Arikesari Maravarman (''r. c.'' 640–690 CE), also known as Parankusa, was a

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 ...

king of early medieval south India. Arikesari's reign witnessed the beginning of the Pandya contesting with the

Pallavas The Pallava dynasty existed from 275 CE to 897 CE, ruling a significant portion of the Deccan, also known as Tondaimandalam. The Pallavas played a crucial role in shaping in particular southern Indian history and heritage. The dynasty ros ...

in the northern part of the Tamil country. He probably entered into an alliance with

Chalukyas The Chalukya dynasty () was a Classical Indian dynasty that ruled large parts of southern and central India between the 6th and the 12th centuries. During this period, they ruled as three related yet individual dynasties. The earliest dynas ...

(to the counter the

). The Pandyas also fought with the

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 ...

("Keralas") under his rule.

Period

Arikesari Maravarman was the successor of Seliyan Sendan (Jayantavarman), but it is not known for certain if he was Jayantavarman's son or not (most probably his son). * K. A. Nilakanta Sastri (the first assumption) - c. 670–710 CE * K. A. Nilakanta Sastri (revised date) - c. 670–700 CE * T. V. Sadasiva Pandarathar - c. 640–670 CE * Noburu Karashima - c. 650–700 CE (or) c. 670–700 CE * V. Vedachalam & A. Kalavathi - c. 640–690 CE He was succeeded by his son Kocchadaiyan Ranadhira.

Names

In the Velvikkudi Grant and the Smaller Chinnamanur Plates, his name appears as "Arikesari Maravarman". In the Larger Chinnamanur Plates, he is called "Arikesari Parankusa".

Life and career

Velvikkudi Grant

The reign of Arikesari Maravarman probably saw a significant increase in the Pandya political power and prestige. According to the Velvikkudi Grant, Arikesari Maravarman won battles at Pali, Nelveli, and Uraiyur. In Nelveli, he is said to have conquered the vast forces of certain Vilveli. The victory at Nelveli is confirmed by the Larger Sinnamanur Plates. Except Uraiyur (

Tiruchirappalli 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 ...

), the identity of these places is not certain. E. Hultzsch tentatively identified Nelveli with modern

Tirunelveli Tirunelveli (), also known as Nellai and historically (during British rule) as Tinnevelly, is a major city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of the Tirunelveli District. It is the fourth-largest munici ...

, but K. A. N. Sastri disagreed with this identification.

Larger Chinnamanur Plates.

The Larger Chinnamanur Plates states that Arikesari "Parankusa" won battles at Nelveli and Sankaramangai. The inscription further states that he ruined the

Paravars Paravar (also known as Bharathar or Bharathakula Kshatriyar) is a predominantly Catholic Tamil maritime community, mainly living in the state of Tamil Nadu, and in Sri Lanka. Historically, they were inhabitants of the ''Neithal'' (coastal) lands ...

(people on the south-east coast of the Pandya country) who did not submit to him and destroyed the people of Kurunadu. According to one theory, "Kurunattar" refers to people of Kurunadu (an unidentified place); another possibility is that the term refers to petty chieftains. Arikesari is also said to have defeated an unspecified enemy at Sennilam, which may refer to a particular place or is a generic term for "Red (Bloody) Battlefield". Finally, the inscription states that he defeated the Keralas (the

) multiple times, and once imprisoned their king with his near relatives and warriors.

Role in the Chalukya-Pallava conflict

Arikesari Maravarman seems to have joined with the

in their struggle against the

. Early in the rule of Pallava king Parameswara I, Chalukya Vikramadtiya I advanced south and even displaced the Pallava from his capital Kanchi. The Chalukya king then advanced further south to the

Kaveri River The Kaveri (also known as Cauvery) is a major river flowing across Southern India. It is the third largest river in the region after Godavari and Krishna. The catchment area of the Kaveri basin is estimated to be and encompasses the states o ...

and encamped at Uraiyur (where he probably effected an alliance with Arikesari Maravarman).

Literary sources

Commentary to the ''Iraiyanar Ahapporul'' mentions a king named Arikesari, with titles Parakusan and Nedumaran among others. The commentary also mention several battles, at Pali, Sennilam and Nelveli and at Vizhinjam, some of which the scholars do not read in epigraphy till late 8th century. Based on this, historian Venkayya assumed that the two rulers are identical. However, K. A. N. Sastri rejected this identification on the basis that "a rhetorical work like this took for its hero, a saintly king of legendary fame, and attributed to him all the achievements of the Pandyan lines of kings that the author could think of his day".

Religion

Arikesari is known to have performed the ''

Hiranyagarbha Hiranyagarbha (, , poetically translated as 'universal womb') is the source of the creation of the universe or the manifested cosmos in Vedic philosophy. It finds mention in one hymn of the Rigveda ( RV 10.121), known as the Hiraṇyagarbha ...

'' and '' Tulabhara'' rituals (a number of times).

Identification with Nedumaran

Arikesari Maravarman is sometimes identified with the Pandya king Nedumaran or Koon Pandya, who converted from

Jainism Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religions, Indian religion whose three main pillars are nonviolence (), asceticism (), and a rejection of all simplistic and one-sided views of truth and reality (). Jainism traces its s ...

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

under the influence of the

Bhakti ''Bhakti'' (; Pali: ''bhatti'') is a term common in Indian religions which means attachment, fondness for, devotion to, trust, homage, worship, piety, faith, or love.See Monier-Williams, ''Sanskrit Dictionary'', 1899. In Indian religions, it ...

Shaivite Saint,

Sambandar Sambandar (Tamil language, Tamil: சம்பந்தர், Romanization, romanized: ''Campantar''), also referred to as Thirugnana Sambandar (Tamil language, Tamil: திருஞானசம்பந்தர், Romanization, romanized: ...

. Koon Pandiyan was thence regarded as a Saint himself. The legend is considered as an expression of the historical consciousness (signifying the loss of Jain political influence in the Tamil country). According to this legend, Koon Pandiyan had married the

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 ...

princess, Mangayarkkarasi, who is also a Shaivite Saint.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * {{Authority control Pandyan kings 7th-century Indian monarchs Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown 8th-century Indian monarchs