vandiaythevan's travels in Chola country and the young Prince's travels in Sri Lanka. The narrative deals with attempts by his sister Kundavai to bring back Arulmozhi (as Raja Raja was called before his crowning) to establish political peace in a land seemingly getting besot with unrest and signs of civil war, plotted by vassals and petty cheiftains. Parantaka Chozha was succeeded by his second son Kandaraditha as the first son Rajaditha had died in a battle. On the death of Kandaraditha, his son Maduranthaka was a child and hence Kandaraditha��s brother Arinjaya ascended the throne. After Arinjaya��s death, his son Parantaka II, Sundara Choza was coronated. He had two sons, Aditha Karikalan and Arulmozhi Varman and a daughter Kundavai. When the story starts, the emperor Sundara Chola is ill and bedridden. Aditha Karikalan is the general of the Northern Command and lived in Kanchi and Arulmozhi Varman (who would be famous later as Rajaraja Chola I) is in Sri Lanka in battle and their sister Kundavai Piratti lived in Chola royal household at Pazhayarai. The story is set in motion, when rumor starts that there is a conspiracy against Sundara Chozhar and his sons. One person who gets a glimpse of the Pandya conspirators is a warrior of the Vana clan Vallavarayan Vandiyathevan. Even though the book is titled Ponniyin Selvan, the hero of the book is Vandiyathevan, a friend of Adhitha Karikalan. It is through Vandiyathevan that we meet most of the characters in the novel such as Arulmozhi Varman, the prince whom all the people loved and Periya Pazhavetturayar, the chancellor who married Nandini when he was sixty. During his youth Aditha Karikalan had fallen in love with Nandini, but she turned vengeful after Aditha Karikalan killed Veerapadyan (who was either Nandini��s father or Lover) and vowed to destroy the Chozha dynasty. We also meet Kundavai Devi, who after hearing the news of the conspiracy sends Vandiyathevan to Sri Lanka to give a message to Arulmozhi Varman to come back immediately. Bes
The translation of Ponniyin Selvan is a published work and is copyrighted, so it's unlikely you'll get a pdf version to download. (As far as I know, there isn't one.)
I haven't completed Sivagamiyin Sabadham yet. Only the second part is available online. (You can go to the site from the link in my signature.) The first part isn't available - it's coming out as a book. Thanks for asking, though.