Bharat at 14:34, 31 December 2025

2025-12-31T14:34:07Z

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{{Short description|Velir king}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox royalty
| image = Adhiyaman avvaikku nellikani vazhanguthal.jpg
| caption = Athiyaman Neduman Anci giving gift to [[Avvaiyar (Sangam poet)|Avvaiyar]]
| reign = c. [[1st century|1st century CE]]
| birth_name = Anci
| issue = Athiyamaṉ Pokuṭṭeḻiṉi
| dynasty = [[Athiyaman]]
}}
'''Athiyaman Neduman Anci''' was one of the [[velir]] kings of the [[Sangam period]] who ruled the [[Mazhanadu]] region.<ref name="Śrī puṣpāñjali, page 125">''Śrī puṣpāñjali, page 125''</ref> Belonging to the [[Athiyaman]] clan,<ref name="Tamil Literature, page 92">''Tamil Literature, page 92''</ref><ref name="Madras district gazetteers, page 201">''Madras district gazetteers, page 201''</ref> he was the contemporary and the patron of poet [[Avvaiyar (Sangam poet)|Avvaiyar]].<ref name="The Encyclopaedia Of Indian Literature (Volume One (A To Devo), Volume 1, page 295">''The Encyclopaedia Of Indian Literature (Volume One (A To Devo), Volume 1, page 295''</ref> He ruled over the area encompassing present day [[Dharmapuri district|Dharmapuri]], [[Krishnagiri district|Krishnagiri]], and [[Salem district|Salem]] with the capital at Tagadur.<ref name="The culture and history of the Tamils, page 17">''The culture and history of the Tamils, page 17''</ref> They were one of the [[Last seven great patrons|kadai ezhu vallal]] (''last seven great patrons'') of the [[ancient Tamil country]].<ref name="Historical heritage of the Tamils, page 256">''Historical heritage of the Tamils, page 256''</ref>

==Patron of Avvaiyar==

When poet [[Avvaiyar (Sangam poet)|Avvaiyar]] visited the court of Athiyamān Nedumān Añci, he liked her so much that he deliberately delayed in giving her gifts to prolong her stay. The poet at first not realizing the game, got angry and condemned him and then later when she realized the true motive, became so fond him that she decided to stay and became his close friend. On another occasion, he gave her a rare [[gooseberry]](''nelli in'' Tamil) that was considered to improve one's life expectancy.<ref name="The Encyclopaedia Of Indian Literature (Volume One (A To Devo), Volume 1, page 295"/>

==A warrior==

[[Avvaiyar (Sangam poet)|Avvaiyar]] described her patron as a hardened warrior, [[Purananuru]], song 87:

{{Cquote|{{center|''Enemies! take care, when you enter the field of battle, Among us is a warrior, who is like a chariot wheel, made painstakingly by a carpenter, who tosses off eight chariots in a day!<ref name="Poems of Love and War, page 137">''Poems of Love and War, page 137''</ref>''}}}}

In 118 CE, another king [[Malaiyamān Thirumudi Kāri]] of the ''Kadai ezhu vallal'' waged war on [[Dharmapuri|Thagadoor]] against Athiyamān Nedumān Añci. It was an attempt fuelled by his longtime desire to become an emperor equivalent in power to the Cholas. After a fierce battle, Kāri lost Kovalur to Athiyamān and only regained it much later after Peruncheral Irumporai sacked Tagadur.<ref name="History of Tamilnad:to A.D. 1565, page 66">''History of Tamilnad:to A.D. 1565, page 66''</ref>

==Friendship with the Cholas==

Athiyamān Nedumān Añci lived in one of the most turbulent periods and was looking at an imminent invasion by the [[Chera Dynasty|Cheras]] and the [[Chola]]s. He sent [[Avvaiyar (Sangam poet)|Avvaiyar]] as an envoy to the court of [[Ilantiraiyan]] of [[Kanchi]] who was a viceroy of the [[Chola]] sovereign and later allied himself with the latter to deter the [[Chera Dynasty|Chera]] king.<ref name="Studies in Tamil Literature and History, page 66">''StudiesBut in Tamil Literature and History, page 66''</ref> [[Avvaiyar (Sangam poet)|Avvaiyar]] was given a grand welcome by Tondaimān who then went on to proudly show her his archery. Though impressed, [[Avvaiyar (Sangam poet)|Avvaiyar]] refused to give up her patron by subtly hinting that the king's weapons sparkled as they were probably never used whereas the arsenal of her patron were all worn out as they had seen numerous wars.<ref name="The Encyclopaedia Of Indian Literature (Volume One (A To Devo), Volume 1, page 295"/><ref name="Studies in Tamil Literature and History, page 66"/>

==Valiant opponent of Peruñcēral Irumporai==

But this congregation of Nedumān Añci with the [[Chola]] and [[Pandya]] did not deter the [[Chera Dynasty|Chera]] emperor, Peruñcēral Irumporai who finally arrived and sacked Tagadur. In spite of his small army, Nedumān Añci, led from the front and valiantly went down fighting in the battle field. AricilKilār, the war bard of Peruñcēral Irumporai, paid due homage to the opponent of his patron as he eulogised his king in ''Tagadur-Yāttarai''.<ref name="Epigraphia Indica, Volume 36, Part 4, page 134">''Epigraphia Indica, Volume 36, Part 4, page 134''</ref>

Upon his death, a distressed [[Avvaiyar (Sangam poet)|Avvaiyar]] sang a number of elegies:

*an excerpt from [[Purananuru]], song 235:

{{Cquote|{{center|''If he had a little liquor, he would give it to us Where is he now? ..if he had even a little rice, he shared it in many plates Where is he now? ..He gave us all the flesh on the bones Where is he now? Wherever spear and arrows flew, he was there Where is he now? ..father, mainstay, king Where is he now?.<ref name="Poems of Love and War, page 170">''Poems of Love and War, page 170''</ref>''}}}}

*an excerpt from [[Purananuru]], song 231:

{{Cquote|{{center|''..The fame of our sun-like king his white umbrellas cool as the moon will not blacken will not die!<ref name="Poems of Love and War, page 167">''Poems of Love and War, page 167''</ref>''}}}}

==Inscriptions==

A good number of inscriptions in [[Tirukkoyilur taluk|Jambai]] in [[Tirukkoyilur]] taluk have been discovered which help us identify the Satyaputras of the [[Ashoka|Ashoka's]] edicts:
[[File:Jambai inscription on Adhiyamaan Nedumaan Anji.jpg|thumb|Tamil Inscription at Jambai, Tirukovilur, Tamil Nadu]]
{{Cquote|{{center|''Satyaputō Athiyan Nedumān Añji itta Pali<ref name="Kongu Nadu, a history up to A.D. 1400, page 152">''Kongu Nadu, a history up to A.D. 1400, page 152''</ref>''}}}}

{{Cquote|{{center|''The abode given by Athiyan Nedumān Añji, the Satyaputō<ref name="Saptar̥ṣīśvara temple in the lower Kaveri Delta, page 13">''Saptar̥ṣīśvara temple in the lower Kaveri Delta, page 13''</ref>''}}}}

These put to rest any speculation regarding the identity of Satyaputras as being non-[[Tamil people|Tamil]] and goes on to show the greatness of this line as they are mentioned on par with the other three [[Tamil people|Tamil]] kingdoms.<ref name="Saptar̥ṣīśvara temple in the lower Kaveri Delta, page 13"/>

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
* Śrī puṣpāñjali: recent researches in prehistory, protohistory, art, architecture, numismatics, iconography, and epigraphy : Dr. C.R. Srinivasan commemoration volume
* The Encyclopaedia Of Indian Literature (Volume One (A To Devo), Volume 1 By Amaresh Datta
* The culture and history of the Tamils By Kallidaikurichi Aiyah Nilakanta Sastri
* Tamil Literature By M. S. Purnalingam Pillai
* Madras district gazetteers, Volume 1, Part 2
* Historical heritage of the Tamils By Ca. Vē Cuppiramaṇiyan̲, Ka. Ta Tirunāvukkaracu, International Institute of Tamil Studies
* Poems of Love and War from the Eight Anthologies and the Ten Long Poems of Classical Tamil By A. K. Ramanujan
* Studies in Tamil Literature and History By Ramachandra Dikshitar
* Epigraphia Indica, Volume 36, Part 4 Volumes 13-14 of [Reports]: New imperial series, India Archaeological Survey By Devadatta Ramakrishna Bhandarkar
* Kongu Nadu, a history up to A.D. 1400, Makkal Veliyeedu, 2001
* Saptar̥ṣīśvara temple in the lower Kaveri Delta: a study of history, architecture, and sculpture By R. Ramasamy

{{Last seven great patrons}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Athiyaman Neduman Anci}}
[[Category:Tamil monarchs]]
[[Category:Indian philanthropists]]
[[Category:Ancient Indian monarchs]]
[[Category:Kadai ezhu vallal]]

Athiyamān Nedumān Añci - Revision history

Bharat at 14:34, 31 December 2025