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{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2016}}
{{Use Indian English|date=January 2016}}
{{Infobox monarch
| image = MadrasHighCourtManuNeedhiCholanStatue (cropped).jpg
| caption = Statue of Ellāḷaṉ in the premises of [[Madras High Court]] in [[Chennai]]
| succession = [[List of Sri Lankan monarchs#Anuradhapura Kingdom (437 BC – 1017 AD)|King of Anuradhapura]]
| reign = {{circa|205|161 BCE}}
| religion = [[Shaivism]]
| predecessor = [[Asela of Anuradhapura|Asela]]
| successor = [[Dutugamunu]]
| issue = Veedhividangan<ref name="auto">{{cite news|title=From the annals of history|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-editorialfeatures/from-the-annals-of-history/article484460.ece|newspaper=The Hindu|date=25 June 2010|location=India}}</ref><br/>Princess Shardha
| dynasty = [[Chola Dynasty]] or [[Kalinga (Mahabharata)|Kalingas]] Dynasty (according to some legends)
| birth_date = 235 BCE
| death_date = 161 BCE
}}
{{Chola history}}
'''Ellalan''' ({{lang-ta|எல்லாளன்|translit=Ellāḷaṉ}}; {{lang-si|එළාර|translit=Eḷāra}}) was a member of the Tamil [[Chola dynasty]], also known as "Manu Needhi Cholan", who upon capturing the throne became king of the [[Anuradhapura Kingdom]], in present-day [[Sri Lanka]], from 205 BCE to 161 BCE.<ref name="The Five Kings">{{cite web|title=The Five Kings|url=http://mahavamsa.org/mahavamsa/original-version/21-five-kings/|publisher=mahavamsa.org|access-date=21 September 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Early history (from 250 BCE – 1000 CE)|url=http://ceylontamils.com/history/history2.php|publisher=Ceylon Tamils|access-date=21 September 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Elāra|url=http://www.palikanon.com/english/pali_names/e/elaara.htm|publisher=palikanon.com|access-date=21 September 2015}}</ref>

Ellalan is traditionally presented as being a just king even by the Sinhalese.<ref name="Chapter XXV">{{cite web|url=http://lakdiva.org/mahavamsa/chap025.html|title=Chapter XXV|website=lakdiva.org}}</ref> The [[Mahavamsa]] states that he ruled 'with even justice toward friend and foe, on occasions of disputes at law,<ref name="Chapter XXI">{{cite web|url=http://lakdiva.org/mahavamsa/chap021.html|title=Chapter XXI|website=lakdiva.org}}</ref> and elaborates how he even ordered the execution of his son for killing a calf under his chariot wheels.

Ellalan is a peculiar figure in the history of Sri Lanka and one with particular resonance given the past ethnic strife in the country. Although he was an invader, he is often regarded as one of Sri Lanka's wisest and most just monarchs, as highlighted in the ancient [[Sinhalese people|Sinhalese]] Pali chronicle, the ''[[Mahavamsa]]''.

According to the chronicle, even Ellalan's nemesis [[Dutugamunu]] had a great respect for him, and ordered a monument be built where Ellalan was cremated after dying in battle. The [[Dakkhina Stupa]] was believed to be the tomb of Ellalan. Often referred to as 'the Just King', the Tamil name ''Ellāḷaṉ'' means 'the one who rules the boundary".

== Birth and early life ==
Ellalan is described in the ''[[Mahavamsa]]'' as being "A Damila of noble descent . . . from the Chola-country";<ref name="Chapter XXI"/> In that work, he is mentioned as ''Elara''. Little is known of his early life. Around 205 BCE, Ellalan mounted an invasion of the [[Rajarata]] based in Anuradhapura in northern Sri Lanka and defeated the forces of king [[Asela of Anuradhapura]], establishing himself as sole ruler of Rajarata.

He has been mentioned in the ''[[Silappatikaram]]'' and ''[[Periya Puranam]]''.<ref name="auto1">{{cite news|title=Tiruvarur in religious history of Tamil Nadu|url=http://www.hindu.com/2010/07/16/stories/2010071652340600.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100718030249/http://www.hindu.com/2010/07/16/stories/2010071652340600.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=18 July 2010|date=16 July 2010|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|location=Chennai, India}}</ref> His name has since then been used as a metaphor for fairness and justice in [[Tamil literature]]. His capital was [[Thiruvarur]].

== Defeat and death ==
Despite Ellalan's famously even-handed rule, resistance to him coalesced around the figure of [[Dutugamunu]], a young [[Sinhalese people|Sinhalese]] prince from the kingdom of Mahagama. Towards the end of Ellalan's reign, [[Dutugamunu]] had strengthened his position in the south by defeating his own brother, [[Saddha Tissa of Anuradhapura|Saddha Tissa]], who challenged him. Confrontation between the two monarchs was inevitable and the last years of Ellalan's reign were consumed by the war between the two. Ellalan was near seventy years when the battle with the young Dutugamunu took place.<ref name="Obeyesekere 172">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xiERHFK_QeoC&q=elara&pg=PA172|title=The Work of Culture: Symbolic Transformation in Psychoanalysis and Anthropology|last=Obeyesekere|first=Gananath|date=1990-11-27|publisher=University of Chicago Press|isbn=9780226615981|pages=172|language=en}}</ref>

The ''Mahavamsa'' contains a fairly detailed account of sieges and battles that took place during the conflict.<ref name="Chapter XXV"/> Particularly interesting is the extensive use of [[war elephant]]s and of flaming [[Pitch (resin)|pitch]] in the battles. Ellalan's own war elephant is said to have been [[Maha Pambata|Maha Pabbatha]], or 'Big Rock' and the Dutugamunu's own being '[[Kandula (elephant)|Kandula]]'.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://mahavamsa.org/2008/05/war-king-elara/|title=War Against King Elara|website=mahavamsa.org|access-date=2017-12-15}}</ref>

The climactic battle is said to have occurred as Dutugamunu drew close to Anuradhapura. On the night before, both King Ellalan and prince Dutugamunu are said to have conferred with their counsellors. The next day both kings rode forwards on war elephants, Ellalan "in full armour . . . with chariots, soldiers and beasts for riders". Dutugamunu's forces are said to have routed those of Ellalan and that "the water in the tank there was dyed red with the blood of the slain'. Dutugamunu, declaring that 'none shall kill Ellalan but myself', closed on him at the south gate of Anuradhapura, where the two engaged in an elephant-back duel and the aged king was finally felled by one of Dutugamunu's darts.<ref name="Obeyesekere 172"/>
[[File:Dakkhinatupa.jpg|left|thumb|Until 19th century, the [[Dakkhina Stupa]] was believed to be the tomb of Ellalan]]
Following his death, Dutugamunu ordered that Ellāḷaṉ be cremated where he had fallen, and had a monument constructed over the place. The ''Mahavamsa'' mentions that 'even to this day the princes of Lanka, when they draw near to this place, are wont to silence their music'. The [[Dakkhina Stupa]] was until the 19th century believed to have been the tomb of Ellalan and was called ''Elara Sohona'', but was renamed later on by the [[Department of Archaeology (Sri Lanka)|Sri Lankan Department of Archaeology]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k15uAAAAMAAJ&q=Elara+Sohona|title=Archaeological Department Centenary (1890-1990): History of the Department of Archaeology|date=1990|publisher=Commissioner of Archaeology|pages=171|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|jstor=2059412|title=Reviewed Work: The Presence of the Past: Chronicles, Politics, and Culture in Sinhala Life.by Steven Kemper|last=McGilvray|first=Dennis B.|publisher=The Journal of Asian Studies|year=1993|location=The University of Colorado Boulder|pages=1058}}</ref> The identification and reclassification is considered controversial.<ref>Indrapala, K. ''The Evolution of an ethnic identity: The Tamils of Sri Lanka'', p. 368</ref>

== Influence ==
The ''Mahavamsa'' contains numerous references to the loyal troops of the Chola empire and portrays them as a powerful force. They held various positions including taking custody of temples during the period of [[Parakramabahu I]] and [[Vijayabahu I of Polonnaruwa]].<ref name="The tooth relic and the crown, page 59">''The tooth relic and the crown, page 59''</ref><ref name="Epigraphia Zeylanica: being lithic and other inscriptions of Ceylon, Volume 2, page 250">''Epigraphia Zeylanica: being lithic and other inscriptions of Ceylon, Volume 2, page 250''</ref> There were instances when the Sinhalese kings tried to employ them as mercenaries by renaming a section of the most hardcore fighters as ''Mahatantra''. According to historian [[Burton Stein]], when these troops were directed against the Chola empire, they rebelled and were suppressed and decommissioned. But they continued to exist in a passive state by taking up various jobs for livelihood.<ref name="Journal of Tamil studies, Issues 31-32, page 60">''Journal of Tamil studies, Issues 31-32, page 60''</ref> The Valanjayara, a sub-section of the ''Velaikkara'' troops, were one such community, who in the course of time became traders. They were so powerful that the shrine of the tooth-relic was entrusted to their care.<ref name="The Ceylon historical journal, Volumes 1-2, page 197">''The Ceylon historical journal, Volumes 1-2, page 197''</ref><ref name="Culavamsa: Being the More Recent Part of Mahavamsa">''Culavamsa: Being the More Recent Part of Mahavamsa''</ref> When the ''Velaikkara'' troops took custody of the tooth-relic shrine, they called it as ''Mūnrukai-tiruvēlaikkāran daladāy perumpalli''.<ref name="Early South Indian temple architecture: study of Tiruvāliśvaram inscriptions, page 93">''Early South Indian temple architecture: study of Tiruvāliśvaram inscriptions, page 93''</ref> There are also multiple epigraphic records of the ''Velaikkara'' troops. It is their inscriptions, for example the one in Polunnaruwa, that are actually used to fix the length of the reign of Sinhalese kings; in this case, Vijayabahu I (55 years).<ref name="Ceylon journal of historical and social studies, Volume 2, page 34">''Ceylon journal of historical and social studies, Volume 2, page 34''</ref>

The [[Sri Lanka Navy]] Northern Naval Command base in [[Karainagar]], [[Jaffna]] is named the SLNS ''Elara''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vivalanka.com/newspage/228812ai-|title=SLNS Elara conducts Medical and Dental Clinic at Karainagar|access-date=26 February 2015|archive-date=13 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191013171315/http://www.vivalanka.com/newspage/228812ai-|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== The Legend of Manu Needhi Cholan ==
[[File:Elara’s bell and cow.jpg|thumbnail|The cow is ringing the bell of Manu Needhi Cholan]]

Ellalan received the title "''Manu Needhi Cholan''" (the Chola who follows justice) because he executed his own son to provide justice to a cow. Legend has it that the king hung a giant bell in front of his courtroom for anyone needing justice to ring. One day, he came out on hearing the ringing of the bell by a cow. Upon enquiry, he found that the calf of that cow had been killed under the wheels of his son's [[chariot]]. In order to provide justice to the cow, Ellalan killed his own son, Veedhividangan, under the chariot as his own punishment i.e. Ellalan made himself suffer as much as the cow.<ref name="auto"/> Impressed by the justice of the king, Lord Shiva blessed him and brought back the calf and his son alive. He has been mentioned in the [[Silappatikaram]] and [[Periya Puranam]].<ref name="auto1"/> His name has since then been used as a metaphor for fairness and justice in [[Tamil literature]]. His capital was [[Thiruvarur]].

The Mahavamsa also states that when he was riding his cart he accidentally hit a [[Stupa|Chetiya]]. After that he ordered his ministers to kill him but the ministers replied that Buddha would not approve such an act. The king asked what he should do to rectify the damage and they said that repairing the structure would be enough which is what he did.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://mahavamsa.org/2008/05/king-elara-204-bc-164-bc/|title=King Elara (204 BC – 164 BC)|website=mahavamsa.org|access-date=2017-03-01}}</ref>

Chronicles such as the ''[[Yalpana Vaipava Malai]]'' and stone inscriptions like Konesar Kalvettu recount that [[Kulakkottan]], an early Chola king and descendant of Manu Needhi Cholan, was the restorer of the ruined [[Koneswaram temple]] and tank at [[Trincomalee]] in 438, the [[Munneswaram temple]] of the west coast, and as the royal who settled ancient Vanniyars in the east of the island [[Eelam]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hellmann-Rajanayagam |first1=Dagmar |year=1994 |title=Tamils and the meaning of history |journal=Contemporary South Asia |publisher=Routledge |volume=3 |issue=1 |pages= 3–23 |doi= 10.1080/09584939408719724}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Schalk |first1=Peter |year=2002 |title=Buddhism Among Tamils in Pre-colonial Tamilakam and Ilam: Prologue. The Pre-Pallava and the Pallava period |journal=Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis |publisher=[[Uppsala University]] |volume=19-20 |pages= 159, 503 |quote=The Tamil stone inscription ''Konesar Kalvettu'' details King Kulakottan's involvement in the restoration of Koneswaram temple in 438 A.D. (Pillay, K., Pillay, K. (1963). ''South India and Ceylon''); }}</ref>

== See also ==

* [[History of Sri Lanka]]
* [[List of Tamil monarchs]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|2}}

== External links ==


* [http://books.lakdiva.org/codrington/ Sri Lankan history]
* [http://tamilnation.co/heritage/tomb_of_elara.htm The Tomb of Elara at Anuradhapura]
* [http://www.divaina.com/2009/11/04/feature03.html එළාර රජුගේ හිතුවක්‌කාර නීතිය] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190808113826/http://www.divaina.com/2009/11/04/feature03.html |date=8 August 2019 }} {{in lang|si}}
* [http://www.noolaham.net/project/01/17/17.htm எல்லாளன் சமாதியும் வரலாற்று மோசடியும்] {{in lang|ta}}

{{S-start}}
{{s-hou|[[Chola dynasty]]|?|235 BC|?|161 BC|}}
{{s-reg|}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Asela of Sri Lanka|Asela]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[King of Anuradhapura]]|years=205 BC–161 BC}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Dutthagamani of Sri Lanka|Dutthagamani]]}}
{{end}}

{{Monarchs of the Anuradhapura Kingdom}}
{{Anuradhapura period topics}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Usurpers of the Sinhalese throne]]
[[Category:Tamil monarchs]]
[[Category:Chola dynasty]]
[[Category:Monarchs of Anuradhapura]]
[[Category:Sri Lankan Hindus|Ellalan (King)]]
[[Category:235 BC births]]
[[Category:161 BC deaths]]
[[Category:3rd-century BC Sinhalese monarchs]]
[[Category:2nd-century BC Sinhalese monarchs]]

Ellalan - Revision history

CleanupBot II at 22:27, 13 August 2023