Kingship in early Medieval India
by Sudip Narayan Maitra | 2015 | 67,940 words
This thesis is called: Kingship in early Medieval India: A comparative study of the Cholas and the Eastern Gangas. It represents a detailed empirical study of “kingship and polity” of two broad deltaic alluvial stretch of land on the “eastern coast”, namely ‘Mahanadi’ and ‘Kaveri’ delta. These were among the main centers of political and cultural a...
Part 2 - Origin Myth (of the Kaveri Delta and the Cholas)
The most interesting character of the south Indian polity is the repeated rule of common lineages initiated their journey in the Sangam age. The most emphatic examples are the Cholas, Pandyas and the Cheras. The Pallavas originated slightly later, also connected with the Sangam age by their genesis in Tondaimans.[1] As we discussed in early chapter, each dynasty carries their origin myth accounts, which either associated them with the Candravamsa or Suryavamsa, up to an eponymous mythical founder came to the fore as more historically defined figure. In the case of the Cheras, mostly prasastis like literature largely absent[2] , but distantly associated with Suryavamsa, while this is common in regard to the others.
Pallavas were not commonly associated with Suryavamsa or Candravamsa, but later literature associates them with Candravamsa and of Bharadvaja gotra.[3] In Suruci Jataka we found king Bharata of Candravamsa adopted the son of Bharadvaja.[4] King Nripatungavarman is called Kuruvamsavivardhana in Bahur Plates.[5] The plates of Pallankovil, describes king Simhavisnu as belonged to Suryavamsa.[6] With that they also claim of being Brahma-Ksatra. The two different spectrum identified by J.C. Heesterman for authority and power respectively.[7] The Pallava genealogy starts with invocation of Brahman, Angiras, Brhaspati, Bharadvaja, Drona, and Asvathama in their various plates.[8] However Prthu is identified as son of Asvathama and the father of the eponymous Pallava founder in Kailasnatha and Kancipuram temple inscriptions.[9]
The Pandya Plates claims of being descendants of Candravamsa. According to the Dalavaypuram plates of Parantaka Viranarayana, the lords of Pandya-Desa described as originated from the lotus of Narayana’s navel through Brahma, Atri and the moon.[10] The Sivakasi plates of Vira-Pandya and Velvikudi plates of Nedunjadaiyan also carry the same story. The Dalavaypuram plates of Parantaka Viranarayana, we found the story of Ila and her son Pururavas, from whom the lineage originated.[11]
The Cheras, as they are not issued prasastis, found to be associated with Rabikula and Diptamsuvamsa in astronomical treaties. From Periyapuranam the Ceraman Perumal, is found as the first king.[12]
The Cholas always associated themselves with Suryavamsa. The Kanyakumari inscription of Vira-Rajendra[13] , we find the eponymous ruler originated from Suryavamsa, has distracted towards south by a demon in disguise of a deer when he has gone for a hunt. After arriving at the Kaveri valley, he captured that deer. He wanted to confer donations to the Brahmanas but he fined none. So he invited Brahmanas from the north and established them in the Kaveri delta region. This interestingly has resemblance with the Marica episode of Ramayana. The other eulogies like Tiruvalangadu[14] copper plates, the Larger Leiden[15] plates, and Anbil copper plates[16] , carries more or less the same story. They speak of a gap between the originator and the later imperial figures. G.W. Spencer opines this mythical genealogy as the functional tool for validation for the later rulers.[17] Kesavan Veluthat identifies this practice of ‘origin myths’ with the itihasapurana stereotype tradition of northern India.[18]
The above discussion shows, along with the local flair of Tamil origin the dynasties of Deep South, shows a definite trend of involvement in to the general political culture of the early medieval India with necessary changes suited to their geo-poli-scapes.
Footnotes and references:
[2]:
M.G.S. Narayanan opines that the later Cheras of Makotai follow the matrimonial line so they did not keep genealogies, discussed in Political and Social Conditions of Kerala under the Kulasekhara Empire. c. 800-1124 A.D’,
[3]:
C. Minakshi, op.cit, p.29, v. 2. II 4-6 in Kuram Plates of Paramesvaravarman, T.N. Subrahmanyan, (ed.) Thirty Pallava Copper Plates (Thirty Pallava Copper Plates, Madras 1996), Madras, 1996, p.46.
[4]:
R. Thapar, Ancient Indian Social History, p. 340
[6]:
Thirty Pallava Copper Plates, Madras 1996; pp.27 & 12
[7]:
J.C. Heesterman, ‘Power and Authority in Indian Tradition’, in R.J. Moore, (ed.) op.cit. p.65
[8]:
Thirty Pallava Copper Plates, Madras 1996;pp.26-27
[9]:
SII. Vol. I, p.12
[10]:
Tamil Varalatruk Kalagam (ed.) Pandyar Ceppedukal Pattu (PCP), Madras, 1967, pp. 95-96, II. 6-11.
[11]:
PCP, pp.101-2, II. 71-81.
[12]:
Kesavan Veluthat, The Political Structure of Early Medieval India, Orient Black Swan Delhi, 2012, pp. 51, 79.
[13]:
Travancore Archaeological Series, (Travancore Archaeological Series), vol. III, pt. 1, pp.87-158
[14]:
SII, Vol. III, pt. 3 pp. 382-439
[15]:
Epigraphica Indica, Vol. XXII, pp. 213-66.
[16]:
Epigraphica Indica, Vol. XV, pp. 44-72.
[17]:
G.W. Spencer, 'Heirs Apparent: Fiction and Function in Chola Mythical Genealogies', Indian Economic and Social History Review, Vol. XXI, no. 4, 1984, pp. 415-32
[18]:
Kesavan Veluthat, op.cit. p.48