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{{Short description|Dynasty from southern India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2019}}
{{Infobox country
| conventional_long_name = Ay dynasty
| common_name = Ay dynasty
| Official language =
| religion = [[Hinduism]]
| p1 =
| p2 =
| s1 = Venad (historical region)
| s2 =
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{{Location map+|Kerala|width=200|float=center
|caption=
|places=
{{Location map~|Kerala|lat_deg=8.379167|lon_deg=76.991389|position=top|marksize=0|label_size=100|label=AYS (AY-VELS)}}
}}
| image_map_caption =
| capital = * Podiyil Hills or the Aykudi (early historic)<ref name=":034">{{harvp|Narayanan|2013|pp=191–193, 435–437}}</ref>
* [[Vizhinjam]] (medieval)
| Official_languages =
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* Chieftaincy (early historic)
* [[Monarchy]] (medieval)
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| today = {{plainlist|
*[[Kerala]]
*[[Tamil Nadu]]
}}
}}

'''Ay dynasty''' (transliteration: Āy, {{IPA|ta|aːj|IPA}}), also known as '''Kupaka''' in medieval period,<ref name=":134">{{harvp|Narayanan|2013|p=179}}</ref>{{efn|The title "Kupaka" (Attingal; in Malayalam) was later used to denote the ruler of Venad, the successor state to the Ay kingdom in south India.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Vielle |first=Christophe |year=2011 |title=Real and Ideal Kings in Matrilineal Kerala |url= |journal=Religions of South Asia |volume=5 |issue=1/2 |page=368 |doi=10.1558/rosa.v5i1/2.365 |issn=1751-2689|hdl=2078.1/129594 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>|}} was an Indian dynasty which controlled the south-western tip of the [[Indian peninsula|peninsula]], from the early historic period up to the medieval period.<ref name=":62">{{Cite journal |last=Ganesh |first=K. N. |date=2009 |title=Historical Geography of Natu in South India with Special Reference to Kerala |journal=Indian Historical Review |volume=36 |issue=1 |pages=3–21 |doi=10.1177/037698360903600102 |issn=0376-9836 |s2cid=145359607}}</ref> The clan traditionally held sway over the port of [[Vizhinjam]], the fertile region of [[Nanjinad]], and southern parts of the spice-producing [[Western Ghats|Western Ghat]] mountains.<ref name=":134" /> The Ays were traditionally subject to the [[Pandya dynasty|Pandya]] rulers of Madurai.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Veuthat |first=Kesavan |url=https://orientblackswan.com/details?id=9788125046516 |title=The Political Structure of Early Medieval South India |publisher=Orient Longman |year=1993 |location=New Delhi |pages=113-114 |chapter=The Role of the Chiefs}}</ref>

The Ay formed one of the major rulers of early historic [[Kerala]], along with the [[Chera dynasty|Cheras]] of central Kerala and the [[Mushika dynasty|rulers of Ezhimalai]] in the north.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Gurukkal |first=Rajan |date=2002 |title=Did State Exist in the Pre-Pallavan Tamil Region |journal=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress |volume=63 |pages=138–150 |jstor=44158082 |issn=2249-1937}}</ref><ref name=":034" /> [[List of Graeco-Roman geographers|Greek geographer]] [[Claudius Ptolemy]] (2nd century CE) described the "Aioi" territory as extending from the [[Pamba River|Baris (Pamba)]] to [[Kanyakumari|Cape Comorin (Kanyakumari)]].<ref name="Sreedhara Menon">{{Cite book |last=Menon |first=A. Sreedhara |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FVsw35oEBv4C&q=chera+dynasty |title=A Survey of Kerala History |publisher=D C Books |year=2007 |isbn=978-81-264-1578-6 |location=Kerala |pages=97–98|orig-year=1967}}</ref> The [[Indian elephant|elephant]] was the emblem of the early historic Ay rulers.<ref name="Sreedhara Menon" />

The Ay kingdom, whose ancient rulers could, at that time, be considered among the several "political chiefs", functioned as a buffer state between the powerful [[Pandyan dynasty|Pandyas]]/[[Chola dynasty|Cholas]] and the [[Chera dynasty|Cheras (Kerala)]] during the medieval period.<ref name="Sreedhara Menon" /><ref name=":24">{{Cite book |last=Veluthat |first=Kesavan |url=https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-early-medieval-in-south-india-9780198069140 |title=The Early Medieval in South India |date=2009 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Delhi |pages=38-39, 180, 186 and 254}}</ref> A number of kings such as Chadayan Karunanthan (''c.'' 788/89 CE), Karunandatakkan "Srivallabha" (r. ''c.'' 856/57 – 884 CE), and [[Vikramaditya Varaguna|Vikramaditya "Varaguna"]] (r. ''c.'' 884 – 911/920 CE) figure as the Ay chiefs of the port of Vizhinjam.<ref name=":034" /><ref name=":232">{{Cite thesis |last=Gurukkal |first=Rajan |title=The Agrarian System and Socio-Political Organisation Under the Early Pandyas c. CE 600–1000 |degree=PhD |pages=29–30 |hdl=10603/14532 |hdl-access=free |institution=Jawaharlal Nehru University |year=1984 }}</ref> Shifts in allegiance between the [[Pandya dynasty|Pandyas]] and [[Chera dynasty|Cheras]] persisted, with the Ay rulers adopting Pandya surnames, yet they refrained from using Pandya regnal years in their inscriptions, signalling their continued autonomy despite their affiliation.<ref name=":2" /> Historians assume that the Ay were a leading power in south Kerala till c. 10th century CE.<ref name=":83">{{Cite thesis | degree= PhD |last=Ganesh |first=K. N. |hdl=10603/16385 |hdl-access=free |title=Agrarian Relations and Political Authority in Medieval Travancore (AD 1300–1750) |institution=Jawaharlal Nehru University |year=1987  |pages=22–25}}</ref>

== Origins ==

The medieval Ay lineage claimed its origins from the hill-chiefs the same name (the Ays) from early historic (pre-[[Pallava dynasty|Pallava]]) south India.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":62" /> Members of the Ay family – of the [[Pothigai|Podiyil Hills (the Aykudi)]] – were related to the early historic [[Chera dynasty|Cheras]] of central Kerala.<ref name=":034" />

[[Padmanabhaswamy Temple|Sri Padmanabhaswamy]] was the tutelary deity of the medieval Ay family.<ref name="Sreedhara Menon1">{{Cite book |last=Menon |first=A. Sreedhara |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FVsw35oEBv4C&q=chera+dynasty |title=A Survey of Kerala History |publisher=D C Books |year=2007 |isbn=978-81-264-1578-6 |location=Kerala (India) |pages=102|orig-year=1967}}</ref> The medieval Ay claimed that they belonged to the [[Yadava]]/[[Nanda (Hinduism)|Nanda]] or [[Vrishni]] lineage (Parthivapuram Grant and Paliyam Copper Plates).<ref name=":72">{{Cite journal |last=Ganesh |first=K. N. |date=1990 |title=The Process of State Formation in Travancore |journal=Studies in History |volume=6 |issue=1 |pages=15–33 |doi=10.1177/025764309000600102 |issn=0257-6430 |s2cid=162972188}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Aiya |first=V. Nagam |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HTJuAAAAMAAJ&q=travancore+royaL+family+ay |title=The Travancore State Manual |publisher=Kerala Gazetteers Department, Government of Kerala |year=1999 |isbn=978-81-85499-32-1 |volume=1 |language=en |orig-year=1906}}</ref> This claim was advanced by the later rulers of [[Venad]] and [[Travancore]].<ref name=":72" /> Ays are also described as having come to the south India from [[Dvārakā|Dwaraka]] along with sage [[Agastya]].<ref name="Sreedhara Menon" />

=== Relation to Travancore Royal Family ===
It is speculated that after the decline of the Ays, some branches of the Ay family moved their headquarters to [[Thiruvalla]] and settled in the vicinity of Kadapra ([[Niranam]]).<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Chackochan |first=P. L. |url=https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/handle/10603/563332 |title=Historical and Cultural Geography of Venadu (Travancore) c. AD 1124-1729 |date=1979 |work= |publisher=Deccan College Post Graduate And Research Institute |pages=36-37 |hdl=10603/563332}}</ref> They seem to have appeared in the 12th and 13th centuries as the Chirayavay branch, claiming descent from the "[[Yadava|Yadu Kula]]", and ruled near Thiruvalla with Athanthuruthi as their headquarters.<ref name=":3" /> In the second half of the 13th century, the Chirayavay branch merged with the Kizhperur branch of the Venad family.<ref name=":3" /> A branch of the Ay family, which had established itself at Thrippappur, also appears to have later merged with the Kizhperur house.<ref name="Sreedhara Menon3" />

== History ==
[[File:Thiruvananthapuram Padmanabhaswamy Temple.jpg|thumb|[[Padmanabhaswamy Temple|Sri Padmanabhaswamy]] was the tutelary deity of the medieval Ay family|335x335px]]
[[File:Pothigai Hills Range.jpg|thumbnail|[[Pothigai|Podiyil Hills]] (the Aykudi)|335x335px]]
The Ay clan was one of the major hill-chiefs (or the [[Velir|Vels]]) of early historic south India.<ref name="Sreedhara Menon" /><ref name=":s24">{{Cite book |last=Veluthat |first=Kesavan |url=https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-early-medieval-in-south-india-9780198069140 |title=The Early Medieval in South India |date=2009 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Delhi |pages=38-39 and 334}}</ref> Members of the Ay family – of the [[Pothigai|Podiyil Hills or the Aykudi]] – were related to the early historic [[Chera dynasty|Cheras]] of central Kerala/western Tamil Nadu.<ref name=":034"/> In [[Sangam literature|ancient Tamil literature]], they are represented as falling under the influence of the [[Pandya dynasty|Pandyas]] at certain times and under the Chera sphere of control at others.<ref name=":2" /> Towards the close of the early historic period, [[Pandyan dynasty|Pandya]] supremacy might have extended to the Ay territory (through it is likely that the Ay gained their independence during the [[Kalabhra dynasty|Kalabhra]] period).<ref name=":034"/><ref name="Sreedhara Menon" />

=== Ay chieftains of early historic south India ===
A number of Ay (Ay-Vel) chiefs — such as Andiran, Titiyan, and Atiyan — are mentioned in the [[Sangam literature|early Tamil poems (the Sangam Collection)]].<ref name=":034" /><ref name=":s24" />.These rulers were renowned for their possession of numerous elephants, their palaces, [[Chariot|chariots]], and horses, and for their control over the mountainous marches of the southernmost section of the [[Western Ghats]], including the prominent [[Pothigai|Podiyil Hill]].<ref name=":520M">{{cite book |last1=Sastri |first1=K. A. Nilakanta |author-link1= |url=http://indianculture.gov.in/ebooks/comprehensive-history-india-vol-ii-mauryas-and-satavahanas |title=Comprehensive History of India, vol. 2: The Mauryas and Satavahanas |publisher=Orient Longman |year=1957 |isbn= |location=Bombay |pages=527-28 |chapter= |orig-year=}}</ref>

Ay Andiran is praised by early Tamil poets such as Uraiyur Enicheri Muda Mochiyar, Turaiyur Odaikizhar, and Kuttuvan Kiranar in the [[Purananuru]].<ref name=":034" /> He is described there as the "Lord of Podiyil Mala" in the southern Western Ghats and is said to have defeated the Kongu chief and driven him as far as the Sea.<ref name="Sreedhara Menon" /> Andiran was an elder contemporary of the famous [[Chera dynasty|Chera]] ruler Antuvan Cheral, dated to around c. 140 CE.<ref name=":20">{{cite book |last1=Sastri |first1=K. A. Nilakanta |author-link1= |url=http://indianculture.gov.in/ebooks/comprehensive-history-india-vol-ii-mauryas-and-satavahanas |title=Comprehensive History of India, vol. 2: The Mauryas and Satavahanas |publisher=Orient Longman |year=1957 |isbn= |location=Bombay |pages=517-18 |chapter= |orig-year=}}</ref><ref name="Sreedhara Menon" /><ref name=":520M" /> Ay Titiyan, also known as Podiyil Chelvan, is praised by Paranar and Bhuta Pandya (the [[Pandya dynasty|Pandya]] ruler) in the [[Akanaṉūṟu|Akananuru]], and it appears that he served as a vassal of Bhuta Pandya.<ref name="Sreedhara Menon" /><ref name=":034" /> Ay Atiyan, the successor of Ay Titiyan, is mentioned by Paranar and Madurai Kanakkayanar in the Akananuru; these poets also note that Podiyil Mala, the Ay stronghold, later became the property of Pachupun Pandya ("the Azhakiya Pandya"), the successor of Bhuta Pandya.<ref name=":034" /> An Ay ruler also participated in the famous battle of Talai-yalankanam, in which the Pandya chief Nedum Chezhiyan defeated several of his enemies.<ref name="Sreedhara Menon" />

Originally, the entire region of [[Venad kingdom|Venad]] ("Vel+nadu", meaning "the country of the Vel people", who were related to the Ay family) formed part of the larger Ay-Vel territory, and members of the Ay family served as chieftains of this Vel country.<ref name=":b">{{harvp|Narayanan|2013|p=75}}</ref><ref name=":c">{{harvp|Narayanan|2013|p=106}}</ref> Veliyan Venmal Nallini, or "Venmal Nallini, the daughter of the Veliyan", was the wife of the renowned Chera ruler Utiyan Cheralatan, dated to around c. 130 CE.<ref name=":c" /><ref name=":20" /> Another prominent figure, "Veliyan Venman" Ay Eyinan—possibly the son of the same Veliyan—was among the warriors assembled by the famous Chera ruler [[Perum Cheral Irumporai]] (c. 190 CE) to oppose Nannan of [[Ezhimalai]] (fl. c. 180 CE) in the well-known battle of Pazhi. Eyinan, who had once shared a friendship with Nannan, is said to have fallen during the course of the battle while fighting against certain Minjili or Njimili.<ref name=":520">{{cite book |last1=Sastri |first1=K. A. Nilakanta |author-link1= |url=http://indianculture.gov.in/ebooks/comprehensive-history-india-vol-ii-mauryas-and-satavahanas |title=Comprehensive History of India, vol. 2: The Mauryas and Satavahanas |publisher=Orient Longman |year=1957 |isbn= |location=Bombay |pages=511 and 538 |chapter= |orig-year=}}</ref>

=== As medieval political chiefs ===
[[File:Siva_as_"Tripurantaka"_in_Vizhinjam_Cave_Temple_(Trivandrum,_Kerala).jpg|thumb|Siva as "Tripurantaka" in Vizhinjam Cave Temple.]]
The Ay rulers of early medieval south India were among several local "political chiefs" who acknowledged the authority of major dynasties such as the [[Chera dynasty|Cheras]] or the [[Pandya dynasty|Pandyas]]. Along with the [[Mushika dynasty|Mushikas or the Ezhimala rulers]] of northern Kerala, the Ays notably traced their lineage back to the early historic period. This ancient ancestry distinguished them from other chiefly families in Kerala, who were typically of more recent origin or had been "nominated" by the medieval Cheras.<ref name=":24" /> However, shifts in allegiance between the Pandyas and the Cheras persisted. Although the Ay rulers adopted Pandya royal surnames such as "Srivallabha" and "Varaguna", they did not employ Pandya regnal years in their inscriptions, indicating a degree of autonomy despite the association.<ref name=":2" />[[File:Trivandrum Museum Stone Inscription (Pandya dynasty, "Maran Chatayan" Jatila Parantaka).jpg|thumb|Trivandrum Museum Stone Inscription of Maran Chadayan (latter half of the 8th century)|354x354px]]
Inscriptional evidence indicates that renewed [[Pandya dynasty|Pandya]] incursions into the southern Kerala began in the mid-8th century CE. Around 765 CE, [[Pandyan dynasty|Pandya]] king Jatila Paranthaka/Nedum "Maran" Chadayan Varaguna I (r. 765–815 CE) notably sacked the Ay port of [[Vizhinjam]] by defeating the Vel chieftain (the "Vel Mannan", who might have been related to the Ay family) and took possession of the Ay-Vel country ("the fertile country along with its magnificent treasures") (Madras Museum Plates of Jatila Parantaka, 17th regnal year).<ref name=":83" /><ref name=":d">{{harvp|Narayanan |2013|pp=93–94}}</ref> This event is perhaps also remembered in the Velvikkudi plates (3rd regnal year, Nedum Chadayan) as "the suppression of the rebellious Ay-Vel" (or at the battle of "nattukkurumbu").<ref name=":d" />

The Pandya foray into southern Kerala may have drawn the medieval Chera rulers into the conflict, leading to a prolonged Pandya–Ay/Chera struggle.<ref name=":d" /> It is recorded that the Pandya king "Maran Chadayan" Jatila Paranthaka destroyed a fort at Aruviyoor (identified with Aruvikkarai near [[Thalakulam]]) by defeating Ay ruler Chadayan Karunanthan of "Malai Nadu" in 788/789 CE (dated to 23rd regnal year, Kalukumalai inscription).<ref name=":c" /> In 792 CE (27th regnal year, Jatila Paranthaka), the Chera warriors (the Cheramanar Padai) are seen fighting for a fort at [[Vizhinjam]] and at Karaikkotta (identified with Karaikkodu near [[Thalakulam]]) against a commander of Maran Chadayan (Trivandrum Museum Stone Inscription of Maran Chadayan).<ref name=":b" />

By the 9th century CE, as a result of the encroachments of the Pandyas and the medieval [[Chera-Perumal kingdom|Chera rulers]], the ancient Ay territory was partitioned into two portions.<ref name=":f">{{harvp|Narayanan|2013|pp=94–95}}</ref> [[Venad]] (or the Country of the Vel People), with its headquarters at [[Kollam]], came under influence of the medieval [[Chera-Perumal kingdom|Chera rulers of Kerala]]<ref name=":83" /> while the Ay kingdom, or what remained of it, based at [[Vizhinjam]], came under the influence of the Pandya ruler Srimara Srivallabha (r. 815–862).<ref name=":f" /><ref name=":62" /> This corroborated by the Larger Cinnamanur Plates, which record a victory of king Srivallabha at the port of Vizhinjam.<ref name=":e2">{{harvp|Narayanan|2013|p=107}}</ref> Karunanthadakkkan "Srivallabha" (r. c. 856/57–884), who served as the Ay vassal under Srimara Srivallabha, is particularly noted for founding the Parthivapuram Salai.''<ref name=":e2" /><ref name=":32" />''

Srimara Srivallabha was succeeded on the [[Pandya dynasty|Pandya]] throne by Varaguna II (r. 862–885 CE).<ref name=":034" /> The Ay kings of Vizhinjam continued as vassals of the Pandyas, as indicated by the Pandya surname ("Varaguna") borne by king [[Vikramaditya Varaguna|Vikramaditya]] (r. c. 884–911/920 CE<ref name=":232"/>).<ref name=":034" />

The Pandyas were defeated in the "great battle of Sripurambiyam" around 885 CE.<ref name=":f2">{{harvp|Narayanan |2013|pp=96–98}}</ref> The considerable influence of the Chera rulers in the Ay country following this battle is evident in two records discovered from the region.<ref name=":f2" /> The first is an inscription of Kizhan Adikal Ravi Neeli, queen of the Chera ruler [[Vijayaraga]], preserved at Tirunandikkara, a Shiva temple located in the Ay country.''<ref name=":f2" /><ref name=":e3">{{harvp|Narayanan|2013|pp=109–110}}</ref>'' The second is the [[Paliyam copper plates]], which record large land grants made in c. 898 CE by the Ay ruler Vikramaditya "Varaguna" to a [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] [[vihara]] in the Chera Perumal kingdom.''<ref name=":034" /><ref name=":24" />''

The later years of Vikramaditya's reign may have coincided with the [[Chola dynasty|Chola]] conquest of the Pandya country under king [[Parantaka I]] (c. 910 AD). It is therefore likely that the Ays were liberated from Pandya overlordship during this period.<ref name=":Sa4">{{Cite book |last=Narayanan |first=M. G. S. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2vp0SW6Gj3IC |title=Cultural Symbiosis in Kerala |publisher=Kerala Historical Society |year=1972 |location=Trivandrum |pages=15–16 |chapter=Vikramaditya Varaguna and Srimulavasa Vihara}}</ref> Inscriptions of [[Parantaka I]] (907 — 955 AD) have been found at [[Courtallam|Kuttalam]] (24th and 36th regnal year) and at [[Suchindram]] (40th regnal year) within the Ay country.<ref>{{harvp|Narayanan|2013|p=98 and 111}}</ref>
== Legacy ==
In general, the influence of the Kerala rulers — such as the chieftains of [[Venad]], who owed allegiance to the medieval Chera rulers — seems to have extended into the southern Ay territory in the 10th century CE.<ref name=":83" /><ref name=":034" /> By the early 11th century, the entire region, including the port of [[Vizhinjam]] and [[Cape Comorin]], had come under the control of the imperial [[Chola dynasty|Cholas]].<ref name=":034" /> The Senur inscription of emperor [[Rajaraja I]], dated to 1005 AD, notably mentions only the ruler of [[Kollam]] (i. e., Venad) in southern Kerala.<ref name=":g">{{harvp|Narayanan|2013|pp=118–119, 137–138}}</ref>

There is a possibility that the Venad chieftains, following the Chola raids, attempted to recapture the old Ay region. Emperor [[Rajadhiraja Chola|Rajadhiraja]] claims to have "confined the undaunted king of Venadu [back] to the Che[ra]natu [from the Ay country]... and liberated the [Ay?] king of Kupaka... and put on a fresh garland of Vanchi flowers after the capturing Kantalur Salai while the strong Villavan [the Chera king] hid himself in terror inside the jungle" (an event dated to c. 1018/19 CE<ref name=":034" />).<ref name=":83" />

A branch of the Ay family, which had established itself at Thrippappur and exercised control over the [[Padmanabhaswamy Temple]], later appears to have merged with the Kizhperur house, the ruling lineage of [[Venad]].<ref name="Sreedhara Menon3">{{Cite book |last=Menon |first=A. Sreedhara |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FVsw35oEBv4C&q=chera+dynasty |title=A Survey of Kerala History |publisher=D C Books |year=2007 |isbn=978-81-264-1578-6 |location=Kerala |page=102 |orig-year=1967}}</ref>

== Major medieval Ay grants ==
{| class="wikitable" style="width: 75%;"
|+Major medieval Ay grants<ref name=":232"/>
!Grant name
!Date
!Summary
!Image
|-
! colspan="4" |Karunanthadakkan Srivallabha (r. c. 856/57–884 CE)
|-
|[[Parthasarathy temple, Parthivapuram|Parthivapuram Grant]]
(Trivandrum Huzur Office Plates) or (the "Huzur Office Plates of Kokkarunandadakkar")
|
* Regnal year 9 = 865/66 CE ([[Elamkulam Kunjan Pillai|Ilamkulam]]; Narayanan, 1972)<ref name=":S">{{Cite book |last=Narayanan |first=M. G. S. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2vp0SW6Gj3IC |title=Cultural Symbiosis in Kerala |publisher=Kerala Historical Society |year=1972 |location=Trivandrum |pages=10–13, 45 |chapter=Vikramaditya Varaguna and Srimulavasa Vihara}}</ref>
* Regnal year 9 = 869 CE (Krishnan, 1989)<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Krishnan |first=K. G. |date=1989 |title=Pārthivapuram Inscription of (Kollam) Year 98+1 |url=https://ignca.gov.in/Asi_data/79612.pdf |journal=Epigraphia Indica |publisher=Archaeological Survey of India |volume=XLI: 1975-76 |pages=3 of pp. 1-6}}</ref>
|
* Tamil (ending portion in Sanskrit).<ref name=":32">{{Cite book |last=Rao |first=T. A. Gopinatha |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.367520 |title=Three Inscriptions of Kokkarunandadakkar |publisher=Government of Travancore |isbn= |edition=1910 |series=Travancore Archaeological Series |date=1910 |volume=I |location=Madras |pages=10–14 and 14–15}}</ref>
* Establishment of [[Parthasarathy temple, Parthivapuram|Parthasarathy Vishnu Temple]], Parthivapuram.<ref name=":32" /><ref name="Scharfe2018"/>
* Establishment of Parthivapuram [[Śālā|Salai]] with the temple.<ref name=":32" /><ref name="Scharfe2018">{{cite book |author=Scharfe |first=Hartmut |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GMyiDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA175 |title=Education in Ancient India |publisher=Brill Academic |year=2002 |isbn=978-90-474-0147-6 |pages=175–176}}</ref>
* Mentions the 'Rules of Parthivapuram Salai'.<ref name=":32" /><ref name="Scharfe2018"/>
* Calls the king a member of the '[[Nanda (Hinduism)|Nanda]] and Yadava family'.<ref name=":32" />
| [[File:Parthivapuram Grant (9th century AD).png|Parthivapuram Grant|center|frameless|304x304px]]
|-
|Tiruvidaikkodu inscription I
|Regnal year 14 = 870 CE
(Narayanan, 1972)
|
* Tamil (Vattezhuthu)<ref name=":32" />
* A private donation to the Tiruvidaikkodu Shiva temple.<ref name=":32" />
|[[File:Tiruvidaikkodu inscription I (9th century AD), south India.png|Tiruvidaikkodu inscription I|293x293px|center|frameless]]
|-
|Tiruvidaikkodu inscription II
|Regnal year 22 = 878/79 CE (Narayanan, 1972)<ref name=":S" />
|
* Tamil (Vattezhuthu)<ref name=":32" />
* Donation to the Tiruvidaikkodu Shiva temple by Karunanthadakkkan Srivallabha.<ref name=":32" />
|
|-
! colspan="4" |[[Vikramaditya Varaguna]]
(r. c. 884–911/920 CE)
|-
|Thirunandikkarai (Trivandrum Huzur Office Plates)
|Regnal year 8 = 892 CE (Narayanan, 1972)
|
* Tamil (Tamil script with Grantha).<ref name=":TTH" />
*Murukan Chendi as the Ay-kula Mahadevi.<ref name=":TTH">{{Cite book |last=Rao |first=T. A. Gopinatha |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.367520 |title=The Huzur Office Plate of Vikramaditya Varaguna |publisher=Government of Travancore |isbn= |edition=1910 |series=Travancore Archaeological Series |date=1910 |volume=I |location=Madras |pages=02–03}}</ref>
* Donation of land by Vikramaditya to Murukan Chendi.<ref name=":TTH" />
|[[File:Thirunandikkarai Inscription (Vikramaditya Varaguna).png|Thirunandikkarai Inscription|293x293px|center|frameless]]
|-
|[[Paliyam Copper Plates]]
|Regnal year 15 = 898 CE (Revised from 925 AD, Narayanan, 1972)<ref name=":34">{{harvp|Narayanan |2013|pp=75, 93–94, 96–98, 106–107, 109–110, 118–119, 137–138, 179}}</ref><ref name=":S3">{{Cite book |last=Narayanan |first=M. G. S. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2vp0SW6Gj3IC |title=Cultural Symbiosis in Kerala |publisher=Kerala Historical Society |year=1972 |location=Trivandrum |pages=10-13 and 45 |chapter=Vikramaditya Varaguna and Srimulavasa Vihara}}</ref>
|
* A large land donation to a [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] vihara in central Kerala by Vikramaditya Varaguna.<ref name=":34" /><ref name=":TP">{{Cite book |last=Rao |first=T. A. Gopinatha |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8WETy9zpa3EC |title=Two Inscriptions of Vikramaditya Varaguna |publisher=Government of Travancore |isbn= |edition=1912 |series=Travancore Archaeological Series |date=1912 |volume=XII |location=Madras |pages=192–93}}</ref>
|[[File:Paliyam copper plate (Vikramaditya Varaguna).jpg|Paliyam Copper Plates|367x367px|center|frameless]]
|-
|Thirupparappu Plates<ref name=":89">{{Cite book |last=Rao |first=T. A. Gopinatha |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8WETy9zpa3EC |title=Tirupparappu Fragmentary Set of Copper-Plates |publisher=Government of Travancore |isbn= |edition=1912 |series=Travancore Archaeological Series |date=1912 |volume=XIII |location=Madras |pages=197–99}}</ref><ref name=":232"/>
|9th century CE<ref name=":89"/>
|
* Mentions king Karunanthadakkkan Srivallabha.<ref name=":89"/>
|[[File:Tirupparappu fragmentary copper plate inscription (Ay dynasty).jpg|Thirupparappu Plates|293x293px|center|frameless]]
|}

==See also==
* [[Velir]]
* [[Vizhinjam]]
* [[Pandya dynasty]]
* [[Chera dynasty]]
* [[Chera Perumals of Makotai|Cheras of Makotai]]
== Notes ==
{{notelist}}
== References ==
===Sources===
* {{Cite book |last=Narayanan |first=M. G. S. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0YDCngEACAAJ |title=Perumals of Kerala |publisher=CosmoBooks |year=2013 |isbn=9788188765072 |location=Thrissur (Kerala) |orig-date=1972}}
===Citations===
{{Reflist}}
{{coord missing|Kerala|Tamil Nadu}}
{{Tribes and kingdoms of the Mahabharata |state=collapsed}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ay Kingdom}}
[[Category:History of Kerala]]
[[Category:South Indian dynasties]]
[[Category:Hindu dynasties]]

Ay dynasty - Revision history

Kuldeep Singh Deep at 20:39, 13 March 2026