Ko Kizhan Adikal Ravi Neeli was the traditional title of the queens/princesses of the Chera Perumal kingdom in medieval south India. It was initially assumed that Kizhan Adikal was a proper given name (and not a royal title). The title was used by Kerala princesses (in the Tamil country) even after their marriages to Chola princes.

Records

The title appears in the following inscriptions discovered from

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

and

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...

Records associated with the Cholas

# "Ko Kizhan Adikal", mother of Chola prince

Rajaditya Rajaditya Chola (''fl.'' mid-10th century AD) was a Chola prince, son of king Parantaka I (r. 907–955) and a Chera/Kerala princess ( the Ko Kizhan AdigalNarayanan, M. G. S. ''Perumāḷs of Kerala.'' Thrissur (Kerala): CosmoBooks, 2013. 96- ...

, in a Tirunavalur/Tirumanallur inscription (c. 935 AD, 28th regnal year) of Chola king

Parantaka I Parantaka Chola I (Tamil : பராந்தக சோழன் I) (873 CE–955 CE) was a Chola emperor who ruled for forty-eight years, annexing Pandya by defeating Rajasimhan II. The best part of his reign was marked by increasing success ...

(907 — 955 AD) (EI VII, 19a). #Lalgudi record of Cankaran Kunrappozhan, from Nandikkarai Puttur in Malainatu (Kerala), mentioning "Cheramanar makalar" "Ko Kizhan Adikal" (queen of Parantaka). # "Ravi Neeli" or "Kizhan Adikal ", daughter of "Cheramanar" or "Keralaraja"

Vijayaraga Vijayaraga (''fl. c.'' 849—895 AD) was the Chera Perumal ruler of Kerala from ''c.'' 883/84—''c.'' 895 AD. The reign of Vijayaraga probably witnessed the expansion of Chera Perumal influence into the neighboring Ay and Mushika countries (sou ...

, in a Tiruvotriyur inscription (936 AD, 29th regnal year) of king

(Index 17 & SII III, 103). # "Kizhan Adikal" appears in the

Tiruvalla copper plates Thiruvalla copper plates, also known as the Huzur Treasury Plates, are a collection of medieval temple committee resolutions found at the Sreevallabha Temple, Thiruvalla, Kerala.Narayanan, M. G. S. ''Perumāḷs of Kerala.'' Thrissur (Kerala): ...

with her husband king

(lines 109-111) (Index A80 & TAS II, III). There is a possibility that the princesses (1) and (3) are the same, or are sisters. If they were sisters, king

married two distinct Chera Perumal princesses (the mothers of his two sons,

and Arinjaya Chola). The marriage between a Chera princess and Parantaka, c. 910 CE, is mentioned in the Udayendiram plates of

Ganga The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...

king Prthivipati II Hastimalla.''South Indian Inscriptions'' 2 (1895), no. 76: v. 8. The velam of the Kizhan Adikal ("Kizhan Adikal Velam" or "Kizhai Velam") at

Tanjavur 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 ...

is mentioned in three Chola inscriptions. # Saranganatha Perumal Temple, Tiruchirai, Kumbakonam (5th regnal year) (SII 19, 150). # Vedaranyeswara Temple, Vedaranyam, Tirutturaippundi, Tanjore (

, 43rd regnal year) (SII 17, 530). # Nageswaraswamin Temple, Kumbakonam (Aditya II Karikala, 4th regnal year, the mother of

) — as "Udaya Pirattiyar Kizhan Adikal" (SII 3, 201).

Other Chera Perumal records

# "Ravi Neeli alias Kizhan Adikal", daughter of Kulasekhara and wife of

, in a Tirunandikkara inscription (9th century AD) (Index A7 & TAS IV, 36). #"Chatira Sikhamani alias Kizhan Adikal" or "Perumattiyar" in a Trikkakara inscription (953 AD) with Chera king Indu Goda (10th century AD) (Index A24 & TAS III, 36). #"Kizhan Adikal" in a Tiruvanchuli/Tiruvalanjuli temple (

Tanjore 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 ...

) inscription mentioning Chera Perumal

Rama Kulasekhara Rama Kulasekhara (''fl.'' late 11th century CE) was the last ruler of the Chera Perumal dynasty of medieval Kerala. He was a contemporary to Chola kings Kulottunga I (1070–1120) and Vikrama Chola (1118–35 AD). Rama Kulaskehara is best known ...

(''fl.'' late 11th century AD) (SII III, 221).{{Cite journal, last=Narayanan, first=M. G. S., date=1993, editor-last=Tewari, editor-first=S. P., title=A New Name in the Twilight of the Chera Kingdom in Kerala, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NYNjAAAAMAAJ, journal=Journal of the Epigraphical Society of India, publisher=The Epigraphical Society of India, Mysore, volume=19, pages=20

References

10th-century Indian women 10th-century Indian people Chola dynasty