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Ravivarman (''c.'' 1266/7 – 1316/7), styled Maharaja Ravivarman, Kulasekhara was the ruler of Venatu, with capital at port Kolambam (Quilon), southern
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
between 1299 – 1316/7. He – in all likelihood – was a descendant of the ancient
Cheras The Chera dynasty ( or Cēra, ), also known as Keralaputra, from the early historic or the Sangam period in Tamil-speaking southern India, ruled over parts of present-day states Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The Cheras, known as one of the mu-ventar ...
through his father and was the son-in-law of the
Pandya The Pandya dynasty (), also referred to as the Pandyas of Madurai, was an ancient Tamil dynasty of South India, and among the four great kingdoms of Tamilakam, the other three being the Pallavas, the Cholas and the Cheras. Existing sinc ...
ruler of Maravarman Kulasekhara. Ravivarman raided large parts of southern India in a short period (1312 – 1316) by skillfully taking advantage of the weakening of the Pandya kingdom and the confusion prevailed after the Khalji raids (1311). Coins issued by Ravivarman with the legend "Kulasekhara" were discovered by archaeologists. Probably to commemorate his conquest of the Pandya realm, he issued the coin with his crest elephant (the Chera symbol) on the obverse and the name Kulasekhara over the Pandya crest (the two fishes) on the reverse. In a Telugu record (1317 AD) of the
Kakatiya The Kakatiya dynasty (IAST: Kākatīya) was a Telugu dynasty that ruled most of eastern Deccan region in present-day India between 12th and 14th centuries. Their territory comprised much of the present day Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, and p ...
ruler Prataparudra II, he is called "Malayala Tiruvadi Kulasekhara". Ravivarman was an ardent devotee of Padmanabha (Vishnu) at
Trivandrum Thiruvananthapuram ( ), also known as Trivandrum, is the capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. As of 2011, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation had a population of 957,730 over an area of 214.86 sq. km, making it the largest and ...
, Kerala. The term "Padmanabhapadadasa" was apparently first used by Ravivarman Kulasekhara.


Early life

Venatu is the region lying between
Cape Comorin Kanyakumari (Tamil; / kəɳjɑkʊmɑɾiː/; referring to Devi Kanya Kumari, officially known as Kanniyakumari, formerly known as Cape Comorin) is a town and a municipality in Kanyakumari district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is the ...
,
Trivandrum Thiruvananthapuram ( ), also known as Trivandrum, is the capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. As of 2011, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation had a population of 957,730 over an area of 214.86 sq. km, making it the largest and ...
, and
Quilon Kollam (;), is an ancient seaport and the fourth largest city in the Indian state of Kerala. Located on the southern tip of the Malabar Coast of the Arabian Sea, the city is on the banks of Ashtamudi Lake and is 71 kilometers (44 mi) nort ...
in present-day southern
Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, 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 ...
with its capital at the latter place. The rulers of Venatu, the Kulasekhara/Venatu Chera dynasty, were intermittently independent vassals of the Pandyas of Madurai. They fought against the Pandyas for supremacy over the fertile plains of Kottar and Nanjanatu. They entered into several matrimonial alliances with the Pandyas rulers, and maintained oscillating relations with them. In the 13th century, the Pandyas of Madurai established their "most recent" hegemony over Venatu Cheras. Pandya rulers such as Jatavarman Sundara Pandya (1251 – 1268) and Maravarman Kulasekhara (1268 – 1310) conducted military raids over Venatu. A Sanskrit inscription at Chidambaram Temple,
Cuddalore district Cuddalore District is one of the 38 List of districts of Tamil Nadu, districts in the States and union territories of India, state of Tamil Nadu in India. History Since ancient times, the old town has been a seaport. Through the centuries, Cu ...
speaks of the murder of the "Kerala" king by Jatavarma Sundara Pandya. In keeping with K. A. N. Sastri, Jatavarman Sundara Pandya proceeded against the Chera (Kerala) king Viraravi Udaya Marttanda Varma with a very small force and destroyed him and his forces in a battle and ravaged Venatu (the Malaimandala). Maravarman is very likely to have led military expeditions against Venatu, perhaps suppressing a local rising, and captured the capital city Quilon. He took the titles "Cherane Venra" and "Kollam Konda" indicating his over-lordship of Venatu. A number of inscriptions of Vira Pandya, the co-regent of Sundara Pandya are visible in Nanjanatu. Some authors conclude that Nanjanatu was under the control of a Sundara Chola Pandyadeva until 1262 AD. The Pandya control over Venatu is shown by the Chalai Inscription mentioning the regnal year of Maravarman Kulasekhara while referring to Ravivarman, the son of Jayasimha also. Following the Sanskrit inscriptions, in Grantha characters, at Ranganathasvamy Temple,
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 among ...
Ravivarman was born in the Saka year 1188 (as given in chronogram "dehavyapya") corresponding to 1266 – 67 AD. Like other princes in the royal family, he was educated privately. He was adopted by the childless queen Āvani Amma Tampuran of Āttingal. The ruler of Vēnāṭu throughout this period (1266 – 67 AD) was "Vira Kerala" Jayasimhadēva/Dēśinga Tēvar. According to Ravivarman's inscriptions, his father belonged to Yadu and Chandra Kula. Ravivarman's mother Umadevi, of the Kūpaka (modern-day Attingal) family, was a joint ruler with Jayasimha. His death at Quilon signaled the outbreak of a long and disruptive succession struggle in Vēnāṭu between his sons and nephews. Ravivarman, the son of Umadevi, was a major contender to the throne after the death of his father. He came out successful in the succession struggle and ascended the throne of Quilon in 1299-1300, at the age of 33 (Saka 1221). For more than a decade, he ruled as a vassal under the Pandya ruler Maravarman Kulasekhara, as is evidenced by the Trivandrum Chalai Inscription in which he uses the Pāndya title "Māravarman" along with his name. He probably adopted the imperial Pandya title "Kulasekhara" also ay be after the death of Maravarman Kulasekhara The Venatu succession given by Pillai and A. S. Menon – from Jayasimha to Ravivarman – is contested by some scholars. Conforming to Vielles's reading of the ''
Lilatilakam ''Lilatilakam'' (IAST: ''Līlā-tilakam'', "diadem of poetry") is a 14th-century Sanskrit-language treatise on the grammar and poetics of the ''Manipravalam'' language style, a blend of Sanskrit and early Malayalam used in the Kerala region of Ind ...
'', certain Kota Marttanda Varman was ruler of Venatu in 1266 – 67 AD. Ravivarman seems to be his sister's son, the sister being Umadevi. There is a tradition that an adoption into the Venatu family of two princesses from Kolattunatu (
Kannur Kannur (), formerly known in English as Cannanore, is a city and Municipal corporation (India), municipal corporation in the state of Kerala, India. It is the administrative headquarters of the Kannur district and situated north of the maj ...
) royal family took place around 1304 - 1305 AD. The adoption must have arranged because Ravivarman's sister had no daughter and consequently, there were no remaining princes in the female line after Ravivarman's two nephews Marttanda and Champaka Kerala. Ravivarman married the daughter of the Pandya ruler Maravarman Kulasekhara at the age of thirty-three (1299-1300). This marriage will form the core of his legal argument of having been the heir to throne of Madurai. The famous 14th century AD Manipravala grammar ''Lilatilakam'' confirms this marriage alliance. It seems Ravivarmam defeated Vikrama Pandya, who perhaps attempted to extend his power over Venatu, and presumably handed him over to Maravarman Kulasekhara and the latter was so pleased with Ravivarman that he gave him his daughter in marriage. An inscription of Vikrama Pandya from Chidambaram refers to his exploits in Venatu. While comparing Ravivarman with
Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...
, poet Bhusana writes that the king was attached to no other women than his own wife.


Conflicts

When the Pandya king Māravarman Kulaśēkhara was apparently killed some time before May, 1310, Ravivarman "declared" independence from the Pāndyas. It is assumed that he began to count count his regnal years afresh from December 29; thus the Tiruvati Inscription of the Kali year 4414 (December 29, 1313) may be seen to co-incide with the fourth regnal year of Ravivarman. The succession struggle between princes Sundara and Vira Pandya, sons of Maravarman Kulasekhara, and the confusion created by the Khaljī general Malik Kāfūr’s south Indian expedition (1311) helped Ravivarman in his ambitions. The distracted political conditions in Pāndya kingdom gave him an admirable opportunity to plan raids to territories east of the Western Ghats. Prior to his raids in 1312 AD, almost certainly, Ravivarman professed allegiance to Sundara Pandya. By November, 1310 Vira Pandya was in the ascendancy, after an overwhelming victory over his brother Sundara. Ravivarman started raiding the Pāndya kingdom in 1312 AD, deep in the Tamil homeland, and defeated the armies of prince Vira Pandya. His presence at Madurai prevented Vira Pandya's return thither. Soon the entire Pāndya regions, once ruled by Jatavarman Sundara Pandya, came under Ravivarman. He performed his coronation at the Pandya capital
Madurai Madurai ( , , ), formerly known as Madura, is a major city in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District, which is ...
(1312) and then continued his march northwards. His presence at Virattaneswaram Temple, Tiruvati, South Arcot is attested by an inscription dated to December, 1313. He performed another coronation at the Telugu-Choda capital
Kanchi Kanchipuram (IAST: '; ), also known as Kanjeevaram, is a stand alone city corporation, satellite nodal city of Chennai in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu in the Tondaimandalam region, from Chennaithe capital of Tamil Nadu. Known as the ''Ci ...
, on the bank of River Vegavati, in 1312 - 13 after ejecting the weakened Chola monarch Manma Siddha III, Raya Gandagopala. At the time of the coronation at Kanchi, he was 46 years old, in accordance with inscription at Varadarajaswami Temple, Kanchi. He crowned himself as the Tribhuvana Chakravarti - the ruler of
Chera The Chera dynasty ( or Cēra, ), also known as Keralaputra, from the early historic or the Sangam period in Tamil-speaking southern India, ruled over parts of present-day states Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The Cheras, known as one of the mu-ventar ...
,
Chola The Chola Empire, which is often referred to as the Imperial Cholas, was a medieval thalassocratic empire based in southern India that was ruled by the Chola dynasty, and comprised overseas dominions, protectorates and spheres of influence ...
, and
Pandya kingdom The Pandya dynasty (), also referred to as the Pandyas of Madurai, was an ancient Tamil dynasty of South India, and among the four great kingdoms of Tamilakam, the other three being the Pallavas, the Cholas and the Cheras. Existing sinc ...
s - at Kanchi. A Kanchipuram Inscription - dated to 1315- 16 - says that Ravivarman again defeated Vira Pandya and drove him into "Konkana" and from there into the forests, and then gainconquered the northern country. Ravivarman also defeated Sundara, as said in the Ponamallee Inscription, the brother of Vira Pandya. If we are to believe A. S. Menon, the military garrisons established in the region by Malik Kāfūr were expelled by him in the expedition. Vira Pandya may have joined hands with Ravivarman in the midst his effort. Ravivarman established supremacy over most of the region between Cape Comorin and
Madras Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...
, and as far north as
Nellore Nellore, also spelt as Nelluru, is a city located on the banks of Penna River, in Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh, India.Kanchi Kanchipuram (IAST: '; ), also known as Kanjeevaram, is a stand alone city corporation, satellite nodal city of Chennai in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu in the Tondaimandalam region, from Chennaithe capital of Tamil Nadu. Known as the ''Ci ...
, around 1,000 miles away from his capital
Kollam Kollam (;), is an ancient seaport and the List of cities and towns in Kerala, fourth largest city in the Indian state of Kerala. Located on the southern tip of the Malabar Coast of the Arabian Sea, the city is on the banks of Ashtamudi Lake ...
, was precarious and perilous. Yadava ruler of Devagiri Samkara was executed by Malik Kafur, the general of Delhi Sultan Alaud-din Khalji, in 1312 upon withholding the tribute promised. Kakatiya ruler of
Warangal Warangal () is a city in the Indian state of Telangana and the district headquarters of Warangal district. It is the second largest city in Telangana with a population of 811,844 per 2011 Census of India, and spreading over an . Warangal serv ...
Pratapa Rudra II appears in several records from Kurnool, Nellore, Cuddapah and Guntur districts as a powerful monarch. Hoysala Ballala III is recognised as reigning in most of the Mysore state from Dorasamudra. The Hoysala prince Vira Ballala was earlier carried captive by Malik Kafur to Sultanate capital Delhi. Prince Jatavarman Sundara Pandya is recorded as ruling in South Arcot in January, 1314. Maravarman Kulasekhara Pandya II is known to have controlled
Tanjore Thanjavur (), also known as Thanjai, previously known as Tanjore,#Pletcher, Pletcher 2010, p. 195 is a city in the India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the 12th biggest city in Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is an important center of South Indian c ...
in December, 1315 and
Trichy Tiruchirappalli (), also known as 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 being the best livable and the cleanest city of T ...
in January, 1316. Manma Siddha III, Ranganatha Rajagopala, appears in an inscription from Nellore from March, 1316. Ravivarman's hold over Kanchi was only short-lived and his aggressive activities were arrested by the
Kakatiya The Kakatiya dynasty (IAST: Kākatīya) was a Telugu dynasty that ruled most of eastern Deccan region in present-day India between 12th and 14th centuries. Their territory comprised much of the present day Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, and p ...
ruler of
Warangal Warangal () is a city in the Indian state of Telangana and the district headquarters of Warangal district. It is the second largest city in Telangana with a population of 811,844 per 2011 Census of India, and spreading over an . Warangal serv ...
, Prataparudra II (1295 - 1326). A southern Hoysala march is also attributed as a reason for Ravivarman's sudden retreat. Sundara Pandya had appealed to the Kakatiya ruler for military aid. The Kakatiya army under the command of Muppidi Nayaka (Devari Nāyaka, governor of
Nellore Nellore, also spelt as Nelluru, is a city located on the banks of Penna River, in Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh, India.rom father to sonfor from the accession of the next ruler till the time of the last ruler of
Travancore The kingdom of Travancore (), also known as the kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor () or later as Travancore State, was a kingdom that lasted from until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvanan ...
the matrilineal law of inheritance decided royal succession. In this system of inheritance, the son of the late ruler's sisters would inherit the throne, in order of their age. This view of the sudden shift to the ''marumakkattayam'' in the royal family is contested in some recent studies, most notably that by Vielle (2011).


Inscriptions

The Sanskrit – Tamil inscriptions of Ravivarman, and those assumed to be engraved by him, can be found at: *
Kanchipuram Kanchipuram (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: '; ), also known as Kanjeevaram, is a stand alone city corporation, satellite nodal city of Chennai in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu in the Tondaimandalam region, from ...
(Varadarajaswami Temple, on giving donations to Arulala Perumal Vishnu Temple) - dated to 4th regnal year (Sanskrit) *
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 among ...
(Ranganatha Temple) (Sanskrit) - dated to 4th regnal year * Tiruvati (Virattaneswaram Temple, Tiruvadigai, South Arcot) - dated to 4th regnal year - December 29, 1313 (Sanskrit) * Valavur Temple - dated to 5th regnal year *
Poonamallee Poonamallee is a western suburb of Chennai, India under the Chennai Metropolitan Area. It was historically called ''Pushpagirimangalam'', later renamed in Tamil as ''Poovirundhavalli'' (), and now colloquially called as ''Poondhamalli''. It i ...
(Puvirundavalliperumal Temple, Puntamalli) near
Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...
(Sanskrit). Ravivarman's insignia in the Poonamallee Inscription has the Chera Elephant Goad above the Pandya emblem Two Fishes and the Chola emblem Tiger. * Chidambaram Inscription of Maravarma Tribhuvana Chaktravartin Vira Kerala ''alias'' Kulasekharadeva, "the Pandya king" - dated to 4th regnal year * Salaigramam (Siva Temple, Chalai Village) at
Trivandrum Thiruvananthapuram ( ), also known as Trivandrum, is the capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. As of 2011, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation had a population of 957,730 over an area of 214.86 sq. km, making it the largest and ...
(Sanskrit) * Perunagar Inscription of Ravi Varma Vira Pandya * Thiruppankili (Tiruppangili in Trichinopoly district) (Sanskrit) - dated to 4th regnal year In the epigraphs, he describes himself as the Samgramadhira ''i.e.'' the one firm in battle, the descendant from the Chandra Kula and the Yadava line, the overlord of Kerala, the Kupaka, the Lord of the Kolamba city, the Bhoja of the South, the Devotee of Sri Padmanabha, the son of Jayasimha and the Kulasekhara monarch. In some inscriptions, such as the one in Trivandrum, he describes himself as "Dharma Maharaja". The Pandya royal title "Maravarman" was also adopted by Ravivarman in some epigraphs. Historians are of the opinion that the last 18 verses of the Srirangam Inscription forms a separate poem composed by Kavi Bhushana as indicated at the end of the inscription. While comparing Ravivarman with
Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...
, Kavibhusana writes that the king was attached to no other women than his own wife.


Cultural contributions

Apart from his military brilliance, Ravivarman is also noted for his services in the field of
indu Indu or INDU may refer to: * $INDU, a symbol for the Dow Jones Industrial Average * Chandra, the Hindu moon deity * Indu, peoples of Indian (or South Asian) descent, e.g. Indu-Chinese, Indu-Trini etc. *''Indu'', an Indian film starring Roja Se ...
religion, arts and trade. His court attracted scholars and authors such as Samudrabandha - the commentator of the works of Alankarasarvaswa - and Kavi Bushana. The king also claims to be a talented musician and author. He supposedly wrote the famous
Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...
drama ''Pradymnabhyudayam'' specifically for the purpose of being staged in the Sri Padmanābha Swāmi temple in Travancore. The Sri Rangam Inscription calls him the Master as well as the Protector of the three Vedas. The Srirangam records emphasise the restoration of the Ranganatha temple at Srirangam after its destruction by the Muslims. As stated by Vielle, the ''Jaiminiya Samhita'' of the ''Brahmanda Purana'' was probably composed in Kerala under reign of Ravivarman Kulasekhara.


Notes


References


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kulasekhara, Ravivarman History of Kerala 1260s births 1314 deaths Malayali people 13th-century Indian monarchs 14th-century Indian monarchs Tamil history History of Tamil Nadu Travancore royal family