Arikesari Maravarman

Template:Infobox royalty Template:Pandyan Arikesari Maravarman (r. c. 640–690 CE), also known as Parankusa, was a Pandya king of early medieval south India.Template:Sfn

Arikesari's reign witnessed the beginning of the Pandya contest with the Pallavas in the northern Tamil country.Template:Sfn He probably entered into an alliance with Chalukyas (to the counter the Pallavas).Template:Sfn The Pandyas also came into collision with the Cheras ("Keralas") under his rule.Template:Sfn

Period

Arikesari Maravarman was the successor of Seliyan Sendan (Jayantavarman), but it is not known for certain if he was Jayantavarman's son or not (most probably his son).Template:Sfn

• K. A. Nilakanta Sastri (the first assumption) - c. 670–710 CETemplate:Sfn
• K. A. Nilakanta Sastri (revised date) - c. 670–700 CETemplate:Sfn
• T. V. Sadasiva Pandarathar - c. 640–670 CETemplate:Sfn
• Noburu Karashima - c. 650–700 CETemplate:Sfn (or) c. 670–700 CETemplate:Sfn
• V. Vedachalam & A. Kalavathi - c. 640–690 CE

He was succeeded by his son Kocchadaiyan Ranadhira.Template:Sfn

Names

In the Velvikkudi Grant and the Smaller Sinnamanur Plates, his name appears as "Arikesari Maravarman". In the Larger Sinnamanur Plates, he is called "Arikesari Parankusa".Template:Sfn

Life and career

Velvikkudi Grant

The reign of Arikesari Maravarman probably saw a significant increase in the Pandya political power and prestige.Template:Sfn

According to the Velvikkudi Grant, Arikesari Maravarman won battles at Pali, Nelveli, and Uraiyur.Template:Sfn In Nelveli, he is said to have conquered the vast forces of certain Vilveli.Template:Sfn The victory at Nelveli is confirmed by the Larger Sinnamanur Plates.Template:Sfn Except Uraiyur (Tiruchirappalli), the identity of these places is not certain.Template:Sfn E. Hultzsch tentatively identified Nelveli with modern Tirunelveli, but K. A. N. Sastri disagreed with this identification.Template:Sfn

Larger Sinnamanur Plates.

The Larger Sinnamanur Plates states that Arikesari "Parankusa" won battles at Nelveli and Sankaramangai.Template:Sfn

The inscription further states that he ruined the Paravars (people on the south-east coast of the Pandya country) who did not submit to him and destroyed the people of Kurunadu.Template:Sfn According to one theory, "Kurunattar" refers to people of Kurunadu (an unidentified place); another possibility is that the term refers to petty chieftains.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

Arikesari is also said to have defeated an unspecified enemy at Sennilam, which may refer to a particular place or is a generic term for "Red (Bloody) Battlefield".Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Finally, the inscription states that he defeated the Keralas (the Cheras) multiple times, and once imprisoned their king with his near relatives and warriors.Template:Sfn

Role in the Chalukya-Pallava conflict

Arikesari Maravarman seems to have joined with the Chalukyas in their struggle against the Pallavas.Template:Sfn Early in the rule of Pallava king Parameswara I, Chalukya Vikramadtiya I advanced south and even displaced the Pallava from his capital Kanchi.Template:Sfn The Chalukya then advanced further south to the Kaveri River and encamped at Uraiyur (where he probably effected a junction with Arikesari Maravarman).Template:Sfn

Literary sources

Commentary to the Iraiyanar Ahapporul mentions a king named Arikesari, with titles Parakusan and Nedumaran among others.Template:Sfn The commentary also mention several battles, at Pali, Sennilam and Nelveli and at Vizhinjam, some of which the scholars do not read in epigraphy till late 8th century.Template:Sfn

Based on this, historian Venkayya assumed that the two rulers are identical. However, K. A. N. Sastri rejected this identification on the basis that "a rhetorical work like this took for its hero a saintly king of legendary fame, and attributed to him all the achievements of the Pandyan lines of kings that the author could think of his day". Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

Religion

Arikesari is known to have performed the Hiranyagarbha and Tulabhara rituals (a number of times).Template:Sfn

Identification with Nedumaran

Arikesari Maravarman is sometimes identified with Pandya king Nedumaran or Kuna Pandya, who converted from Jainism to Shaivism under the influence of the bhakti saint Sambandar. Kun Pandya was thence regarded as a saint himself.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn The legend is considered as an expression of the historical consciousness (signifying the loss of Jain political influence in the Tamil country).Template:Sfn

According to this legend, Kun Pandya had married the Chola princess Mangayarkkarasi.Template:Sfn

References

Bibliography

• A History of South India from Prehistoric Times to the Fall of Vijayanagar{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Oxford University Press(1976)
• A History of South India from Prehistoric Times to the Fall of Vijayanagar{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Oxford University Press(1958)
• Jains{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Routledge(2002). ISBN 978-0-415-26606-2
• History of Tamilnad (To AD 1336){{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Koodal(1994)
• A Textbook of Medieval Indian History{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Primus Books(2013). ISBN 978-9-38060-734-4
• The Pandyan Kingdom{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Luzac and Company(1929)
• A Concise History of South India: Issues and Interpretations{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Oxford University Press(2014)