Kulasekhara (
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
: ''குலசேகரர்'') (''fl.'' 9th century CE), one of the twelve
Vaishnavite
Vaishnavism ( sa, वैष्णवसम्प्रदायः, Vaiṣṇavasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. It is also called Vishnuism since it considers Vishnu as the ...
alvars, was a
bhakti
''Bhakti'' ( sa, भक्ति) literally means "attachment, participation, fondness for, homage, faith, love, devotion, worship, purity".See Monier-Williams, ''Sanskrit Dictionary'', 1899. It was originally used in Hinduism, referring to d ...
theologian and devotional poet from medieval south India (
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 ...
).
He was the author of
Perumal Tirumoli
Perumal Tirumoli () is a compilation of hymns written by Kulasekhara Alvar, one of the Alvars, the poet-saints of the Sri Vaishnava tradition. This work, which is a part of the Naalayira Divya Prabandham, consists of 105 hymns, that are numbered ...
in
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
and "
Mukundamala" in
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
. The Perumal Tirumoli, whose second decade is known as "Tetrarum Tiral", is compiled as a part of
Nalayira Divya Prabandham
The Naalayira Divya Prabandham ( ta, நாலாயிரத் திவ்வியப் பிரபந்தம், lit=Four Thousand Divine Hymns, translit=Nālāyira Divya Prabandham) is a collection of 4,000 Tamil verses composed by ...
.
The Trikkulasekharapuram Temple in
Kodungallur
Kodungallur (; also Cranganore, Portuguese: Cranganor; formerly known as Mahodayapuram, Shingly, Vanchi, Muchiri, Muyirikkode, and Muziris) is a historically significant town situated on the banks of river Periyar on the Malabar Coast in Thr ...
was founded by the Alvar.
Vaishnavite traditions describe the Alvar as a king of the Chera royal family of the western coast (Kerala).
Scholars identify Kulasekhara with royal Chera playwright Kulasekhara Varma and
Sthanu Ravi Kulasekhara (ruled 844/45 – c. 870/71 AD), the earliest known
Chera Perumal
Chera Perumals of Makotai, also known as the Perumal dynasty of KeralaThapar, Romila'', The Penguin History of Early India: From the Origins to AD 1300.'' Penguin Books, 2002. 331-32., or Cheraman Perumal dynasty of MahodayapuramNoburu Karashmia ...
king of Kerala.
Sources
Scholars generally identify Kulasekhara with
Sthanu Ravi Kulasekhara, the earliest known
Chera Perumal
Chera Perumals of Makotai, also known as the Perumal dynasty of KeralaThapar, Romila'', The Penguin History of Early India: From the Origins to AD 1300.'' Penguin Books, 2002. 331-32., or Cheraman Perumal dynasty of MahodayapuramNoburu Karashmia ...
king of Kerala.
*It is known that "
Perumal Tirumoli
Perumal Tirumoli () is a compilation of hymns written by Kulasekhara Alvar, one of the Alvars, the poet-saints of the Sri Vaishnava tradition. This work, which is a part of the Naalayira Divya Prabandham, consists of 105 hymns, that are numbered ...
" was recited in Srirangam Temple in 11th century AD.
An inscription dated in the 18th regnal year of
Chola
The Chola dynasty was a Tamils, Tamil thalassocratic Tamil Dynasties, empire of southern India and one of the longest-ruling dynasties in the history of the world. The earliest datable references to the Chola are from inscriptions dated ...
king
Kulottunga I
Kulottunga I (;1025 CE - 1122 CE) also spelt Kulothunga (), was a Chola Emperor who reigned from 1070 CE to 1122 CE succeeding his cousin Athirajendra Chola. He also served as the Eastern Chalukya king from 1061 CE to 1118 CE, succeeding his f ...
, i. e. 1088 AD, mentions the daily recital of "Tetrarum Tiral" in the
Srirangam Temple.
*A record from Kulasekhara Alvar Koyil,
Mannarkoyil, says that it was consecrated to the memory of Kulasekhara Perumal (by certain Vasudevan Kesevan of Mullappalli, Malai Mandalam).
The earliest known inscription from the temple is dated to c. 1015 AD.
*An inscription in Trikkulasekharapuram Temple in
Kodungallur
Kodungallur (; also Cranganore, Portuguese: Cranganor; formerly known as Mahodayapuram, Shingly, Vanchi, Muchiri, Muyirikkode, and Muziris) is a historically significant town situated on the banks of river Periyar on the Malabar Coast in Thr ...
(dated in temple era 195) has been dated palaeographically to the 11th or 12th century AD.
*A 13th century Tamil inscription from
Bagan
Bagan (, ; formerly Pagan) is an ancient city and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Mandalay Region of Myanmar. From the 9th to 13th centuries, the city was the capital of the Bagan Kingdom, the first kingdom that unified the regions that wou ...
in
Mandalay
Mandalay ( or ; ) is the second-largest city in Myanmar, after Yangon. Located on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River, 631km (392 miles) (Road Distance) north of Yangon, the city has a population of 1,225,553 (2014 census).
Mandalay was fo ...
is prefaced by a sloka from ''Mukundamala''. The inscription describes the construction of a mandapa for god Vishnu and the endowment for a lamp by
Rayiran Chiriyan Kulasekhara Nampi from
Makotayar Pattanam in Malai Mandalam.
Biography
![Trikkulashekarapuram Srikrishna temple (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/Trikkulashekarapuram_Srikrishna_temple_%28cropped%29.jpg)
The following is the traditional biography of king Kulasekhara from sources generally dated to 12th-14th century AD.
Kulasekhara was born at
Vanchi, in the western country, in Kali Era 28 to the Chera ruler Dridhavrata.
When the prince came of age, his father abdicated the kingdom and retired from public life, and the new king Kulasekhara ascended the throne.
Kulasekhara was a great devotee of god
Vishnu
Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism.
Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...
. His piety was so great that on one occasion when the story was being narrated as to how demon king Ravana abducted princess Sita, he at once issued orders to marshal out his army for the invasion of Lanka. In another instance, a minister who felt jealous of the favor showered by the king on
Vaishnavites
Vaishnavism ( sa, वैष्णवसम्प्रदायः, Vaiṣṇavasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. It is also called Vishnuism since it considers Vishnu as the ...
, trumped up on the devotees a false charge. The king vindicated their innocence by inserting his own hand in a pot containing snakes and drawing it out unscathed.
Kulasekhara later threw off the reigns of kingdom and started out on a pilgrimage to the holy site of
Srirangam
Srirangam, is a neighbourhood in the city of Tiruchirappalli in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. A river island, Srirangam is bounded by the Kaveri River on one side and its distributary Kollidam on the other side. Considered as the first amon ...
.
He spent there some years, worshiping his deity, and married his daughter Cherakula Valli Nachiyar to the Srirangam Temple.
He also gave away his whole wealth as dowry, built the Chenaivenran Mandapa and repaired the prakara of the temple (which was thereafter called "Kulasekhara Tiruvidi").
He then visited the holy temples of Tiruvenkatam, Tiruvayodhya, Tillai-Chitrakutam, Tirukannapuram, Tirumalirunjolai and Tiruvitruvakkode and finally settled down at Brahmadesam near Tirukkurukur, the birthplace of
Namma Alvar (where he died at the age of sixty seven).
The shrine of Cherakula Valli Nachiyar within the
Srirangam Temple complex commemorates the daughter of king Kulasekhara.
[Raja, K. Kunjunni, ''The Contribution of Kerala to Sanskrit Literature''; University of Madras 1980; page 2.]
Literary contributions
Kulasekhara was the author of "Perumal Tirumoli" in
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
and "
Mukundamala" in
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
.
Kulasekhara Alvar's poems are devotional in nature, being dedicated to the most prominent
avatar
Avatar (, ; ), is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means "descent". It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, goddess or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearanc ...
as of god
Vishnu
Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism.
Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...
-
Rama
Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular '' avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Bein ...
and
Krishna
Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...
. He identifies himself with several roles in the events of their lives.
A devotee of god Rama, he considered the painful experiences of Rama or his aging father
Dasaratha
Dasharatha (Sanskrit: दशरथ, IAST: Daśaratha; born Nemi) was the king of the Kosala kingdom and a scion of the Suryavamsha dynasty in Hinduism. He ruled from this capital at Ayodhya. Dasharatha was the son of Aja and Indumati. He had ...
to be his own. His devotion was so intense that he worshipped the devotees as forms of Vishnu. In one song, he identifies himself with
Devaki
Devaki (Sanskrit: देवकी, IAST: ''Devakī'') is a character in Hindu literature, most noted for being the mother of the god Krishna. She is one of the seven daughters of Devapa or Devaka, a king of the Yadu dynasty, and has four broth ...
, the real mother of Krishna, from whom Krishna was taken away to
Gokul
Gokul is a town in the Mathura district of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located south-east of Mathura. According to Bhagavata Purana, Krishna spent his childhood in Gokul.
Geography
The town has an average elevation of .
Demo ...
a where
Nanda
Nanda may refer to:
Indian history and religion
* Nanda Empire, ruled by the Nanda dynasty, an Indian royal dynasty ruling Magadha in the 4th century BCE
** Mahapadma Nanda, first Emperor of the Nanda Empire
** Dhana Nanda (died c. 321 BCE), last ...
and
Yasoda
Yashoda ( sa, यशोदा, translit=Yaśodā) is the foster-mother of Krishna and the wife of Nanda. She is described in the Puranic texts of Hinduism as the wife of Nanda, the chieftain of Gokulam, and the sister of Rohini. According to the ...
, the foster parents, looked after him. Kulasekhara expresses Devaki's desolation at being separated from her child and for union with him.
In some poems, Kulasekhara also identifies himself with a gopi in love with god Krishna.
Kulasekhara Varma
Kulasekhara Alvar is generally identified with Kulasekhara Varma, the medieval dramatist from the Chera royal family.
Kulasekhara Varma describes himself as the Keralakula-chudamani or "the Crown Jewel of the Chera dynasty", the Keraladhinatha or "the King of the Chera Country" and Mahodayapura-paramesvara or "the Lord of the City of Makotai".
He is known as the author of two Sanskrit plays called "Tapatisamvarana" and "Subhadradhananjaya" and the Sanskrit champu kavya "Ascharya Manjari" (perhaps also the author of the Sanskrit play "Vicchinnabhiseka").
An inscription from Chembra (954/55 AD) also mentions the performance of the play "Tapatisamvarana".
The art-form known as
Kudiyattam
Koodiyattam ( ml, കൂടിയാട്ടം; IAST: kūṭiyāṭṭaṁ; ) is a traditional performing art form in the state of Kerala, India. It is a combination of ancient Sanskrit theatre with elements of ''Koothu'', an ancient perform ...
is traditionally associated Kulasekhara Varma and his courtier
Tolan.
"Dhananjaya Samvarana Dhvani", or the "Vyangyavyakhya", also mentions king Kulasekhara of Mahodayapuram.
Kulasekhara Varma is sometimes identified with king
Rama Kulashekhara (and as the patron of poet Vasubhatta).
This identification is generally found unacceptable on several counts.
In popular culture
* The name of the British rock band
Kula Shaker
Kula Shaker are an English psychedelic rock band. Led by frontman Crispian Mills, the band came to prominence during the Post-Britpop era of the late 1990s. The band enjoyed commercial success in the UK between 1996 and 1999, notching up a num ...
was inspired by Kulasekhara.
Notes
Further reading
*''Perumal Tirumoli'' (ed. by M. Raghava Aiyangar, ''Ceraventar Ceyyutkovai,'' Trivandrum, 1951)
*''Mukundamala'' (1, ed. by T. A. Gopinatha Rao, Travancore Archaeological Series, II, II)
*''Mukundamala'' (1, ed. by K. R. Pisharoti, Annamalai, 2. ed. with commentary by V. V. Sharma, Trivandrum, 1947)
*''Tapatisamvarana'' (Trivandrum Sanskrit Series No. 11)
*''Subhadradhanjaya'' (Trivandrum Sanskrit Series No. 13)
References
*Noburu Karashima (ed.), ''A Concise History of South India.'' New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2014.
*K. A. Nilakanta Sastri, ''The Colas'' (Madras, revised 2nd ed. 1955)
*M. G. S. Narayanan, ''Perumals of Kerala.'' Thrissur (Kerala): CosmoBooks, 2013.
*S. K. Aiyengar, ''The Early History of Vaisnavism in India'' (Madras, 1920)
*R. G. Bhandarkar, ''Vaisnavism, Saivism and other Minor Religious Systems'' (Poona, 1913).
*A. S. R. Ayyar, "Kulasekhara Perumal", ''Travancore Archaeological Series,'' Volume, II.
*K. R. Pisharoti, Kulasekharas of Kerala, ''Indian Historical Quarterly,'' VII.
*K. G. Sesha Iyyer, "Kulasekhara Alvar and his Date", ''Indian Historical Quarterly,'' VII.
*''Kerala Society Papers,'' Volume I (Trivandrum, 1928–32)
*S. V. Pillai, ''History of Tamil Language and Literature'' (Madras, 1956)
*K. K. Raja, ''The Contribution of Kerala to Sanskrit Literature'' (Madras, 1958)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Varman, Kulashekhara
Alvars
Bhakti movement
Sri Vaishnava religious leaders
Medieval Kerala
People of the Kodungallur Chera kingdom
9th-century Indian monarchs
Vaishnava saints
Kodungallur Chera kings
Tamil Hindu saints