Irunkōvēl, also known as ''Irungkōvēl'', ''Irukkuvēl'', and ''Ilangōvēlir'', was a title of the Irunkōvēl line of
Velir
The Velir were a royal house of minor dynastic kings and aristocratic chieftains in Tamilakam in the early historic period of South India. They had close relations with Chera, Chola and Pandya rulers through ruling and coronation rights. Med ...
kings. The Irunkovel line of kings ruled over ''Konadu'' identified with the
Kodumbalur and surrounding areas in ancient
Tamilakkam. They trace their lineage to the clan of
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 ...
; one of the inscriptions at Kodumbalur belonging to one of the kings in the Irunkovel line, namely Tennavan Irunkōvēl alias Maravan Bhutiyar.
K. A. Nilakanta Sastri mentions in his study.
The contemporary of Karikala
The most famous among them was a contemporary of
Karikala Chola
Karikala (), often referred to as Karikala the Great, was a Tamil Emperor of the Early Cholas of the Chola dynasty who ruled ancient Tamilakam (Modern day Tamil Nadu in Southern India) from Uraiyur. He is credited with the construction of ...
as well as poet
Kapilar
Kapilar or Kabilar ( Tamil: கபிலர்) was the most prolific Tamil poet of the Sangam period (c. 3rd century BCE to 3rd century CE). He contributed 206 poems, or a little less than 10% of the entire Sangam-era classical corpus by 473 ...
and lived during the
Sangam era. There is a song of Kapilar when Irunkovel would not accept
Pari s daughters.
Sangam literature
The Sangam literature (Tamil language, Tamil: சங்க இலக்கியம், ''caṅka ilakkiyam''), historically known as 'the poetry of the noble ones' (Tamil language, Tamil: சான்றோர் செய்யுள், ''Cā ...
mentions a chieftain called Irunkovel who could trace his lineage back over 49 generations to residence in
Dvārakā
Dvārakā, also known as Dvāravatī (Sanskrit द्वारका "the gated ity
The pyramid of Ity was probably the tomb of Pharaoh who reigned during the 8th dynasty. It has never been discovered and is known only from a cliff-face inscription at Wadi Hammamat in the Eastern Desert, where there were several quarries in P ...
, possibly meaning having many gates, or alternatively having one or several very grand gates), is a sacred historic city in the sacred literature of Hi ...
. He is later defeated by
Karikala Chola
Karikala (), often referred to as Karikala the Great, was a Tamil Emperor of the Early Cholas of the Chola dynasty who ruled ancient Tamilakam (Modern day Tamil Nadu in Southern India) from Uraiyur. He is credited with the construction of ...
and becomes a subordinate to 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 ...
sovereign.
[Studies in Indian epigraphy, Volume 32, page 58]
Irungola Cholas
The Irungovel chieftains were not merely feudatories but were related to 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 ...
s through matrimony.
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 ...
s considered the offspring of these unions as one of their own and referred to them as ''Irungolar'' meaning child or son in their epigraphs. These princes assumed both the Chola and Irungovel titles like for example there was one Adavallan Gangaikonda Cholan alias Irungolan during the time of
Kulottunga I
Kulottunga Chola I ('; Middle Tamil: Kulōttuṅka Cōḻaṉ; Classical Sanskrit: Kulottuṅgā Cōḷa; 1025–1122) also spelt Kulothunga (), born Rajendra Chalukya (Telugu language, Telugu: Rājēndra Cāḷukyuḍu), was a Chola empire, C ...
and then there was a certain Sendamangalam Udaiyan Araiyan Edirili Cholan alias Irungolan during the reign of
Kulottunga III.
The Irukkovels were called ''Yaduvamsaketu'', Mr. V. Mahadevan has shown through the Tirupazhana inscription that they belonged to the Yadu lineage.
References
Citations
Bibliography
*Historical heritage of the Tamils By Ca. Vē Cuppiramaṇiyan̲, Ka. Ta Tirunāvukkaracu, International Institute of Tamil Studies
*Studies in Indian epigraphy, Volume 32 By Epigraphical Society of India
Further reading
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Irunkovel
Tamil monarchs