Rama Rajasekhara (''fl.'' 870/71 – c. 883/84 AD) was a

Chera Perumal Cheraman Perumal dynasty, also known as the Perumal dynasty of Kerala, or the Chera Perumals of Makotai or MahodayapuramNoburu Karashima (ed.), A Concise History of South India: Issues and Interpretations. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 20 ...

ruler of medieval

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 ...

, south India. Rajasekhara is usually identified by historians with

Cheraman Perumal Nayanar Cheraman Perumal Nayanar (Malayalam script, Malayalam: ; Tamil script, Tamil: ; literally meaning "Chera king the Nayanars, Nayanar") was a bhakti poet-musician and religious teacher of the Tamil language, Tamil Shaivism, Shaiva tradition in m ...

, the venerated

Shaiva Shaivism (, , ) is one of the major Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the supreme being. It is the second-largest Hindu sect after Vaishnavism, constituting about 385 million Hindus, found widely across South Asia (predominantly in ...

( Nayanar) poet-musician of the Bhakti tradition. Rajasekhara presumably succeeded

Sthanu Ravi Kulasekhara Sthanu Ravi Varma ( Early Malayalam and Tamil: Ko Tanu Iravi), known as the Kulasekhara, was the Chera Perumal ruler of Kerala in southern India from 844/45 to ''c.'' 870/71 AD.Noburu Karashima (ed.), A Concise History of South India: Issues and ...

around 870 AD. "Tripuradahana" and "Saurikathodaya", Yamaka poems by Vasubhatta, were composed under the patronage of Rajasekhara. Two temple records, from Kurumattur, Areacode and Thiruvatruvay,

Vazhappally Vazhappally is a suburb of Changanasserry, Changanasserry Municipality, Kottayam district, Kottayam District, in central Kerala. The famous Vazhappally Maha Siva Temple, Vazhappally Shiva Temple is situated in Vazhappally. Vazhappally is a part ...

, mention king Rajasekhara. The former contain the only available "prasasti" of a Chera Perumal ruler of Kerala. Rama Rajasehara probably abdicated the throne toward the end of his reign and became a

nayanar known as

. He was succeeded by Vijayaraga (''fl.'' c. 883/84-c.895 AD).

Sources

"Shankaravijaya" by Vidyaranya refers to a Kerala king named "Rajasekhara" as a contemporary of the Hindu philosopher Shankara. Similarly, "Shivanandalahari," attributed to Shankara, indirectly mentions the Kerala ruler as "Rajasekhara." Rajasekhara is also tentatively identified with king "Co-qua-rangon" mentioned in the extant text of the

Thomas of Cana copper plates The Thomas of Cana copper plates (Malayalam: Knai Thoma Cheppedu), or Knanaya copper plates, dated variously between 345 C.E. and 811 C.E., are a lost set of copper-plate grants issued by the unidentified Chera/Perumal king of Kerala "Co-qua-r ...

Ramadeva

''Laghubhaskariyavyakhya,'' a mathematical commentary composed in the court of king

in 869/70 AD, mentions a Chera royal called "Ramadeva", who "marched out to fight the enemies on getting information from the spies". A possibility identifies Ramadeva with Rama Rajasekhara. Ramadeva is described as a member of the Solar Dynasty ("ravi-kula-pati") in Chapter IIII, ''Laghubhaskariyavyakhya''.

Patron of Vasubhatta

Vasubhatta, the famous Yamaka poet of medieval Kerala, names his patron king as "Rama" in his "Tripuradahana" and "Saurikathodaya". "Tripuradahana" refers to Rama Rajasekhara as follows: Another poem by Vasubhatta, the "Yudhisthiravijaya", says that "Kulasekhara" was the regnal title of his patron king. Two later commentaries on the poem "Yudhisthiravijaya ("Vijayadarsika" by Acyuta and "Ratnapradipika" by Sivadasa) argues that "Rama" was the personal name of the king with regnal title "Kulasekhara". Modern scholars generally consider this a result of confusion on the part of the commentators Acyuta and Sivadasa (between

and Rama Rajasekhara) who were separated in time from the Chera rulers. Some scholars also identify king Rama Kulasekhara as the patron of poet Vasubhatta (and thus placing Vasubhatta in 11th-12 centuries AD). This view is generally found unacceptable on several counts.

Epigraphic records

References

External links

* Mathew, Alex -
Political identities in History
' (2006) Unpublished Doctoral Thesis (M. G. University) {{DEFAULTSORT:Rajashekhara, Rama Nayanars 9th-century Indian monarchs People from the Kodungallur Chera kingdom Indian Shaivite religious leaders Kodungallur Chera kings