This is how one of the most powerful ladies of the ancient chola kingdom gets her introduction in the famous tanjore temple inscriptions.
The very name deserves detailed analysis.
Vallavaraiyan vandhiyathevan has been referred to in inscriptions as and ONLY AS the husband of Kundavai. i am atleast unaware of a single inscription which talks exclusively about VDevan. If even people like paarthivendravarman were able to provide a significant no of grants, why this hero is not finding an exclusive place in the world of Tamilnadu temple inscriptions ? Probably we may never know.
Pirattiyar. Most of the royal ladies are referred to as the wives of so and so. "Udaiyar Raajaraja devarin nampiraatiyar dandhi sakthi vitankiyar" is a common usage.
Aazhvar : Ah ! This is probably the most interesting word in the whole phrase. Azhvar is a term only used to signift vaishnavaite saints who lived 2 to 3 centuries before cholas. Why this lady was given such a title ? NO OTHER ROYAL LADY OR MALE - EITHER BEFORE OR AFTER KUNDAVAI WAS EVER AWARDED SUCH A TITLE. So what does this title really mean ? Is it a title given with a religious sense ? May not be - because she was a truely royal lady with no specific attachment to a given religion. She built 4 and only 4 temples : One saivaite, One vaishnavite (Sundarach chozha vinnagarm) one buddhist and one jain (Sundarach chozhap perumpalli) - probably all the 4 in the name of her father.
There was one more kundavai in the chola clan before this current kundavai - she was called "veeman kundavai" I think a rashtrakuta princess and consort of arinjaya.
In order to distinguish herself from her senior, our kundavai called herself "paraantakan kundavai" - tagging her most beloved father's name with her name. The love between daughter and king as portrayed in Ponniyin selvan is no fiction : she builds sundarach chozha vinnagaram, sundarach chozha vinnagara aadhura saalai (hospital) and even donates idols of her parents to periya koil temple.
What was her relationship to arulmozhi or raajaraja ? Did rajaraja really have the kind of relationship as portrayed in PS ?
Answer is a reasonable yes.
The VERY FIRST INSCRIPTION IN TANJORE TEMPLE that talks about the royal order in which the king orders to record donations of each and every indivitual to periya koil begins this :
"Naam kuduththanavum nam akkan kuduthanavum nam pendugal kuduththanavum..."
See the beloved feeling of raajaraja - he does not call her "Vdevar pirattiyar etc. - Straight away he calles her "akkan"
And he places her name just next to him - even above his peendugal or wives - even above the royal consort dandhi sakthi vitanki
That tells the power this lady enjoyed in the kingdom - she gives enormous offerings in gold to periyakoil - establishing her financial strength.
One interesting fact :
The major contributions of periyakoil were carefully monitored. Not all could give anything even though the could offord. When it was rajaraja who presents the main utsava idol "Dakshinameeru vitankarana aadavallar" it is kundavai who is permitted to present a "Umadevi" or consort to this vigraha.
Just by analyzing who has made which contribution, one is able to realize the order of power in rajaraja's time.
What was the reason behind rajaraja's extreme love and affecton for his sister ? Was it a natural flow or were there significant reasons
> > > in your Rajakesari novel any place you mentioned the Vallavaraiyar > > Vandhiyathevar name > > Not really - did not bring him in to the picture in part I for which i > received warnings:-) > > Rgds > Gokul.S >
it would be somewhat disappointing if VT did not come in to action in thAle future parts of Rajakesari.
Interesting read!! Thanks. I was wondering that if Kundavai was such a powerful lady, why was she married to Vandhiya thevan instead of some powerful king? Husband of a powerful lady like Kundavai must have been talked more of.. Why has Vanthiya thevan always been a low profile character?
"Our beloved rashtrakuta hero vandhiyathevan had little to do with this lady who played complex political games and should have resorted to peaceful life probably with other wives(!)."
If they didn't have much in common, what could have motivated such a relationship?
Was this Kundavai's plan of staying in the kingdom and thereby not renouncing her rights in the kingdom? Or was Vandhiya thevan more powerful than he has been portrayed?