The Tamils Eighteen Hundred Years Ago/Chapter 8

by Visvanatha Kanakasabhai Pillai

CHAPTER VIII.

Princes and Chiefs.

The Chera, Chola and Pandya having been the only crowned heads among the Tamils for many centuries, they were collectively known as “the three kings.” There were however several princes and chiefs ruling over extensive provinces in the Tamil land, who were more or less subject to one of the three kings. Some of them attempted at times to throw off their allegiance and set up as independent kings, but they were speedily subdued. First amongst the feudatory princes I should mention the Thirayan whose capital was at Kânchipuram. This prince belonged to the tribe of Thirayan or “Sea kings,” from whom the Cholas also derived their decent. During the infancy of Karikâl Chola, the Great, the Thirayan of Kânchi usurped the Chola kingdom and ruled over it for a long period. From the poem Perum-pân-ârru composed in honor of the Thirayan, it appears that the king bore the titles of Pal-vér Thirayan and Thondaimân and was a warrior of great renown.^[1] Had the Thirayan removed at once the seat of his authority to Uraiyûr the ancient capital of the Cholas, he might have continued in possession of the Chola kingdom and bequeathed it to his descendants. But he remained at Kânchi and Karikâl who escaped from prison, found little or no difficulty in regaining the throne of his ancestors.

Other chiefs feudatory to the Chola were the rulers of Venkadam, Malâdu and Milalai-kuram. Of the chiefs of Venkadam, Pulli was contemporary with the poet Màmülar^[2] and Athanungan with the poet Kallil-áth-thirayanar.^[3] These chiefs were constantly at war with the Vadugar, •who inhabited the country immediately north of Tamilakam.

Malayaman was the hereditary title of the chiefs of Maládu. The principal town in his province was Koval the modern Tirukoilur on the banks of the river Pennai.^[4] An extensive and fertile mountain plateau called Mullûr-malai formed part of his territory. Here Malayamám-Kàri granted lands to many Brahmin settlers, and such a large number of them were attracted to the spot that ancient Tamil poets spoke of the place as “the famous Mullûr crowded by Aryas.”^[5] Kapilar the Brahmin poet addressed Kári as follows praising his munificence to Brahmins and minstrels:

“The sea cannot over-run it. No enemy can assai1 it, Kári, who wearest the warrior’s anklet! thy land is the property of the Brahmins who preserve the sacred fires. The presents bestowed by neighbouring monarchs on thee, as the great vassaI of one of the three kings, thou givest away to the minstrels who sing the praises of thy clan. Nothing deemest thou as thy own save the person of thy spouse who is as chaste as the Northern Star, and yet art thou supremely happy.”^[6]

Another bard solicited his patronage in the following verse :—

“Thou descendant of that dauntless hero whd wrested the plates of gold which had adorned the foreheads of his enemies’ elephants, and out of those plates made lotus flowers and tied them to the heads of his minstrels: Warrior chief of the mountain Muillûr! on which the waterfalls descend with deafening sound through dense woods: that thou and thy warlike clan may prosper for ever, the learned Brahmin (Kapilar), than whom there is no wiser nian on earth, has sung so well and made thy name immortal, that nothing is left to other minstrels to praise: even as no other ship can sail across the Western Ocean over which travel those vessels which bring gold to the shores of the Vánavan (Chera) we attempt in vain to sing of thee (as Kapilar has done): thou lord of the valley of the Pennai who hast routed rival kings who came with elephants and with thundering drums to fight with thee! driven by want and drawn by thy fame, we seek thy charity.”^[7]

Kàri waged war with Ori, the chieftain of the Kolli hills, and having killed him in battle restored the Kolli hills to the rightful sovereign, the Chera.^[8]. Elated by success in his wars with neighbouring chiefs, Kári aspired to be an independent king and assumed the diadem. He was hence known as Tiru-mudik-kàri or “the crowned Kári.” Not long after this event, the Chola monarch who was incensed at the presumption of his feudatory chief, invaded Maldu with a large army, and defeated K4ri in a sanguinary engagement in which he was slain. The Chola intended to kill the Sons of K,ri and put an end to the family of the Malayamán, but their lives were saved by the intercession of the bard Kôvtúr-kilár.^[9] Kári’s son Kannan whose life was spared in this manner lived to perform a signal service to the Chola king. For, some years afterwards, the Chola, hard pressed by his enemies, had to flee from his capital and seek an asylum in the inaccessible heights of the Mull r mountain, in the territory of his vassel Kannan. The latter who inherited all the valour of his father, revived the drooping spirits of the royal party, and rallying his forces succeeded in driving off his enemies and re-established the authority of the Chola. The grateful monarch made Kanne his prime minister and conferred on him the high title of Choliya-Enáthi.^[10]

Má-vel-Evvi, the great Vellála chief of Milalai-kurram belonged to a powerful clan, which was considered ancient even eighteen hundred years ago.^[11] His territory lay on the southern bank of the river Káviri ; and consisted almost entirely of fertile fields in which rice and sugar-cane were extensively cultivated. “The gates of his mansion were never closed and he never sat to his meals except with a large company” says a poet who partonk of his hospitality.^[12] He died of the wounds received in battle, while fighting bravely at the head of his troops, against Akuthai, one of the generals of the Pandyan king Nedunj-Cheliyan victor of Alankánam who had invaded his territory^[13]

Vèl Pâri, a relative of Evvi, was the ruler of a petty principality called Parambu but as a patron of poet she has left a name which will live in the memory of the Tamils as long as they speak the Tamil language. After the fall of Evvi, Pan took possession of the high mountain of Parambu, and the lands surrounding it, and acted as an independent prince acknowledging the authority of none of “the three kings.” He was a bold and gay adventurer, simple-hearted and generous, and passionately fond of poetry. Every wandering minstrel was welcomed in his mansion. The Sons of song were nowhere petted and feasted as they were in Pari’s palace. They found in him a union of all those virtues which they loved to praise in their rhapsodies, reckless courage, lavish liberality and a gaiety which no reverse could check. He soon became their idol and his fame spread throughout Tamilakam. The bards recounted in glowing language, in the courts of the Chera, Chola and Pandya the princely hospitality with which they were entertained by Pâri. This excited the jealousy of the three kings and they sent their forces to besiege Parambu. The defiles of the mountain passes, with which Pari’s followers were familiar, were strictly guarded by them, and Pari, by his personal bravery maintained for some days an unequal contest with the large and well-equipped army that surrounded him. At length the enemies forced their way up the mountain and attacked Pari who was killed in the encounter.^[14] The poet Kapilar who was the boon companion of Pan, uttered the following stanzas when Parambu was besieged by the armies of the three kings :—

“It is hard to conquer Parambu though the three kings invest it with their allied armies. Three hundred in number are the villages in the fertile Parambu-Nâd: and all the three hundred are now the property of bards. Myelf and Pari remain : and here is our hill if ye come to us singing as minstrels do.”^[15]

“Is it easy to seize the Parambu of which Pari is the lord? Though the three, kings who possess thundering drums, blockade the hill, it will yield four product for which no ploughing is required: first, the thin-leaved bamboos supply rice; second the jack trees furnish sweet fruits, third, the stout Valli creepers yield edible roots ; and fourth, honey drips on the hill, when monkeys leap on the hives; spacious as the sky is the summit of the hill, and numerous as the stars are the springs therein. If you post a chariot on every farm and an elephant to every tree around the hill you cannot storm it with your soldiers, nor cut your way with swords. I know by what stratagem the hill can be captured. If striking the tuneful chords of a small lute, ye come singing and dancing followed by your songstresses, he would grant ye all his lands and his mountain.”^[16]

Of the brave kinsmen of Pâri, every one had fallen in his defence: and only his two daughters were left to lament timely death. The troops of minstrels who had lived on his charity were loud in their expression of grief for their departed chief, and their tears mingled with those of the two orphan girls who were now friendless. Kapilar the favourite bard of Pâri took charge of his daughters and while leaving Parambu addressed the mountain as follows :—

“We loved thee once! When the toddy jars were ever open, and sheep were slaughtered, and rice cooked with flesh was served as much as we wanted. Now Pâri, having died, forlorn and helpless with tears streaming from our eyes, we bid thee fare well; noble Parambu! And we depart in search of proper husbands for Pari’s daughters, whose tresses are fragrant and whose arms are adorned with bracelets.” Kapilar took the girls first to Vichehick-kô and then to Irunko-vêl who were two petty chieftains in Tamilakam; and both the chiefs having declined to wed them he gave them away in marriage to Brahmins.^[17]

Nannan, lord of Chenkamnà in the valley of the Cheyyâr, was another famous chief in the Chola kingdom. The poem Malaipadukadam was, composed in his honor by Perunk-kausikanâr. It appears from this poem that there was a temple dedicated to Siva, under the name of Kari-undik-kadavul, on the top of the mountain Naviram in his territory.^[18]

Ay, Porunan and Palayan-Mâran were the principal chieftains who owed allegiance to the Pandyan king. Of these, Mâvêl-ây belonged to the tribe of Vellâlas and was lord of the Pothiya hill and the land surrounding it. The chief town in his province was Aykudi.^[19] Ay-andiram who was one of the rulers of Aykudi is said to have once defeated the Kongas and driven them to the Western Sea.^[20] Thithiyan, a successor of Ayandiran joined the confederacy of princes against the Pândya Nedunj-cheliyan and was defeated by him in the battle of Alankânam.^[21] Porunan was the family name, of the princes of Nânjil-nád which was situated west of the Pothiya hill.^[22] His territory is still known as Nânjil-nád and forms a portion of the modern state of Travancore.

Palayan-Màran, prince of Mohoor, was the head of the ancient tribe of Marar who were settled near the Pothya hill and who were the original stock from which the Pandyan kings were descended. During the reign of the Pandyan, Nedunj-cheliyan I, Palayan-Máran was next to the king, the highest dignitary in he state.^[23] When the Chola king Killi-Valavan besieged Madura with a large army, Palayan Maran attacked him with a powerful force consisting of warriors mounted on fleet steeds and fierce elephants and utterly routed the Chola army.^[24] The Chera king Chenk-kudduvan is said to have once invaded the territory belonging to Palayan Maran in order to chastise him for an insult offered to one of the princes feudatory to the Chera.^[25]

The chiefs of Alumbil, Kuthirai-malai, Pali and Thakadoor were subordinate to the Chera king. Alumbil Vel was lord of Alumbil, a town situated most probably in Kuddanad. The Pandya Nedunj-cheliya I, who invaded the dominion of the Chera attacked and defeated Alumbil Vel and annexed all his territory to the Pandyan kingdom.^[26] After the death of that redoubtable monarch, Alumbil Vel appears to have recovered his territory and we find him to be one of the leading noblenien in the court of the Chera Chenkkudduvan.^[27] Piddan-Korran, lord of the mountain Kuthirai-malai was the commander-in-chief of the Chera army.^[28] Venman was the title of the princes of Pali, a fortified town in the gold mining district, which comprised the whole of the country now known as Coorg, North Wynaad and north-east Malabar.^[29] Two other towns in the province were Arayam and Viyalur.^[30] Nannan-Venmân, a prince of Pali acquired notoriety as a murderer, having condemned to death a girl whom her relations offered to save with a ransom of nine times her weight in gold!^[31] A prince of this line was defeated by the Chera king Kalankaik-kanni-nâr-mudichcheral in the battle of Perunthurai.^[32]

Athiyaman, chief of the tribe of Malavar, was the ruler of Thakadoor the modern Dharmapuri in the district of Salem.^[33] His ancestors introduced the cultivation of sugar-cane into Southern India.^[34] Nedumân-anchi was the head of the Athyamán clan during the reign of the Chera king Perunj-cheral-Irumporai. He invaded Maladu and sacked Kovalur the capital of Malayaman.^[35] The bard Paranar praised his achievements on that occasion. Being an ambitious and warlike chief he wished to extend his territory, and although the Chera king was willing to bestow on him all the land which lay around Kuthirai-malai, within sight from the top of that high mountain, the chief asked for more. This led to war and the Chera king had to march with his army to Thakadoor to subdue the refractory chief. During the siege of Thakadoor, Nedumán-anchi was mortally wounded and died soon afterwards. I have described the siege already in the account of the Chera king Perunj-cheral-Irumporai. ^[36] The poetess Avvaiyar who was a great favourite in the court of the Athiyaman describes in the following verse the terror with which neighbouring chiefs beheld him and his fierce soldiers :—

“Those who see thy brigades of war elephants marching with their tusks blunted by battering thy enemies’ forts, renew the strong bars with which the gates of their fort are bolted; those who see thy troops of horse whose hoofs are covered with the blood of their foes whom they had trampled to death, block the entrances to their fort with stout thorny trees: those who see thy sharp lances which pierce the hardest shields, repair and strengthen their shields; those who see thy fierce soldiers who bear on their body many a scar caused by sword cuts, waste not the arrows from their quivers: and thou, not deterred by the poisonous smoke of the seeds of the Iyyavi, which thy enemies burn at their fort-gates to keep off your army, seize and kill them like the god of death. Alas! Who can save the fertile lands of thy enemies whose fields are covered with waving corn ?“ ^[37]

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1. Peruin-pân-arru.
2. Akam 294-310-358.
3. Puram 175-389
4. Akam 35
5. Ariyar thuvanriya pêr icbai Mullûr.
6. Puram 122.
7. Puram l26.
8. Akam 208
9. I zrem 46.
10. Puram 174.
11. Puram 202.
12. Puram 234.
13. Ibid., 233.
14. Ibid., 103-120.
15. Ibid., 110
16. Ibid., 109.
17. Ibid, 117.
18. Puram, 127-132.
19. Akam, 36.
20. Ma1ai-padu-kadâm.
21. Akam, 36
22. Puram, 137-140.
23. Mathuraik-kânchi.
24. Akam, 345.
25. Chi1app-athikâram, xvii., 124, 126.
26. Mathuraik-kâve1u.
27. Chilapp-athikâram.
28. Puram, 172.
29. Akam, 257-396.
30. Akam, 97, Puram, 202, 203.
31. Pen kolai purinta Nannan
32. Akam, 198.
33. Puram, 230.
34. Puram, 99.
35. Ibid.
36. Thakodur Yaththirai.
37. Puram. 98.