Appendix: Malaiyaman Chiefs of Kiliyur

The region comprising the present-day Tirukkoyilur taluk of the South Arcot district and the adjoining areas was a distinct political unit of administration during the Chola and the Later Pandya periods, ruled by a succession of able and loyal feudatories of the Cholas and later of the Pandyas, from their headquarters at Kiliyur. There is hardly a temple in this region that has not received the imprint of their benefactions; in fact, there is such a large number of inscriptions conveying their grants aqd gifts that a fairly cogent picture of their activities in various fields can be drawn from them. In this book, however, we shall briefly touch on this theme with reference to the Later Cholas. From the days of Kulottunga I to those of Kulottunga III and Rajaraja III, the Malaiyaman chiefs of Kiliyur held sway in this region as subordinates of the Chola sovereigns; in the days of Kulottunga II, we have already seen that Malaiyaman Malaiyan alias Kulottungasola Chediyarayan and his son Attimallan alias Edirilisola Vanakkovaraiyan made many contributions to temples in the Nadu Nadu region; and in the days of Rajaraja II and Rajadhiraja II, they continued to play an active part in the political and religious life of this area; one such Chief of this period is Attimallan Sokkaperumal alias Rajagambhira Chediyarayan; he would appear to have been succeeded by Periya Udaiyan Iraiyuran Sarrukkudadan alias Rajaraja Chediyarayan (who is mentioned in ARE 186 of 1934-35 dated in the sixth year of the king). These Chiefs also bore the title of Vanniyanayan (the Chief of the Vanntyas). Sarrukkudadan was a biruda one of these chiefs mentioned earlier bore, meaning ‘he who does not yield’. He would appear to have had very loyal and devoted servants and subordinates; this is borne out by the large number of brief records found in the temples containing vows made by them to the effect that they would die if their master died and not survive him.

One of these inscriptions (ARE 203 of 1934 35) runs as follows:

1. Svasti Sri Iraiyuran Periya Udaiyanana Irajaraja Chediyara-
2. yan velaikkaran Anjadanana Aiyanankakkaran en ivarkup pin-
3. bu savadirundenagil en ottaiyarkku en minattiyaik ku
4. duppen ivarait tavira ennaichchevakan kolvan tan minat-
5. tikku minalakak kilvan.

A velaikkaran (a security man, or body-guard or a soldier of the army) named Anjadan alias Aiyanankakkaran, of Iraiyuran Periya Udaiyan Rajaraja Chediyarayan vowed that he would die with his master in case of the latter’s death and uttered an imprecation that any other Chief who would take him in service after the death of that master would come to grief.

There are as many as twenty such vows recorded on the walls of the temple here; one interpretation could be that this Chief was extraordinarily popular with his followers; this however seems a less plausible explanation; what, however, may be more probable is that those were unusual and difficult times and these male and female servants were so dedicated to the master that they did not want to survive the master. Velaikkarars were very valiant and dedicated personal body guards of the chieftains and they banded themselves together to protect their masters, both in battle-field and elsewhere, and vowed to die along with them in case of their death; a vow to that effect being taken by the female attendants (velaikkari) seems less easy to explain. Similar vows arc also recorded in the temple at Elavanasur, another important place in the same taluk. We have already seen that this period was one in which there was considerable political unrest in the Chola empire, and a large number of compacts and non-aggression treaties were entered into among various local Chiefs (vide Laddigam, p, 48).

There is a 20th year record of Kulottunga III (ARE 163 of 1934-35) from which we gather that this Rajaraja Chediyarayan concluded a pact with another Chief named Eriyappan Marundan alias Muvendaraiyan; both these chiefs were subordinate to Vanakkovaraiyan. In this compact they agreed to stand by each other in times of danger and not to enter into any negotiations with each other’s enemies. We find, however, that after some years in the 28th year of Kulottunga III (i.e. a.d. 1205) he enters into another alliance with one Alagiyanayan Aharasuran alias Rajagambhira Chediyarayan (ARE 189 of 1934-35) whose terms make interesting reading. We find that his loyalty to the erstwhile chief Vanakkovaraiyan has been given up. Perhaps times were bad and expediency dictated shifting loyalties.