Ottakoothar
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Ottakoothar (c. 12th century CE) was a
Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...
court poet and minister to three
Later 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 i ...
kings, namely
Vikrama Chola Vikrama Chola, known as Kō Parakēsari Varman, was a 12th-century ruler (''r. c''. 1118–1135 CE''The Cōḷas.'' 62-63.) of the Chola Empire in southern India. He succeeded his father Kulothunga I (''r. c.'' 1070–1120 CE) to the throne.''The ...
, Kulotunga II and
Rajaraja II Rajaraja II was a Chola emperor who reigned from 1150 to 1173. He was made his heir apparent and Co-Regent in 1146 and so the inscriptions of Rajaraja II count his reign from 1146. Rajaraja's reign began to show signs of the coming end of the d ...
. He wrote poems in praise of these three kings. The poet's memorial is believed to be still in a place known as
Darasuram Darasuram or Dharasuram is a neighbourhood in the city of Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, India. The area is known for the Airavateswara temple constructed by the Rajaraja Chola II in the 12th century CE. The temple is a recognised UNESCO World Heritage ...
in
Kumbakonam Kumbakonam (formerly spelt as Coombaconum or Combaconum), or Kudanthai, is a city municipal corporation in the Thanjavur district in the States of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located from Thanjavur and from Chennai and is the hea ...
, just opposite the famous Airavatesvara Temple. According to legend, the
goddess Saraswati Saraswati (, ), also spelled as Sarasvati, is one of the principal Devi, goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the goddess of knowledge, education, learning, arts, speech, poetry, music, purification, language and culture. Together with the godde ...
blessed him in
Koothanur Koothanur is a town situated in the Tiruvarur district of Tamil Nadu, India (10.9315° N, 79.6474° E). The town is located at a distance of 25 kilometres from Tiruvarur. A temple for Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of learning is situated in this p ...
, then he became a famous poet.


Family

According to a legend, there was once a
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 ...
king called
Muchukunda Muchukunda () is a king of the Suryavamsha (Solar dynasty) in Hindu mythology. He was the son of King Mandhata, and the brother of Ambarisha. Battle with the asuras According to the Bhagavata Purana, the devas were once defeated by the asur ...
n who had his capital at
Karur Karur () is a municipal corporation (India), municipal corporation in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of Karur district and is administered by the Karur Municipal Cor ...
. He is said to have won the favor of God
Murugan Kartikeya (/ kɑɾt̪ɪkejə/; ), also known as Skanda ( /skən̪d̪ə/), Subrahmanya (/ sʊbɾəɦməɲjə/, /ɕʊ-/), Shanmukha ( /ɕɑnmʊkʰə/) and Murugan (/ mʊɾʊgən/), is the Hindu god of war. He is generally described as the ...
after deep penances and the latter is said to have bestowed upon him his personal bodyguards to aid him in his wars. Muchukundan Chola then married Chitravalli, daughter of the warrior chief and
Murugan Kartikeya (/ kɑɾt̪ɪkejə/; ), also known as Skanda ( /skən̪d̪ə/), Subrahmanya (/ sʊbɾəɦməɲjə/, /ɕʊ-/), Shanmukha ( /ɕɑnmʊkʰə/) and Murugan (/ mʊɾʊgən/), is the Hindu god of war. He is generally described as the ...
's bodyguard called Virabahu and spawned a new line. The poet Ottakoothar is presented as the scion of the family of this
Sengunthar Sengunthar (), also known as the Kaikolar and Senguntha Mudaliar is a caste commonly found in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and the neighboring country Sri Lanka. In Andhra Pradesh, they are known as Kaikalas, Kaikala or Karika ...
chief in his work ''Eeti-elupattu''. It is worth mentioning that this Muchukunda Chola figures in the ancestry of
Rajendra I Rajendra I (26 July 971 – 1044), often referred to as Rajendra the Great, was a Chola Emperor who reigned from 1014 to 1044. He was born in Thanjavur to Rajaraja I. His queen was Vanavan Mahadevi and he assumed royal power as co-regent with ...
as detailed in his Tiruvalangadu copper plates.


Literary works

Ottakoothar (
Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...
: ) is renowned for his ''Ula'' poems on the three successive kings,
Vikrama Chola Vikrama Chola, known as Kō Parakēsari Varman, was a 12th-century ruler (''r. c''. 1118–1135 CE''The Cōḷas.'' 62-63.) of the Chola Empire in southern India. He succeeded his father Kulothunga I (''r. c.'' 1070–1120 CE) to the throne.''The ...
,
Kulothunga II Kulothunga II (died 1150 CE) was a Chola Emperor from 1133 CE to 1150 CE. He succeeded Vikrama Chola to the throne in 1135 CE. Vikrama Chola made Kulothunga his heir apparent and coregent in 1133 CE, so the inscriptions of Kulothunga II count ...
and
Rajaraja II Rajaraja II was a Chola emperor who reigned from 1150 to 1173. He was made his heir apparent and Co-Regent in 1146 and so the inscriptions of Rajaraja II count his reign from 1146. Rajaraja's reign began to show signs of the coming end of the d ...
. The ''Ula'' poems are generally written in honor of the king and describe the triumphant procession of the king amidst the people and his subjects. He also authored a work dealing with the Kulottunga II's childhood called ''Kulottunga Cholan Pillai Tamil''. Ottakoothar wrote Uttara Kandam, the seventh (last chapter) kandam of the Tamil epic
Ramayanam The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics ...
. Ottakoothar's works can be found at the open access Tamil literature repository Project Madurai. During this period when he was very popular, the
Sengunthar Sengunthar (), also known as the Kaikolar and Senguntha Mudaliar is a caste commonly found in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and the neighboring country Sri Lanka. In Andhra Pradesh, they are known as Kaikalas, Kaikala or Karika ...
community, the one to which he belonged, asked him to compose a work in their honor. He initially refused but then later agreed provided they brought him 1008 heads of their first-born sons. Accordingly, 1008 members of the community sacrificed their lives so that he could write about their history. The poet then wrote ''Eeti-elupattu'', a poem consisting of seventy verses in honor of the spear and extolled the glorious past of the
Sengunthar Sengunthar (), also known as the Kaikolar and Senguntha Mudaliar is a caste commonly found in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and the neighboring country Sri Lanka. In Andhra Pradesh, they are known as Kaikalas, Kaikala or Karika ...
chiefs and soldiers. He later wrote another poem called ''Elupp-elupattu'' in order to bring back the 1008 dead members to life. When he sang it the heads are said to have miraculously attached to their bodies and the dead became alive once again. The poet Koothar thus came to be known as Otta Koothar for he attached the heads to the bodies and revived them.


Popular culture

In the 1957 Tamil film '' Ambikapathy'', the character of Ottakoothar was portrayed and was performed by
M. N. Nambiar Manjeri Narayanan Nambiar (7 March 1919 – 19 November 2008) was an Indian actor who predominantly worked in Tamil cinema, renowned for his portrayals of villainous characters. With a career spanning over eight decades, he became a notable fig ...
. The character was also played by
Rajesh Rajesh is a given name of Indian and Nepali origin. Given name * Rajesh (Tamil actor), Tamil actor * Rajesh (Kannada actor), Kannada actor * Rajesh (Telugu actor), Telugu actor * Rajesh Bishnoi, Indian cricketer * Rajesh Chauhan, Indian cricketer ...
in Mahasakthi Mariamman, a 1986 Tamil film.


See also

*
Koothanur Maha Saraswathi Temple Koothanur Maha Saraswathi Temple is a Hindu temple located in the town of Koothanur in the Tiruvarur district of Tamil Nadu, India. It is dedicated to Saraswathi, the Hindu goddess of learning. Significance Temples dedicated to Saraswati are ...


References

{{authority control 12th-century Indian poets Indian male poets Poets from Tamil Nadu Tamil poets Hindu poets Translators of the Ramayana