Maravarman Sundara Pandya
Encyclopedia
Maravarman Sundara Pandyan I was a Pandyan king, who ruled regions of South India
between 1216–1238 CE. He laid the foundation for the Pandya revival, after being dominated by the Cholas for several centuries.
. Kulasekara Pandyan was a vassal of the Chola King Kulothunga Chola III
. He had opposed and been defeated by Kulothunga Chola III
in 1205 CE, when the victorious Chola armies burned down the ancient Pandyan coronation hall in Madurai
. This sowed the seed for revenge when Sundara Pandyan took power.
, Sundara Pandyan invaded the Chola kingdom soon after his accession. Kulothunga Chola III
was nearing the end of his long 40 year reign and was hampered by old age and the swiftness of the Pandyan invasion. Sundara Pandyan sacked the Chola cities of Thanjavur and Uraiyur and drove both the Chola king and his crown prince Rajaraja Chola III
into exile. To celebrate his victory he performed a virabisheka (lit. anointment of heroes) in the coronation hall of Cholas (mudikondasolapuram) at Ayirattali in Thanjavur district. Later he marched his armies up to Chidambaram
and camped at Pon Amaravathi
. He commemorated his victories over the Cholas by conducting a Thulabaram - a form of Hindu worship where the devotee offers tribute in equal measure to his weight - at the Chidambaram
temple.
Kulothunga Chola III
appealed for aid to his son-in-law, the Hoysala monarch Veera Ballala II
. Ballala sent an army under his son, the crown prince Vira Narasimha II
. Buckling under the Hoysala threat Sundara Pandyan agreed to restore the Chola kingdom to Kulothunga, but only after the Cholas acknowledged his suzerainty. Sundara Pandyan's victories over Cholas are described in the Thirukkolur (in present day Tirunelveli
district) inscriptions.
, ending nearly three centuries of Chola dominion over Tamil Nadu. This was the beginning of the Pandyan revival and the second Pandyan empire was born.. Kulothunga died the following year in 1218 CE and his successor Rajaraja Chola III
was an incompetent ruler under whose rule the Chola kingdom finally crumbled.
In 1225 CE Sundara Pandyan defeated and drove away a company of Odda (Oriya) Soldiers who had invaded the Chola heartland and occupied Srirangam
.. He allied himself with the kadava
chieftain Kopperunchinga I
against the Cholas and Hoysalas. After the defeat and capture of Rajaraja Chola III
at Tellaru in 1231 CE by Kopperunchinga, Vira Narasimha II
intervened decisively against the Kadava-Pandiyan alliance by sending an army under his generals Appanna and Goppayya. Kopperunchinga was defeated and Raja Raja was restored to Chola throne in 1231 CE. While his generals were moving against Kopperrunchinga, Narasimha himself defeated Sundara Pandiyan at Mahendramangalam on the banks of Kaveri in 1231 CE. Sundara Pandyan had to acquiese in the restoration of Raja Raja.. After Mahendramangalam, peace was made between the warring Chola, Hoysala, Kadava and Pandyan kingdoms and sealed by dynastic marriages.
. His meikeerthi
begins with the words and ends with .
historical novel Kayalvizhi by Akilan
. In Maduraiyai meeta sundara pandiyan , the film version of the novel, he was portrayed by M. G. Ramachandran
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
between 1216–1238 CE. He laid the foundation for the Pandya revival, after being dominated by the Cholas for several centuries.
Accession
Sundara Pandyan came to power in 1216 CE after his elder brother Jatavarman Kulasekara PandyanJatavarman Kulasekaran I
Jatavarman Kulasekaran I was a Pandyan king, who ruled regions of South India between 1190-1216 CE.-Accession and Background:Kulasekaran acceded to the Pandyan throne after his father Vikkirama Pandyan in 1190 CE. Vikkirama Pandyan had gained the throne of Madurai with the help of Kulothunga Chola...
. Kulasekara Pandyan was a vassal of the Chola King Kulothunga Chola III
Kulothunga Chola III
Kulothunga Chola III was the ruler of the Chola empire from 1178 to 1218 AD, after succeeding Rajadhiraja Chola II. Kulothunga Chola III gained success in war against his traditional foes. He gained victories in war against the Pandyas of Madurai, Cheras of Venad, Hoysalas of Mysore, the Sinhala...
. He had opposed and been defeated by Kulothunga Chola III
Kulothunga Chola III
Kulothunga Chola III was the ruler of the Chola empire from 1178 to 1218 AD, after succeeding Rajadhiraja Chola II. Kulothunga Chola III gained success in war against his traditional foes. He gained victories in war against the Pandyas of Madurai, Cheras of Venad, Hoysalas of Mysore, the Sinhala...
in 1205 CE, when the victorious Chola armies burned down the ancient Pandyan coronation hall in Madurai
Madurai
Madurai is the third largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It served as the capital city of the Pandyan Kingdom. It is the administrative headquarters of Madurai District and is famous for its temples built by Pandyan and...
. This sowed the seed for revenge when Sundara Pandyan took power.
War against the Cholas
To avenge his brother's humiliation in the hands of the Kulothunga Chola IIIKulothunga Chola III
Kulothunga Chola III was the ruler of the Chola empire from 1178 to 1218 AD, after succeeding Rajadhiraja Chola II. Kulothunga Chola III gained success in war against his traditional foes. He gained victories in war against the Pandyas of Madurai, Cheras of Venad, Hoysalas of Mysore, the Sinhala...
, Sundara Pandyan invaded the Chola kingdom soon after his accession. Kulothunga Chola III
Kulothunga Chola III
Kulothunga Chola III was the ruler of the Chola empire from 1178 to 1218 AD, after succeeding Rajadhiraja Chola II. Kulothunga Chola III gained success in war against his traditional foes. He gained victories in war against the Pandyas of Madurai, Cheras of Venad, Hoysalas of Mysore, the Sinhala...
was nearing the end of his long 40 year reign and was hampered by old age and the swiftness of the Pandyan invasion. Sundara Pandyan sacked the Chola cities of Thanjavur and Uraiyur and drove both the Chola king and his crown prince Rajaraja Chola III
Rajaraja Chola III
Rajaraja Chola III succeeded Kulothunga Chola III on the Chola throne in July 1216 CE. Rajaraja came to the throne of a kingdom much reduced in size as well as influence...
into exile. To celebrate his victory he performed a virabisheka (lit. anointment of heroes) in the coronation hall of Cholas (mudikondasolapuram) at Ayirattali in Thanjavur district. Later he marched his armies up to Chidambaram
Chidambaram
Chidambaram is a fast growing industrial city in Eastern part of Tamil Nadu and the taluk headquarters of the Cuddalore district. It is located in 58 km from Pondicherry, 60 km from Karaikal, and 240 km south of Chennai by rail...
and camped at Pon Amaravathi
Pudukkottai
Pudukkottai is a town and a municipality in Pudukkottai district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Pudukkottai District was carved out of Tiruchirappalli and Thanjavur districts in January 1974.It is the administrative headquarters of Pudukkottai District....
. He commemorated his victories over the Cholas by conducting a Thulabaram - a form of Hindu worship where the devotee offers tribute in equal measure to his weight - at the Chidambaram
Chidambaram
Chidambaram is a fast growing industrial city in Eastern part of Tamil Nadu and the taluk headquarters of the Cuddalore district. It is located in 58 km from Pondicherry, 60 km from Karaikal, and 240 km south of Chennai by rail...
temple.
Kulothunga Chola III
Kulothunga Chola III
Kulothunga Chola III was the ruler of the Chola empire from 1178 to 1218 AD, after succeeding Rajadhiraja Chola II. Kulothunga Chola III gained success in war against his traditional foes. He gained victories in war against the Pandyas of Madurai, Cheras of Venad, Hoysalas of Mysore, the Sinhala...
appealed for aid to his son-in-law, the Hoysala monarch Veera Ballala II
Veera Ballala II
Veera Ballala II was the greatest monarch of the Hoysala Empire. This is proven by his successes against the Seuna, Southern Kalachuri, and the waning Kalyani Chalukya dynasties. He caused the demise of the Kalyani Chalukya dynasty. His period also saw prolific literary activity in Kannada. He...
. Ballala sent an army under his son, the crown prince Vira Narasimha II
Vira Narasimha II
Vira Narasimha II was a king of the Hoysala Empire. During his reign the Hoysalas gained much influence in the affairs of the Ancient Tamil country. He defeated the Kadavas and Pandyas and levied a tribute. He acted as a support to Chola king Rajaraja Chola III, who possibly his son-in-law,...
. Buckling under the Hoysala threat Sundara Pandyan agreed to restore the Chola kingdom to Kulothunga, but only after the Cholas acknowledged his suzerainty. Sundara Pandyan's victories over Cholas are described in the Thirukkolur (in present day Tirunelveli
Tirunelveli
Tirunelveli , also known as Nellai , and historically as Tinnevelly, is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the headquarters of the Tirunelveli District and the sixth biggest city in Tamil Nadu...
district) inscriptions.
Second Pandyan Empire
Kulothunga made his formal submission to Pandyan rule in 1217 CE at Pon AmaravathiPudukkottai
Pudukkottai is a town and a municipality in Pudukkottai district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Pudukkottai District was carved out of Tiruchirappalli and Thanjavur districts in January 1974.It is the administrative headquarters of Pudukkottai District....
, ending nearly three centuries of Chola dominion over Tamil Nadu. This was the beginning of the Pandyan revival and the second Pandyan empire was born.. Kulothunga died the following year in 1218 CE and his successor Rajaraja Chola III
Rajaraja Chola III
Rajaraja Chola III succeeded Kulothunga Chola III on the Chola throne in July 1216 CE. Rajaraja came to the throne of a kingdom much reduced in size as well as influence...
was an incompetent ruler under whose rule the Chola kingdom finally crumbled.
In 1225 CE Sundara Pandyan defeated and drove away a company of Odda (Oriya) Soldiers who had invaded the Chola heartland and occupied Srirangam
Srirangam
Srirangam , Old name is Vellithirumutha gramam and Tamil name is Thiruvarangam , is an island and a part of the city of Tiruchirapalli , in South India....
.. He allied himself with the kadava
Kadava
Kadava was the name of a Tamil ruling dynasty who ruled parts of the Tamil country during the thirteenth and the fourteenth century CE. Kadavas were related to the Pallava dynasty and ruled from Kudalur near Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu.The Kadava kingdom was at the height of their power briefly...
chieftain Kopperunchinga I
Kopperunchinga I
Kopperunchinga I was a Kadava chieftain who played a major role in the political affairs of the Tamil country. At one time an official in the service of the Chola king Kulothunga Chola III , Kopperunchinga utilised the opportunity arising out of the Pandyan invasion of the Chola country to become...
against the Cholas and Hoysalas. After the defeat and capture of Rajaraja Chola III
Rajaraja Chola III
Rajaraja Chola III succeeded Kulothunga Chola III on the Chola throne in July 1216 CE. Rajaraja came to the throne of a kingdom much reduced in size as well as influence...
at Tellaru in 1231 CE by Kopperunchinga, Vira Narasimha II
Vira Narasimha II
Vira Narasimha II was a king of the Hoysala Empire. During his reign the Hoysalas gained much influence in the affairs of the Ancient Tamil country. He defeated the Kadavas and Pandyas and levied a tribute. He acted as a support to Chola king Rajaraja Chola III, who possibly his son-in-law,...
intervened decisively against the Kadava-Pandiyan alliance by sending an army under his generals Appanna and Goppayya. Kopperunchinga was defeated and Raja Raja was restored to Chola throne in 1231 CE. While his generals were moving against Kopperrunchinga, Narasimha himself defeated Sundara Pandiyan at Mahendramangalam on the banks of Kaveri in 1231 CE. Sundara Pandyan had to acquiese in the restoration of Raja Raja.. After Mahendramangalam, peace was made between the warring Chola, Hoysala, Kadava and Pandyan kingdoms and sealed by dynastic marriages.
Legacy and Titles
Under Sundara Pandyan, the Pandyan revival began and the second Pandyan empire rose. Before him, the Pandyas were the vassals of the Cholas and he laid the strong foundations for Pandyan dominance in the later parts of the 13th century. According to the Thiruvandipuram inscriptions he awarded himself the titles of Kaliyugaraman and Adisayapandiyadevan. The coins issued by him also bear the title of sonadugondan (Conqueror of Chola Country). He celebrated his victory over Cholas by adding the title to his meikeerthiMeikeerthi
A Meikeerthi is the first section of Tamil inscriptions of grant issued by ancient Tamil kings of South India. Meikeerthis of various stone and metal inscriptions serve as important archaeological sources for determining Tamil History.-Description:...
. His meikeerthi
Meikeerthi
A Meikeerthi is the first section of Tamil inscriptions of grant issued by ancient Tamil kings of South India. Meikeerthis of various stone and metal inscriptions serve as important archaeological sources for determining Tamil History.-Description:...
begins with the words and ends with .
In popular culture
Sundara Pandiyan is the protagonist of the TamilTamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
historical novel Kayalvizhi by Akilan
Akilan
Akilan was a Tamil author noted for his realistic and creative writing style. Akilan was a freedom fighter, novelist, short-story writer, journalist, satirist, travel writer, playwright, script-writer, orator and critic.He is also a children's novelist....
. In Maduraiyai meeta sundara pandiyan , the film version of the novel, he was portrayed by M. G. Ramachandran
M. G. Ramachandran
Maruthur Gopalan Ramachandran , popularly known by his initials , was an Indian film actor, director, producer and politician....