We all know of the more obvious historical characters - Arulmozhi, Kundavi, Vandhiyathevan and so on. This is not about them. This is about the ones who are not widely known to be historical. One such, very surprisingly so, is Parthivendran.
Kalki describes him as a Pallava prince ruling under the Cholas, vying for Aditya Karikala's attention in competition to Vandhiyathevan and Kandamaran. But where did he get this character from?
Feature no. 1: He's "Parthivendravarman who took the head of Vira Pandya" - it's quite obvious now that this is the name Kalki used. This starts with at least the second year of his reign, which is the first inscription we have.
Second, This is hardly a small cache - 40-odd inscriptions over 13 years! Aditya Karikala himself, a crown prince if not an independent king, gets only six, in three years of rule.
The second important point is that he's issuing inscriptions in his own name. I don't know how many non-Chola feudatories were given that honour. At the very least, this implies that our man is a very highly respected feudatory.
In one of the inscriptions (158 at Uttaramallur/Uttiramerur), he's called "Parthivendra-Adityavarman", and in another, (No 180 at Tiruvidandai) he's called "Parakesari Vendradivarman", a Chola title - the editor of SII notes "Vendradivarman is probably the same as Parthivendradivarman. The adjunct Parakesari shows that he was either a Chola king or a Chola subordinate. The title may further enable us to connect Parthivendradivarman with Aditya (II.)-Karikala, which is not very unlikely." Most of the inscriptions use very Chola terminology - Parantaka-chaturvedi-mangalam and so on.
I've created a map of his inscriptions, which are mostly found around Chennai and Kanchi, with a lone one down near Gingee (though I'm very unsure of my identification here). I think this map pretty much shows a ruler of Tondaimandalam, which is not inconsistent with either a Pallava feudatory of the Cholas, or a Chola prince ruling this area.
The questions in my mind are:
1. Is this a Chola prince (Aditya Karikala himself?) or a Pallava feudatory? Or something entirely different? Apart from the Chola terminology, including and not limited to "Parakesari", there's no mention of anything Pallava - no mention of Tondaiman or Kadavan, nor of a Pallava genealogy,… Nothing! 2. He rules for a good 13 years, but there's no way to connect him with a hard date. Where do we place him?
One possible answer is that he's Aditya II himself, ruling as his father's crown prince for 13 years from Tondaimandalam. The last inscription we have have of his is dated year 5. This could mean an overlapping time along with his rule in Tondaimandalam. Assuming he died in 969, he ascended the throne in 956/57. But this makes our dates really strange. It would mean that he took the Yuvaraja position right at the time that his father ascended the imperial throne. And started issuing inscriptions in his own name just two years from then. If this is true, he rules as a Parakesari until 969, and is succeeded by Uthama as a Parakesari. Which is not normal with the Cholas, unless he never came to the throne on his own. This ties in nicely with our story, but leaves AK with a split personality, apart from all the rest of his psychological problems! :)
Note: I'm cross-posting this to the Facebook group; I know there's an overlap, but many people are not active in both groups...
For me "it appears" Aditya Karikala the eldest son of Sundera Chola "could have been" the son of Sundara Chola by one of his Queens possibly a Pallava Princess. It could have been due his maternal Pallava lineage he was referred to as Parthivendravarman while he was also referred as Aditya Karikala Chola due to his paternal Chola lineage. This is confirmed - as pointed by you - by the inscription (Nos: 158) which refers to him as "Parthivendra-Adityavarman".
Further Inscriptions under Parthivendravarman refers to him as "Paandiyanai thalaikonda Parthivendravarman". An inscription at Thirumalpuram in North Arcot SII 3, 197 of Parthivendravarman refers to donations to this temple by one 'Vajjavi-Mahadeviyar possibly (his Queen), who was the daughter of Nandivarma Kaadupattigal. Is she the mother of Parthivendravarman alias Aditya Karikala ??? Still further as pointed out by you Parthi-vendravarman and Parakesari -Vendra(di)varman (Ins No: SII 180)refers to one and the same Prince. Here we see he has attached Parakesari with the Pallava name, and as Sundera Chola was Rajakesari his eldest son Aditya Karikala was definitely would have been a Parakesari. So it further confirms Parthivendravarman was Aditya Karikala, with Pallava Pricess as his mother and Chola king as his father.
This 'possibly' prompted "Kalki" to refer Parthivendravarman in his Ponniyin Selvan 'also' as a Pallava Prince. Anyhow further studies has to go into same "to confirm or correct all what said beyond doubt".
My earlier posting of 20-5-2013 is re-posted with "Corrections and Additions".
For me "it appears" Aditya Karikala the eldest son of Sundera Chola "could have been" the son of Sundera Chola by one of his Queens possibly a "Pallava Princess". It could have been due this Pallava lineage on his maternal side he was referred to as Parthivendravarman, while he was also referred as Aditya Karikala Chola due to his paternal Chola lineage. This is confirmed - as pointed by you - by the inscription (Nos: 158) which refers to him as "Parthivendra-Adityavarman". This inference is further confirmed by another Inscription SII No 187 which states as follow"
"Hail ! Prosperity ! In the 9th year (of the reign) of king Parthivendravarman, we the residents of Anai-Akkaraippudur made tax-free....land and the well without excluding (any) in-lying land (and) gave (as) archchanabhoga to "this Adityadeva".
Hence it is somewhat clear that Parthivendravarman and Adityadeva refers to one and the same Prince.
Further many Inscriptions under Parthivendravarman refers to him as "Paandiyanai thalaikonda Parthivendravarman". Likewise many Inscription of Aditya Karikala too refers to him as "Pandiyanai Talaikonda Aditya Karikala. These references too confirms Parthivendravarman and Aditya Karikala are one and the same Prince.
An inscription at Thirumalpuram in North Arcot SII 3, 197 of Parthivendravarman refers to donations to this temple by one 'Vajjavi-Mahadeviyar who was the daughter of Nandivarma Kaadupattigal'. Is she the mother of Parthivendravarman alias Aditya Karikala, a Pallava Princess married to Sundera Chola (i.e.one of his Queens)??? This inference too is further confirmed by another Inscription of Parthivendravarman SII 3, No 197 in which it is stated donations were made to that temple for the merit of 'Vajjavi-Mahadeviyar who was the daughter of Nandivarma Kaadupattigal'- possibly because she was his mother.
Still further as pointed out by you Parthi-vendravarman and Parakesari -Vendra(di)varman (Ins No: SII 180)refers to one and the same Prince. Here we see he has attached Parakesari with the Pallava name, and as Sundera Chola was Rajakesari his eldest son Aditya Karikala was definitely would have been a Parakesari. So it further confirms Parthivendravarman was Aditya Karikala, with Pallava Pricess as his mother and Chola king as his father.
At this point it should be noted that Rajaraja Chola - 1 (younger brother of Aditya Karikala)) and his elder sister Kundavaiyaar were born to Sundera Chola by another Queen namely the Vaanavan Madeviyaar daughter of Malaiyamaan king of Thirukkovalur (i.e.Step Brother and Step Sister of Parthivendravarman alias Aditya Karikala Chola.
This 'possibly' prompted "Kalki" to refer Parthivendravarman in his Ponniyin Selvan 'also' as a Pallava Prince. Anyhow further studies has to go into same "to confirm or correct" all what has been said above beyond doubt".
There was a long, speculative discussion on the same grounds on Facebook. I've cross-posted these discussions there, and I'm doing the same for those discussions here:
Venkatesh Ramakrishnan kalki made ample use of the freshly found inscriptions. he chose charecters very carefully. picked up the 4 assasins from udayarkudi, parthibendran from the above, and vanthiyathevan from big temple. kanda suriyan sambuvarayan is a charecter mentioned in the vagra kali temple thiruvakkarai, and that accounts for one more. there was one fascinating inscription where sembiyan madevi does a pariharam for a pandya prince. that accounted for the step son theory May 12 at 3:35pm · Unlike · 4
Sakthi Sree Uttama was a Parakesari titled after RRC a RajaKesari, who give up the throne. It seems, RRC was the crown Prince, after the demise of Aditya. Sundara Chola's dates seems to be extended upto 973?. The Date of Sevur War may be helpful to decide Aditya's Dates. May 12 at 6:25pm via mobile · Like
Vijay Kumar 958 Sundara chola crowned 959 Chevur battle - against pandya/srilanka army 964 RJC birth 969 AK assasination 970 UC crowned 973 Sundara chola demise 985 RRC crowned ( shares throne with UC) 987 UC demise/dethroned 993 RRC Srilanka campaign 994 RRC kerela /chera campaign ???? Maldives campaign 999 RRC conquest of Gangapadi and Nurambapadi ( karnataka) Gangas 999 RRC vengi conquest eastern chalukya 1001 Sembian Madevi Demise 1003 Rattapadi conquest - chalukya 1007 RJC northern battles ( chalukya ) - hottur inscription 1008 Udagai battle RJC, RRC - against cheras 1010 Big temple completed 1012 RJC appointed co regent 1014 RJC crowned, Demise of RRC?? 1015 First chola ambassador reaches china 1016 demise of RRC?? 1017 first RJC mention in the Tanjore temple ( inscription) 1018 Rajadiraja appointed co regent, RJC srilanka campaign, RJC marches through pandya and chera country 1019 RJC Ganges Campaign 1020 Inscription in tanjore temple of RJC - bringing back the diadem ( pandya) 1021 RJC western chalukyan campaign 1025 srivijaya, kadaram, sumatra, malaysia naval campaign 1031-35 RJC western chalukyan campaign and battle of vengi/Kalidandi 1033 Second ambassador reaches china, last addition to list of conquests in inscriptions Inscription also reads he issued it from GKC 1035 GKC temple completed 1044 RJC demise 1054 Demise of Rajadhiraja 1077 Third ambassador reaches china May 12 at 6:39pm · Like · 1
T.R. Shashwath Sakthi Sree Sundara is Rajakesari, Uthama is Parakesari and RRC is again Rajakesari.
AK is Parakesari as crown prince... Which is a good pointer to his dying before his father; if he had ruled alone, Uthama would have been a Rajakesari. May 12 at 6:50pm · Like
T.R. Shashwath Vijay Kumar What's Sundara doing for three years? Retirement? Cottage in the countryside? Golf? May 12 at 6:54pm · Like
Vijay Kumar oomai raani !! May 12 at 6:54pm · Unlike · 1
Sakthi Sree If RRC wasn't the apparent heir, how could he give up the Throne. Cholas habit was titling when They were appointed as Crown Prince. RajaKesari Sundara Parakesari Aditya Rajajesari RRC Parakesari Uttama ... Could be the Sequence. May 12 at 6:55pm via mobile · Like
T.R. Shashwath Sakthi Sree What about Rajaditya and Gandaraditya? Both Rajakesaris because they were both yuvarajas to a Parakesari... May 12 at 6:56pm · Like
T.R. Shashwath Parakesari Vijayalaya Rajakesari Aditya (I) Parakesari Parantaka I (Rajakesari) Rajaditya Rajakesari Gandaraditya Parakesari Arinjaya Rajakesari Parantaka II (Sundara) (Parakesari) Aditya II (Karikala) Parakesari Uthama Rajakesari Rajaraja Parakesari Rajendra
Names in brackets didn't succeed... May 12 at 6:58pm · Like
Sakthi Sree Rajaditya wasn't Rajakesari - Sadasiva Pandarathar's list of Chronolagy. May 12 at 6:59pm via mobile · Like
Vijay Kumar evalavu kesari May 12 at 6:59pm · Like · 1
T.R. Shashwath Then we'd be off by one kesari...
How could he be a Parakesari with another Parakesari (Parantaka I) on the throne? May 12 at 7:00pm · Edited · Like
Sakthi Sree If rajaditya was a Rajakesari , Gandaraditya must be a Parakesari. May 12 at 7:00pm via mobile · Like
T.R. Shashwath He didn't succeed to the throne. Gandaraditya was yuvaraja to his father before his father died. So he took his brother's vacant 'kesari. Same thing happens with Uthama and AK May 12 at 7:01pm · Like
Gandaraditya's records have the title "Madirai konda Rajakesarivarman" - Madirai Konda probably inherited from Parantaka... South Indian Inscriptions Volume_3 - Ghritasthanesvara & Dandisvara & Adhipurisvara Temples Inscript www.whatisindia.com Online Infobase about South_Indian_Inscriptions_Volume_3_Miscellaneous_Inscriptions_in_Tamil May 12 at 7:04pm · Like · Remove Preview
Sakthi Sree Is there reference for Rajaditya's crowning as Prince. It looks like he died in the war as a royal personality. After his demise, as usual manner Gandaraditya was appointed. May 12 at 7:05pm via mobile · Like
Sakthi Sree Accordingly Aditya was the crown prince with the Title, RRC, Next Uttama - I feel it's a better sequence. May 12 at 7:09pm via mobile · Like
T.R. Shashwath Sakthi Sree Needlessly complex. For one thing, such a succession is not recorded anywhere else. (I mean, RRC actually succeeding his brother/father). The list usually goes Parantaka/AK -> Uthama/RRC -> RRC alone -> RRC/RJC...
For another, I'm pretty sure I've seen some reference to Rajakesari Rajaditya... May 12 at 7:11pm · Like
Sakthi Sree Abt Rajaditya - check the book Pirkala Cholar Sarittiram. May 12 at 7:13pm via mobile · Like
T.R. Shashwath Let's read up and solve this...
Anyway, we're straying from the topic.
Getting back to it, who was Parthivendran? 1) Pallava (as per Kalki) 2) Chola (basically AK) according to my theory 3) Some other feudatory May 12 at 7:15pm · Like
Sakthi Sree It looks like Aditya and Parthibendran - same. May 12 at 7:17pm via mobile · Like
T.R. Shashwath So, what's the implication of that? Was he Yuvaraja for 13 years? Why the name Parthivendra, and nothing connecting them?
What (if anything) does that tell us about his demise? May 12 at 7:18pm · Like
T.R. Shashwath Sankar Narayanan One inscription is from a Valiswaram in Padi. Do you know anything about this temple? May 12 at 7:26pm · Like
Sakthi Sree Mostly Epigraphists didn't consider the king's name only. They are Considering other names appears in the inscriptions. Checking the inscriptions for the names of same person - could lead some definite conclusions. May 12 at 7:27pm via mobile · Like
Venkatesh Ramakrishnan KUTTALAM - Mayavaram Taluk - On the East Wall of Central shrine UKTAVEDESWARA TEMPLE :: 22nd line :: ith Ithirukkatrali edupithu ith 23rd line : thevarkkaga.... tha Sri Uthama 24th line :: Chozharaith thiruvayiru vaytha 25th line : udaya pirattiyar Sembian 26th line : Mahadeviyar ** KORAJAKESARI 27th line : panmarkku yandu 7 vadhIl 28th line : Aruliche.. sembiyan madevi instals a statue for amara bujanga devar. ( kalki propably lifted this name for her forster son the pandya pazhaiya mathuranthakan May 12 at 8:25pm · Like
Venkatesh Ramakrishnan 13th Piece..
Line 17 ... .... thirupadhiyam Line 18.... paaduvar iruvarkku nila mezhu Line 19 ... maavaraiyum AMARA PUJANGA Line 20 ... THEVARKKU thiruvamudhu Line 21 ... Arisi iru nazhikku nilam irandu Line 22 ... Maakkani araikkaniyum ... " May 12 at 8:25pm · Unlike · 1
The translator doesn't seem to have made much of that statement... South Indian Inscriptions Volume_13 - Inscriptions of Rajakesarivarman @ whatisindia.com www.whatisindia.com Online Infobase about South_Indian_Inscriptions_Volume_13_cholas Inscriptions May 12 at 8:32pm · Like · Remove Preview
Sakthi Sree Both Aditya and Parthibendra calls themselves as Took the Head of pandya by 2nd year. If the date of Sevur battle is 959 - the range of reign is upto 972 for Partibendra.
In an inscription of Partibendra, A person by name Pallavan Brammadarayan (Brammadirajan?) appears.
About the queens of Partibendra,
"This record is dated in the 3rd year of Parthivendravarman and registers a gift of money by the merchants for a sleeping cot presented by queen Arumolinangai to the temple of Tiruvural-Alvar. Mention has been made, in Nos. 49 and 52 of 1898 printed below, of Tribhuvana-Mahadeviyar, another queen of Parthivendra. Villavan-Madeviyar still another queen of his, is mentioned in No. 193 below."
In the above detail, the queen's name arulmolinangai - seems to be a princes with chola connectivity.
It looks like Partibendra was a Pallava chieftain - with his full royalty ruled Tondai Mandalam In the time of Sundara - as gifted for the victory against Pandyas-?
Is there any reference for the eras in the inscriptions of both? May 12 at 9:44pm via mobile · Like
Venkatesh Ramakrishnan and kalki potrays him as a fan of nandini May 12 at 9:58pm · Like · 1
T.R. Shashwath My objection to his being a Pallava is that he's called "Parakesari" and "Parthivendra Adityavarman". Very similar to Aditya II.
Second, why would he be allowed to rule in his own name?
His queens are given full royal titles: "Udaiyar deviyar Villavan Mahadeviyar" (KAN pg 149).
I think KAN's arguments make it highly probable that the two are identical. May 12 at 10:17pm · Like
T.R. Shashwath However, it's still possible that they aren't. Maybe if we find a mention of both titles in one inscription (maybe an undiscovered copper plate), we can be sure. Not holding out on that possibility, though... May 12 at 10:18pm · Like
Sakthi Sree The mention of Parakesari may be a mistake.
As the year 959 could be the date of Sevur battle which caused the Beheading of Pandya, decides something. May 12 at 10:28pm via mobile · Like
T.R. Shashwath If you take 956 as the date of Parantaka II's ascension, and that his son ascended with him, the date of 958 or 959 for Chevur becomes possible. If 969 is the last date of both of their reigns, and Parthivendra is Aditya Karikala, the numbers match up with this final date precisely. 969-70 is the first year of Uthama's reign, so that fits again.
If this is not the case, AK should have ascended in 964. Why wait that long?
How can Parakesari be a mistake? It's such an important title of the Chola kings! May 12 at 10:32pm · Like
Sakthi Sree This inscription records a gift of gold for burning a sacred lamp, in the 6th year of king Parakesari Vendradivarman, - I feel something odd in this lines. The scribe may be wrong. May 12 at 10:46pm via mobile · Like
T.R. Shashwath It would be useful to have the original Tamil record...
But I don't think it's a mistake. Parakesari is just too critical to make a mistake with. May 12 at 10:51pm · Like
Sakthi Sree RajaMarayan - also appears in his inscription... Something different. May 12 at 10:52pm via mobile · Like
T.R. Shashwath That's 186? I guess the only thing that connects him with Parthivendra or Aditya is the "Veera pandiyan thalai konda"... May 12 at 10:58pm · Like · 1
T.R. Shashwath The queens mentioned are a Tribhuvana Mahadeviyar and a Villavan Mahadeviyar. Villavan would indicate Chera, Tribhuvana is kind of indistinct. May 12 at 10:59pm · Like
T.R. Shashwath I'm OK with accepting both theories as probable at this point, though I'd assign a much higher probability to his being identical with AK.
What evidence do you guys think is there for his being a Pallava, from these inscriptions? May 12 at 11:02pm · Like
Sakthi Sree I think, There is no reference for his Pallava connectivity... It looks like we have the impact of Kalki's words.. May 12 at 11:29pm via mobile · Like
T.R. Shashwath Pretty much my point... Except that the inscriptions are all up in Tondaimandalam, there's nothing that makes him Pallava.
I wonder why Kalki made him one! May 12 at 11:32pm · Like · 1