Jatavarman Sundara I, also known as Sadayavarman Sundara Pandyan, was a emperor of the
Pandyan dynasty who ruled regions of
Tamilakkam
Tamiḻakam (Tamil: தமிழகம்; Malayalam: തമിഴകം), refers to the geographical region inhabited by the ancient Tamil people, covering the southernmost region of the Indian subcontinent. Tamilakam covered today's Tamil Nad ...
(present day
South India
South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territ ...
) between 1250–1268 CE.
[Sethuraman, p124] He is remembered for his patronage of the arts and tamil architecture, along with refurbishment and decoration of many
Kovils (temple) in the Tamil continent. He oversaw a massive economic growth of the Pandyan empire. On the eve of his death in 1268 CE, the second Pandyan empire's power and territorial extent had risen to its zenith.
Accession
Sundara Pandyan I acceded to the Pandyan throne in the year 1251 CE. During the middle part of the 13th century, Pandya kingdom was ruled by many princes of the royal line. This practice of shared rule with one prince asserting primacy was common in the Pandyan Kingdom. The other princes of the Pandyan royal family with whom Sundara Pandyan I shared his rule were
Maravarman Vikkiraman II and his brother
Jatavarman Veera Pandyan I.
[Narasayya, p43]
Historical background
By the middle of the 13th century, the
Chola dynasty which had dominated Southern India over the past three centuries was declining. The last king of the
Later Cholas
The Later Chola dynasty ruled the Chola Empire from 1070 C.E. until the demise of the empire in 1279 C. E. This dynasty was the product of decades of alliances based on marriages between the Cholas and the Eastern Chalukyas based in Vengi, and ...
,
Rajendra Chola III
Rajendra Chola III was a brother and rival of Rajaraja Chola III, and came to the Chola throne in 1246 CE. Rajendra began to take effective control over the administration, and epigraphs of Rajendra Chola III indicate there was civil war endin ...
reigned over a crumbling empire beset with rebellion and increasing external influence from
Hoysala
The Hoysala Empire was a Kannadiga power originating from the Indian subcontinent that ruled most of what is now Karnataka between the 10th and the 14th centuries. The capital of the Hoysalas was initially located at Belur, but was later moved ...
s and
Kadava
Kadava was the name of a Tamil ruling dynasty who ruled parts of the Tamil country during the thirteenth and the fourteenth century. Kadavas were related to the Pallava dynasty and ruled from Kudalur near Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu. Hiranyavarman, ...
s. Previous rulers of the Pandyan kingdom like
Maravarman Sundara Pandyan I had succeeded in overthrowing Chola hegemony. Jatavarman annexed
Kongu nadu and subdued
Lingaya Gounder and made him his vassal. The
Hoysala
The Hoysala Empire was a Kannadiga power originating from the Indian subcontinent that ruled most of what is now Karnataka between the 10th and the 14th centuries. The capital of the Hoysalas was initially located at Belur, but was later moved ...
dominance over the Tamil Kingdoms had also waned by the time Sundara Pandyan I took power in 1251. He covered Entire Tamil Nadu which extended up to
Nellore
Nellore is a city located on the banks of Penna River, in Nellore district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It serves as the headquarters of the district, as well as Nellore mandal and Nellore revenue division. It is the fourth most p ...
of present day Andhra Pradesh.
Conquests
Wars against Cheras and Cholas
Sundara Pandyan I first invaded the
Chera country ruled by
Viraravi Udaya Marthandavarman. The Chera army was defeated and their king killed in battle. Next he turned his attention to Cholas.
Rajendra Chola III
Rajendra Chola III was a brother and rival of Rajaraja Chola III, and came to the Chola throne in 1246 CE. Rajendra began to take effective control over the administration, and epigraphs of Rajendra Chola III indicate there was civil war endin ...
was defeated and accept Pandyan suzerainty.
Wars against Hoysalas
He invaded
Hoysala
The Hoysala Empire was a Kannadiga power originating from the Indian subcontinent that ruled most of what is now Karnataka between the 10th and the 14th centuries. The capital of the Hoysalas was initially located at Belur, but was later moved ...
dominions along the river
kaveri
The Kaveri (also known as Cauvery, the anglicized name) is one of the major Indian rivers flowing through the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The Kaveri river rises at Talakaveri in the Brahmagiri (hill), Karnataka, Brahmagiri range in th ...
and captured the fortress of Kannanur Koppam. Several Hoysala generals including Singana were killed and great amount of loot was captured along with many horses, elephants and gold treasure. This invasion was stopped after
Someshwara withdrew into his kingdom. A later attempt by
Someshwara to invade Pandyan kingdom in 1262 ended in his defeat and death.
[ Jatavarman Veera Pandyan I became the governor of the captured territories.
]
Wars against Kadavas
Sundara Pandyan besieged the city fortress of Sendamangalam
Sendamangalam also known as Senthamangalam is a town panchayat in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu is situated in Namakkal District.
History
The history of Sendamangalam, Namakkal is often misunderstood with Sendamangalam, Kallkurichi dt (forme ...
and fought with the Kadava
Kadava was the name of a Tamil ruling dynasty who ruled parts of the Tamil country during the thirteenth and the fourteenth century. Kadavas were related to the Pallava dynasty and ruled from Kudalur near Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu. Hiranyavarman, ...
king Kopperunchingan II. However he restored Kopperunchingan to his throne and gave him his country back. He also conquered Magadai and Kongu countries during his campaigns against Kadavas and Hoysalas
Invasion of Sri Lanka
Responding to an appeal for help from a minister in Sri Lanka, Jatavarman Sundara Pandyan intervened in 1258 and made Chandrabhanu
Chandrabhanu (died 1262) or Chandrabhanu Sridhamaraja was the King of Tambralinga Kingdom in present-day Thailand, Malaysia and Sumatra and the Jaffna Kingdom in northern Sri Lanka. A Javaka, he was known to have ruled from during the period of ...
of Tambralinga
Tambralinga ( sa, Tāmbraliṅga) was an Indianised kingdom located on the Malay Peninsula, existing at least from the 10th to 13th century. It was under the influence of Srivijaya for some time, but later became independent from it. The name ha ...
, a Savakan
Zabag ( Indonesian: ''Sabak''; Chinese: 阇婆 or 闍婆 "''She-bó''"'','' "''Shepo''"; Sanskrit: ''Javaka''; Tamil: சாவகம் "''Savakam''"; Arabic: الزابج "''Zabaj''"; Latin: Jabad) is thought to have been an ancient kingdom lo ...
usurper of the Jaffna kingdom submit to Pandyan rule and annually offer precious jewels and elephants in tribute. A second attempt by Chandrabhanu to invade the south of the island from the north prompted the Prince Jatavarman Veera Pandyan I, brother and lieutenant of Sundara Pandyan I to intervene again in 1262-1264 on Sundara Pandyan I's behalf. Chandrabhanu was killed in this conquest and the other king of the island was subjugated. Veera Pandyan I proceeded to plant the Pandyan bull victory flag at Koneswaram temple, Konamalai. Chandrabhanu's son Savakanmaindan was installed and submitted to Pandyan rule on the northern Tamil throne before he too was defeated upon Sundara Pandyan I's son Maravarman Kulasekara Pandyan I
Maravarman Kulasekara Pandyan I ( ta, முதலாம் மாறவர்மன் குலசேகர பாண்டியன்) was a Pandyan emperor who ruled regions of South India between 1268–1308 CE, though history profess ...
's, invasion in the late 1270s. Maravarman Kulasekara Pandyan I had succeeded his father as Lord Emperor of Pandyan following the latter's demise in 1268 and invaded to punish the Jaffna monarch for stopping the annual tributes he owed to his Pandyan overlords. The minister in charge of his invasion, Kulasekara Cinkaiariyan
Kulasekara Cinkaiariyan (died 1284) is considered to be the first of the Aryacakravarti dynasty kings to establish his rule over the Jaffna Kingdom in modern Sri Lanka.
According to a Sinhalese primary source Mahavamsa, a warlord named Aryacak ...
, an Aryachakravarthi, was installed as the new king of the island's north. The Aryacakravarti dynasty
The Arya Chakravarti dynasty ( ta, ஆரியச் சக்கரவர்த்திகள் வம்சம், Sinhalese: ආර්ය චක්රවර්තී රාජවංශය) were kings of the Jaffna Kingdom in Sri Lank ...
line of Jaffna rule thus began.
Expedition to the North
After subduing the Kadava Kopperunchingan II, Sundara Pandyan led an expedition to the North. Pandyan forces killed the Telugu ruler Vijaya Gandagopala and captured Kanchipuram in 1258. This bought them in conflict with the Kakatiyas under Ganapati II. Sundara Pandiyan I defeated a Telugu army at Mudugur in the current Nellore district and performed a ''virabisheka'' to commemorate the end of his campaign.[ However Ganapathi II later defeated Kopperunchingan II who was by then a Pandyan ally and recaptured territories up to Kanchipuram. The Kadava Pallava Kopperinjungan II was followed by very weak successors and Sundara Pandyan annexed Kanchi, Nellore and Visayavadai (modern Vijayawada) regions to the Pandyan Kingdom.
]
Patronage of temples
Sundara Pandyan used the vast treasure he got out of his wars to beautify the Siva temple in Chidambaram and the Vishnu temple in Srirangam. For gold plating the roofs of these two temples he was given the title of ''"pon veindha perumal"''( ta, பொன் வேய்ந்த பெருமாள்).He also gave many grants to temples in Trichy
Tiruchirappalli () ( formerly Trichinopoly in English), also called Tiruchi or Trichy, is a major tier II city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Tiruchirappalli district. The city is credited with bein ...
, Thanjavur
Thanjavur (), also Tanjore, Pletcher 2010, p. 195 is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is the 11th biggest city in Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is an important center of South Indian religion, art, and architecture. Most of the Gr ...
and Kanchipuram. He built a temple at Aragalur
Aragalur ("six moat place") is a village in Salem district, Tamil Nadu, India. It is about 6 km from Thalaivasal and 70 km from Salem.
Etymology
Aragalur literally means "six moat place" or the village having six moats. The moats were ...
( Magadai Mandalam) for the merit of Kulasekara around 1259. He acknowledged the contributors of other dynasties to Tamil Nadu by building a gate at the Sri Ranganathaswami Temple at Srirangam in which he engraved the names of all the four great empires of Tamil Nadu namely the Cholas, Pallavas, Pandyas and the Cheras.[http://www.whatisindia.com/inscriptions/south_indian_inscriptions/volume_12/appendix_d.html] He also built the East tower of the Madurai Meenakshi Temple. He gold plated and placed the gold gilded Kalasam atop the gopurum of the Ananda Nilayam
Ananda Nilayam (Abode of Happiness) is the glittering gold-plated ''gopuram'' of the Sanctum Sanctorum of the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple. According to Vaishnava philosophy, ''gopurams'' of the sanctum sanctorum are named:
* Sri Ranganathaswamy ...
vimana of Tirumala Venkateswara Temple
Sri Venkateswara Swami Vaari Temple is a Hindu temple situated in the hill town of Tirumala at Tirupati in Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh, India. The Temple is dedicated to Venkateswara, a form of Vishnu, who is believed to have appeared ...
. In 1263 CE, he renovated the gopuram of Koneswaram temple and his son Veera Pandyan implanted the Pandyan victory flag and insignia of a " Double Fish" emblem at Konamalai.
Titles
Having vanquished his neighbours Sundara Pandyan took the titles like "''Emmandalamum Kondaruliya Pandiya''", "''Tribhuvana Chakravarthy''", "''Ponveintha Perumal''", and "''Hemachadana Raja''".
His Meikeerthi
A meikeerthi ( ta, மெய் கீர்த்தி) is the first section of Tamil inscriptions of grant issued by ancient Tamil kings of South India. Meikeerthis of various stone and metal inscriptions serve as important archaeological sourc ...
praises him as "the conqueror of Kongu Nadu and Eelam; the conqueror of the Ganges and Kaveri; Vanquisher of Hoysala
The Hoysala Empire was a Kannadiga power originating from the Indian subcontinent that ruled most of what is now Karnataka between the 10th and the 14th centuries. The capital of the Hoysalas was initially located at Belur, but was later moved ...
; Subjugator of Kadava
Kadava was the name of a Tamil ruling dynasty who ruled parts of the Tamil country during the thirteenth and the fourteenth century. Kadavas were related to the Pallava dynasty and ruled from Kudalur near Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu. Hiranyavarman, ...
Kopperunchingan I; The one who paid victory tribute and bravery tribute at Chidambaram; The ruler of three worlds"
( ta,
கொங்குஈழம் கொண்டு கொடுவடுகு கோடுஅழித்து
கங்கை இருகரையும் காவிரியும் கைகொண்டு
வல்லாளனை வென்று காடவனைத் திறைகொண்டு
தில்லை மாநகரில் வீராபிஷேகமும் விஜயாபிஷேகமும்
செய்தருளிய கோச்சடை பன்மரான திரிபுவன்ச்
சக்கரவர்த்திகள் ஸ்ரீ வீரபாண்டிய தேவர்).
Death and succession
Sundara Pandyan I was succeeded by Maravarman Kulasekara Pandyan I
Maravarman Kulasekara Pandyan I ( ta, முதலாம் மாறவர்மன் குலசேகர பாண்டியன்) was a Pandyan emperor who ruled regions of South India between 1268–1308 CE, though history profess ...
in 1268 and died in 1271.
Notes
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Pandyan, Jatavarman Sundara
Pandyan kings
1268 deaths
Year of birth unknown
13th-century Indian monarchs
13th-century Hindus