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| {{Short description|2nd century Chera dynasty ruler in south India}}
| | #REDIRECT [[Chenkuttuvan]] |
| {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}
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| {{Infobox royalty
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| | succession = [[Chera dynasty|Chera ruler]]
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| | title = Katal Pirakottiyavan
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| | reign = c. 2nd century CE
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| | predecessor =
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| | father = [[Nedum Cheralathan|Netum Cheralatan]]<ref name=":6" />
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| | mother = Uraiyur Chola Nalconai
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| | spouse = Illanko Venmal
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| | house = [[Chera dynasty|Chera]]
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| }}
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| {{Chera Dynasty}}
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| '''Senguttavan''' '''Chera''' ({{lang-ta| சேரன் செங்குட்டுவன்}}), literally the Alluring Kuttuvan Chera, identified with '''Katal Pirakottiya''' '''Vel Kezhu Kuttuvan,<ref name=":0">K.G. Sesha Aiyar, ''Chera Kings of the Sangam Period'', London, 1937. 21-23.</ref>''' (''c.'' 2nd century CE) was the most celebrated ruler of the [[Chera dynasty]] in early historic South India.<ref name=":0"/><ref name=":11">{{Cite journal|date=2015-06-05|title=Classical Indo-Roman Trade|url=https://www.epw.in/journal/2013/26-27/special-articles/classical-indo-roman-trade.html|journal=Economic and Political Weekly|language=en|volume=48|issue=26-27}}</ref>
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| The kuttuvan is eulogized by [[Paranar]] in the fifth decad of ''[[Patiṟṟuppattu|Patitrupattu]]'' of the ''[[Ettuthokai|Ettutokai]]'' anthology (early Tamil texts).<ref name=":72">Zvelebil, Kamil. <nowiki>''</nowiki>The Smile of Murugan: On Tamil Literature of South India<nowiki>''</nowiki>. Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1973. 52–53.</ref> The kuttuvan successfully intervened in a succession dispute in the [[Chola dynasty|Chola]] country and established his relative on the Chola throne.<ref name=":0"/> The Kadambas ― helped by the [[Yavanas]] (perhaps [[Greco-Roman world|Greek or Roman]] mariners) ―attacked the kuttuvan by sea, but the Cera ruler destroyed their fleet.<ref name=":0" /> He is said to have defeated the [[Kongu Vellalar | Kongu people]] and a warrior called Mokur Mannan.<ref name=":0"/> Under his reign, the Cera territory extended from Kollimalai near [[Karur|Karur Vanci]] in the east to Tondi and Mantai on the western coast ([[Kerala]]).{{sfn|Menon|1967}}{{sfn|Menon|2007|pp=67–68}}
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| Military achievements of Senguttavan are described, albeit in an exaggerated manner, in the medieval Tamil epic poem ''[[Silapathikaram|Cilappatikaram]].''<ref name=":6">Subbarayalu, Y. 2014. 'Early Tamil Polity', in ''A Concise History of South India: Issues and Interpretations.'' ed. Noburu Karashima, pp. 50–51. New Delhi: Oxford University Press.</ref> A method, known as [[Gajabahu synchronism|Gajabahu Synchronism/Triple Synchronism]], based on text proper, canto 30:160 of the epic, is used by scholars to date Chenkuttavan Chera to ''c.'' 2nd century CE.<ref name=":7" />
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| == Life and career ==
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| === Early Tamil texts ===
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| The kuttuvan is eulogized by [[Paranar]] in the fifth decad of ''[[Patiṟṟuppattu|Patitrupattu]]'' of the ''[[Ettuthokai|Ettutokai]]'' anthology.<ref name=":72" /> ''Purananuru'' 343 refers to the hill products and sea products, mainly pearls, of Cenkuttuvan and to the [[Yavana]] gold that reached ashore by boats, in exchange.<ref name=":11" />
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| The kuttuvan's mastery over the sea might have led to the often used title ''Katal Pirakottiya'', which translates as "One who Lagged the Sea Behind".<ref name=":11" /> Paranar praised the kuttuvan for his naval powers -
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| {{cquote|"Kuttuvan not finding an enemy worthy to fight with became angry, with martial might besieged the sea and with magnificent spear drove back the sea whose wave rose high".
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| Paranar also praised kuttuvan's military prowess -
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| {{cquote|"Kuttuvan of the gold garland, whose army destroyed the beauty of many lands, till the noise rose loud of the drums used in numerous battles with the monarchs of the country between Kumari (Cape Comorin) on the south and Himalayas, the mountain that rises high as the northern boundary."<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|title=Kerala History and its Makers|last=Menon|first=A. Sreedhara|publisher=DC books|year=1987|location=Kottayam|pages=24–25}}</ref>
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| * Kuttuvan was the son of the Cera ruler Netum Ceralatan and Nalconai (of the [[Chola dynasty|Cholas of Uraiyur]]).<ref name=":0"/> The wife of Cenkuttuvan was Illanko Venmal (the daughter of a Velir chief).{{sfn|Menon|1967}}{{sfn|Menon|2007|pp=67–68}}
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| *Cenkuttuvan ruled the Cera country for 55 years (''Patitrupattu'').<ref name=":3" />
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| *Warriors of the Kuttuvan used bull-hide shields to protect themselves from the enemy darts (''Patitrupattu'', 45'')''.'''<ref name=":0"/>'''
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| * Kuttuvan successfully intervened in a succession dispute in the Cola territory and established his relative (brother-in-law) [[Nalankilli|Killi]] on the Cola throne. The rivals of Killi were defeated in the battle of Nerivayil, Uraiyur (leading to the death of nine other contenders to the throne).<ref name=":0"/>
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| * The Kadambas are described as the arch enemies of the kuttuvan. The kuttuvan was able to defeat them in the battle of Idumbil, Valayur (Viyalur). The "fort" of Kotukur in which the Kadamba warriors took shelter was stormed. Later the Kadambas (helped by the Yavanas) attacked kuttuvan by sea, but the Cera ruler destroyed their fleet.<ref name=":0"/>
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| * Kuttuvan defeated the Kongu people (''Cilappatikaram, XXV, 152-53)''.<ref name=":0"/> Kuttuvan defeated a warrior called Pazhaiyan Mokur Mannan (one of the Cera's allies was Arukai, an enemy of the Mokurs) (''Patitrupattu,'' 44 and 49).<ref name=":0"/>
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| *The ''patikam'' to ''[[Patiṟṟuppattu|Patitrupattu]],'' decad V mentions Ilanko Atikal and the expedition of Cenkuttuvan to north India to bring a stone from which to carve the Pattini idol (scholars are of the opinion that the ''patikam'' is a later interpolation to the text)<ref name=":3" />
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| == Senguttavan Chera in ''Silappatikaram'' ==
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| Authorship of ''[[Silappatikaram]]'' is traditionally ascribed to prince [[Ilango Adigal|Ilanko Atikal]] (literally the Junior Prince), who appears in the work as the younger brother of Cenkuttuvan Cera.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Silappathikaram|title=Silappathikaram {{!}} Tamil epic poem by Adikal|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en|access-date=2020-02-04}}</ref> The third part of ''[[Silappatikaram]]'' (the Vanci Kantham) deals with Cenkuttuvan's expedition to bring the ''virakkallu'' from the [[Himalayas]] for an idol of Kannaki/Pattini.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":7" />
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| According to the patikam of ''Silappatikaram'', the royal astrologer at the court of Cera king predicted that (the younger prince) Ilanko would succeed the king, which angered the elder prince Senguttavan. Ilanko at once chose to renounce his claims to the throne and live a life of an [[Jainism|Jain]] ascetic. He shifted to a monastery on the outskirts of Vanci, where he composed epic ''Silappatikaram''.<ref name=":7" />
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| {{cquote|Chera king Senguttuvan's wife Illango Venmal was moved by Kannagi's tragic story and wanted her to be worshipped as a goddess of chastity. Senguttuvan agreed and asked his court at Vanji for advice, which suggested to carve out a stone block from the Himalayas for the ''virakkallu''. The king then ordered the march to the Himalayas by the royal sword and umbrella pointing northwards.<ref name=":2" />
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| {{cquote|Senguttuvan first moved to the Nilgiris mountains of Odisha by sea, where he was welcomed by Sanjcharya, a general of [[Magadha]].<ref name=":2" /> Sanjcharya informed Senguttuvan, that he was sent by [[Satavahana dynasty|Nuruvar Kannar]] to inquire about the needs of the Chera king for the campaign to the Himalayas. Senguttuvan responded, that he needed ships to travel through the [[Ganges|River Ganges]]. With Sanjcharya's ships the army sailed to Magadha, where they were received by the Magadha king.<ref name=":2" /> The expedition ended at Uttarai, where the [[Aryan|Arya]] princes led by Kanaka, Vijaya and allied princes Uttara, Vichitra, Rudra, Bhairava, Chitra Singha, Dhanuttara and Sveta encountered the forces of Senguttuvan with a huge army. After a long battle, the Arya alliance was defeated. Kanaka and Vijaya were caught and brought back to Magadha, where Senguttuvan honoured the warriors of the battle. Two-and-half months after his departure Senguttuvan victoriously returned to Vanchi, where the temple for Kannagi (Pattini) was consecrated with the ''virakkallu'' from the Himalayas.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Silappathikaram#ref845622|title=Silappathikaram {{!}} Tamil epic poem by Adikal|work=Encyclopedia Britannica|access-date=2018-11-16|language=en}}</ref>}}
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| The [[Kodungallur Bhagavathy Temple|Bhagavati Temple]], in Kotungallur, Kerala, is claimed to be the Kannaki temple thus consecrated.<ref name=":7">{{Cite book|last=Shulman|first=David|title=Tamil: A Biography|publisher=The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press|year=2016|location=Cambridge, Massachusetts|pages=99–101}}</ref>
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| === Dating Senguttavan Chera ===
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| A method known as [[Gajabahu synchronism|Gajabahu synchronism/Triple Synchronism]] is used by some scholars to date Cenkuttuvan Cera to 2nd century CE.<ref name=":3">Zvelebil, Kamil V., ''Companion Studies to the History of Tamil Literature'', Leiden, 1992. 110-111.</ref>
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| * According to ''[[Silappatikaram]]'' (text proper, canto 30:160), severals neighbouring kings were invited by Cenkuttuvan to the installation of Kannaki-Pattini at Vanci.<ref name=":3" />
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| **the Arya kings Kanaka and Vijaya<ref name=":3" />
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| **Kongu king of Kutaku<ref name=":3" />
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| **Kayavaku, the king of [[Sri Lanka|Lanka]]<ref name=":3" />
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| *Kayavaku,the king of [[Sri Lanka|Lanka]] is identified with [[Gajabahu I of Sri Lanka|Gajabahu I]], king of [[Sri Lanka]] (r. ''c.'' 171/73 - 193 CE). In this context, Cenkuttuvan can be dated to either the first or last quarter of the 2nd century CE.<ref name=":7" />
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| *Despite its dependency on numerous conjectures, the method is considered as the sheet anchor for the purpose of dating the events in the early historic Tamil texts.{{sfn|Zvelebil|1973|pp=37–39|ps=: The opinion that the Gajabahu Synchronism is an expression of genuine historical tradition is accepted by most scholars today}}{{sfn|Zvelebil|1973|p=38}}<ref name=":7" />
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| == References ==
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| {{Reflist}}
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| [[Category:People of the Chera kingdom]]
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| [[Category:3rd-century Indian Jains]]
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| [[Category:Chera kings]]
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