PS Facts and Fiction : Aazhvar Parantakan Kundavaip Pirrattiyar -2
  • (Thanks for reminding swetha !)

    There is an interesting inscription of Rajaraja in Thirukkovilur. I
    even wrote a story called "Kapilan" in varalaaru.com based on this
    inscription.

    The inscription is an agavarpaa - tamil poem - unlike most
    inscriptions. It introduces the fame of thirukkovilur by narrating 2
    incidents :

    * One : The fact that sangam poet kapilan entered fire standing in a
    rock called Kapilak kaal. Today there is a temple on this big rock
    boulder

    * Two : The fact that Vaanavan maadevi - wife of sundara chozha -
    who was from thirukkovilur malayaman clan - entered funeral pyre or
    sati here.

    It was almost customary and normal to enter sati with husband in
    those days. I am really unable to imagine the thoughts or emotions
    of a 10th century mind that inspired this kind of actions. In this
    reg it is worthwhile to analyze why sembiyan mahadeviyar did not
    commit sati ? Was she too young to do that ? Was it a major
    inspiration for her religious and pious life aftermath ?
    AND WAS THERE ANY SATI AT ALL WITH RAJARAJA AND RAJENDRA ?
    OK coming back to inscription.

    It says :
    "...raajarajan ennum puliyai payandha pon maan..
    ...surandha mulaip paal magavodu piriyath thaiyal...."

    The second line is very touching. It says there was a child which
    was still receiving milk from her and she had to separate such a
    small child in order to unite with her deceased husband.
    So far no proper explanation has been given to who this child really
    was or whether it is just a poetic imagination. That this is an
    imagination - I am fully setting it aside. I refuse to believe it is
    just a poet's imagination. No poet will include such a line that too
    in a rajaraja period inscription.

    We all know that aditya and kundavai were elder than arumozhi. Now
    the question is - what was the age of all the three children when
    vaanavan madevi entered funeral pyre ? We do not know. And who is
    the baby referred by the song ? we do not know.

    So, could it be that arulmozhi was small when sundara died ? Was it
    because of this fact that kundavai had to bring up arulmozhi and
    that explains the love of brother towords his sister ?
    It may not be, if we were to take thiruvaalangadu inscriptions into
    consideration. it says people wanted arulmozhi to be crowned and
    inspite of that he gave up throne to uttama.

    So arulmozhi was of reasonable age when sundara died and the
    question of next king came to picture. So this is in direct
    contradiction to the inscription poem we are talking about.
    Who is this child ? we may not be able to answer with the available
    facts right now. More research is required.

    Whatever may be the fact, Kundavai - arulmozhi affection was as
    solid and true as a rock. No questions. To rajaraja she was above
    every other person in his life. Clearly attested by periyakoil
    inscriptions. Kundavai should have shaped many of his ambitions,
    plans etc. And the important thing is she was alive and well when
    periyakoil was completed. If we were to assume (ofcourse with the
    basis that he came to power in early 30s) that rajaraja was in his
    50s when he built the temple, kundavai would have been in her early
    60s. Imagine this old lady accompanying the great king....

    Did any of you try to identify this lady in the chola painting that
    shows the consecration of big temple ?

    Let us cover other aspects of kundavai.

    (To be continued...)
  • > AND WAS THERE ANY SATI AT ALL WITH RAJARAJA AND RAJENDRA ?
    > OK coming back to inscription.

    Gokul,

    I remember a conversation I had with Mr. Nagasamy years back. he told
    that rajendra's wife performed sati in a place near kanchipuram, i
    think brahmadesam. After sati her brother opens thanneer pandal in the
    place in memory of his sister. Nagasamy told that there is incriptional
    evidence for this. I will check out the details and let u know.
  • dear all

    lets first work out the ages of all charecters according to kalki

    during the progress of ps

    the ages of
    aditya karikalan - 20( sevur por +4)
    kundavai- 18
    rrc -16
    vanathi-14(?????)
    vanthiyathevan- 20(??????)

    if swetha's theory that nanthini was elder is to be acepted......

    nanthini, maduranthakan and senthan amudhan were 21-22( having been
    born on the same day)
    but sendhan amudan is shown to be a balakan( small boy)

    lets assume sundara solan married and had a kid by age 20- 22
    then he is just in the age bracket of 40-42( kalki shows them as
    extremely old)
    and anirutha bramharayar the prime minister is also of the same age.


    your comments please
  • Dear Venketesh,

    I think we have to keep in mind that the average life expectancy in those
    days was probably 50-60.. Hence 42 is quite old by those standards isn't it?
    Or maybe because of the fact that Sundar was supposed to be sick, Kalki
    chose to show him as feeble in body.

    Leave alone those days, even now, in our country, once a person reaches
    45-50, he/she starts referring to himself/herself as old.. "namakkellam
    vayasu aayiduththappa.." etc. :-)
  • > I remember a conversation I had with Mr. Nagasamy years back. he told
    > that rajendra's wife performed sati in a place near kanchipuram, i
    > think brahmadesam.

    After your mail even I seem to vaguely remember this thanner pandhal
    stuff. But was it for a royal lady who committed sati ? i am not sure.
    It is generally difficult to say how a royal lady died even though a
    pallipadai is erected for her. we have panchavan pallipadai - but did
    she committed sati we are not sure.
  • > I narrow down on two postulates... RR must have been really young
    > and thats why Uthama came to power, because AK was also killed then.
    > we assume that RR came to power at 30's based on PS. Do we have
    > proof. Probably he would have come to power even at a younger age.
    > In this case, Tiruvalangaadu cheppedu is just hero worship.

    Hmmmm may not be. Recently an inscription was unearthed in velur. It
    belongs to later chola period and talks about renovation of a temple
    called arulmozhi easwaram. The epigraphists who had found the
    inscription had opined that it was built by rajaraja when he was still
    arulmozhi - why near velur, what he was doing near velur we do not know.

    We have to observe certain other things. Why not a single war in uttama
    time whereas heavy warfare was witnessed both in sundara and rr time.
    See the massive uprising of chola power within 2 years of rr's
    ascendency - it is impossible to overthrow a powerful station as
    kandhalur chalai unless there were years of preparation.

    We may not have inscriptions for everything - we need to draw something
    from what happened I think.

    Thanks for the detailed interactions
  • Where is this brahmadesam? is it between "Villupram" and "Chenji" road near
    Ennayiram? is that the same u all are ref.?
  • vanakkam,

    G, remember we were wondering about the choice of the word 'Aazhvar'
    in Kundhavai's title earlier?

    I believe Karunakara Thondaman's wife was called 'Azhagiya
    Manavalani Mangaiyazhvar'. It is found in an inscription in which
    she gives a nandha vilakku to the prime
    deity 'thiruvaththiyoorazhvar'.

    The inscrpition - SII Vol IV No.862 - inscribed in Kulothungan's
    forty third year starts with the meikeerthi and states 'jeyangkonda
    chozha mandalaththu eyir kottathu eyil nattu
    thiruvaththiyoorazhvarkku chozha mandalaththu kuloththunga chozha
    valanattu thirunaaraiyur nattu vandazhanjcheriyudaiyan velan
    karunakaranaran thondaimanar deviyar azhagiya manavalani
    mangaiyazhvar vaiththa thorununtha vilakku'.

    Maybe Ilaiya piratti was also given the title because she built/gave
    grants to vinnagarams.

    swetha
  • Hi Swetha...
    If Kundavai did give grants for building vinnagarams, she would not be
    called azhwar paranthankan. I think chola kings called themselves
    Maduranthakan because that meant spelling end to Madurai. (Madurai +
    Anthakan).Azhwar Paranthakan means someone spelling end to Azhwars...
    I am sure she favoured / preferred Shaivaites much more than Azhwars
    (Vaishnavaites)...
    Any thoughts there?
  • dear swetha

    perhaps (disregarding spelling) alvar( one who rules) should also be
    considered
    for kundavai was not just a next door girl types.
    pen puli the pazhvettaraiyars called her.

    the more i think about her dominance over arulmozhi the more i am
    convinced on the extreme age difference between them.
  • > Maybe Ilaiya piratti was also given the title because she built/gave
    > grants to vinnagarams.

    Hi Swetha

    Good to see another azhvar - but I don't think this is the reason for
    her title
  • On 'Udayar', I remember reading 'Dhevathin Kural', on its meaning
    similar to 'Swami'. The word, means something related to possesion.
    I guess, title is applicable, to Kingly families.


    But, on 'Alwar', I am yet to come across one.

    Rajendhra Cholan!
  • ==============
  • another reason could be

    The war in RR period has started with Pandiyas, needless to say, Pandiyas were the main enemy , But Uttama had a pandiya Queen , may be an arrangement to avoid the war an about Cheera also Uttama might have had the Link through with Ravidasan & Co, basically because of this , Uttama didn't had great enemies to fight and even he may not be interested to expand the Kingdom.

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