Kaundinya I ( km, កៅណ្ឌិន្យ,
Odia: କୌଣ୍ଡିନ୍ୟ, sa, कौण्डिन्य, ), also known as Hùntián (混塡) and Preah Thong (
Khmer: ព្រះថោង), was the second monarch of
Funan
Funan (; km, ហ៊្វូណន, ; vi, Phù Nam, Chữ Hán: ) was the name given by Chinese cartographers, geographers and writers to an ancient Indianized state—or, rather a loose network of states ''(Mandala)''—located in mainla ...
(reigned c. 1st century) which comprises much of
Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailan ...
located in
mainland Southeast Asia centered on the
Mekong Delta. He was the consort of the first monarch
Soma, Queen of Funan, also known as Liǔyè (Chinese) and Neang Neak (Khmer) and together both were the co-founders of the kingdom of Funan with the capital located at
Vyadhapura.
Indian origins
Numerous sources and folklores talk about the arrival of the merchant Brahmin Kaundinya from India and the subsequent marriage with the Naga princess Soma leading to the establishment of the kingdom. But the sources mostly point to Kaundinya's arrival from India without clearly describing his origins which later acquires numerous legendary characteristics contributing to different folklores from numerous sources which is reflected from the Chinese and other regional Southeast Asian sources.
The union is symbolised in the personification of Khmer culture as
Preah Thong and Neang Neak
Preah Thong Neang Neak statue symbolises the birth of Khmer land, culture, traditions and civilisation of Cambodia. The statue is 21 metres tall on a pedestal 6.34 metres high (27.34 metres in total) is the largest copper statue in Cambodia and It ...
.
The history of maritime links along with the inscriptions analysis corresponding to the region can provide insights into the origins of Kaundinya in India.
Sanjeev Sanyal's book ''The Ocean of Churn: How the Indian Ocean Shaped Human History'' further looks into the origin of the name ''Kaundinya'', which is not usually a common first name in India but a
gotra (i.e. derived from guru) of a group of Brahmins who lived on the eastern coastline of India especially along the Odisha-Andhra-Tamil coastline. Hence this corresponds to the ancient
Kalinga region (now modern
Odisha
Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of ...
) considering the early Indian mariners were trading from this region as evident from their
ancient maritime history around 3rd century BC
and the port of Palur (near
Ganjam
Ganjam is a town and a notified area council in Ganjam district in the state of Odisha, India. Brahmapur, one of the major city of Odisha is situated in this district.
Geography
Ganjam is located at in the Ganjam district of Odisha with an ...
) which was referred to by
Ptolemy as a prominent international port during the 2nd century CE. The links with Kalinga are also noted from the copper plate land grants given by the rulers of Kalinga to Kaundinya Brahmins who lived in the
Mahendragiri region of
Ganjam
Ganjam is a town and a notified area council in Ganjam district in the state of Odisha, India. Brahmapur, one of the major city of Odisha is situated in this district.
Geography
Ganjam is located at in the Ganjam district of Odisha with an ...
with the most notable one being the Ragolu inscription copper plate grant issued by the ruler Nandaprabhanjanavarman of the
Pitrbhakta dynasty
The Pitrbhakta (IAST: Pitṛbhakta) dynasty ruled in the Kalinga region of eastern India in the fifth century CE. Their territory included parts of the present-day northern Andhra Pradesh and the southern Odisha. They probably overthrew the Math ...
, the
Shaivite
Shaivism (; sa, शैवसम्प्रदायः, Śaivasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the Supreme Being. One of the largest Hindu denominations, it incorporates many sub-traditions rangin ...
customs mentioned in the Chinese work
History of the Southern Dynasties
The ''History of the Southern Dynasties'' () is one of the official Chinese historical works in the ''Twenty-Four Histories'' canon. It contain 80 volumes and covers the period from 420 to 589, the histories of Liu Song, Southern Qi, Liang dy ...
during the reign of Kaundinya's descendant
Jayavarman Kaundinya with regards to Mount Mo-tan in Funan, bearing affinity with the early Saivism and its relation to Mahendragiri mountain which was the prevalent religion during the reign of different dynasties of
Kalinga and the diplomatic relations between Funan and the
Murunda dynasty of northern
Kalinga during 3rd cen CE, when King Dhamadamadhara (Dharmatamadharasya) of Murunda received envoy Su-Wu representing King Fan Chan of Funan (225-250 CE).
Foundation of Funan and establishing the House of Kaundinya
As per the legends, an Indian merchant ship was attacked by the pirates led by Soma, daughter of the chieftain of the local
Nāga clan. The merchants led by Kaundinya fought back and fended off the attackers but the ship had been damaged and was beached for repairs. The Indians were wary of a second attack but Princess Soma was impressed by Kaundinya's bravery and proposed marriage which was accepted. The union led to the foundation of the House which would rule Funan for many generations and the royal legitimacy of the dynasty was acquired through the female line (i.e. the matrilineal lineage) in the kingdom. The founding myth also explains the reason why the serpent(naga) became an important part of Khmer iconography as is seen thousand years later when this mystical union remained an important part of the court ceremonies at
Angkor
Angkor ( km, អង្គរ , 'Capital city'), also known as Yasodharapura ( km, យសោធរបុរៈ; sa, यशोधरपुर),Headly, Robert K.; Chhor, Kylin; Lim, Lam Kheng; Kheang, Lim Hak; Chun, Chen. 1977. ''Cambodian-Engl ...
during the era of the
Khmer empire.
References
{{Monarchs of Cambodia
1st-century Cambodian monarchs
Cambodian Hindus
1st-century Hindus
Indian emigrants to Cambodia
Kalinga (India)
History of Odisha
Funan