| Nedum Cheralathan | |
|---|---|
| Imayavaramban ('He whose kingdom had the Himalayas as its boundary')[1] Adhiraja | |
| 2nd (recorded) Chera ruler | |
| Reign | 58 years (c.130-188 CE) |
| Predecessor | Uthiyan Cheralathan |
| Successor | Chenguttuvan Chera (Vel Kezhu Kuttuvan) |
| Spouse | Uraiyur Chola Nalchonai |
| Issue |
|
| House | Chera |
| Father | Uthiyan Cheralathan |
| Religion | Jainism |
| Chera dynasty |
|---|
| Early Cheras |
|
| - |
|
| - |
|
| Kongu Chera dynasty (Karur) |
|
| Chera/Perumals of Makotai (Kerala) |
|
Nedum Cheralathan was a Chera ruler of the early historic south India (c. 1st - 4th century CE), contemporary to the Chola ruler Perunarkilli. He is the second known Chera ruler from the early Tamil literature, and is praised in the Second Ten of Pathitruppaththu (composed by poet Kannanar).[2] He patronized Jainism and Buddhism.[3]
Nedum Cheralathan succeeded his father (Uthiyan Cheralathan) and ruled the territory for 58 years (as a crown prince first and then as an absolute ruler).[4]
Quotes[edit | edit source]
Akananuru (396) contains the following lines about the Chera ruler Nedum Cheralathan carving his bow emblem on the Himalayas:
"I am afraid I will lose you. Should you leave,
you need to return my beauty, lovely like Vanji city of the victorious Cheran king who attacked with rage the trembling Aryans, captured their king and carved the Chera bow
symbol on the ancient, northern mountains" .
— Akananuru (396), Paranar, Marutham Thinai[5]
Akananuru (127), composed by Mamulanar in the Palai Thinai, also mentions the military achievements of Nedum Cheralathan:
"May you live long, my friend! Your faultless
lover will not stay in another country, where they speak a different language, letting your bright bangles to become loose, and your body to become thin, struggling here each day with sorrow and distress, even if he were given the wealth that King Neduncheralāthan with victory drums, who rode the seas and chopped the sacred kadampam tree of his enemy, and like his ancestors, carved the curved bow symbol on the Himalayas, got as tributes from his enemies fine jewels gold female figurines and diamonds in huge quantities known by the word āmpal, heaped them in his palace yard in Mānthai city, and abandoned them for the land to devour.
He will not stay away another day on the fierce, forked path where uneducated men who wear lovely clusters of delicate, white flowers with red stems from kadampam trees with sturdy trunks, on their tight, curly hair, carry curved bows on their
left side, and are looking for those who travel."
— Akananuru (127), Mamulanar, Palai Thinai[6]
The Pattirupattu collection also mentions the military achievements of Nedum Cheralathan:
"O Cēralātaṉ with an army that is murderous in battle
with a chest with sandal paste [smeared on it], with fiber-filtered toddy, [and] with victorious war [in which] the paṇai drum was made, which sounds by beating after [you] had won, after [you] had been lifted on the golden ornamented neck of [your] flawless elephant with tusks excel in strength, which shines with abundant fresh garlands on [its] chest together with ōṭai ornaments, after [you] had overcome while the bravery of the ones who uttered praises of [other] kings failed, [kings] between the southern Kumari and the famous Imayam where āriyar live where the yaks (kavari) sleep on the slopes dense with kavir-trees
dream about narantam and shiny splashing waterfalls."
— Patirruppattu (The Second Decade:11th Song) - Blood that the Wounds Spew[7]
Military achivements[edit | edit source]
Imayavaramban Nedum-Ceralatan is described in the Patirruppattu as a powerful Chera ruler who expanded his kingdom northward. He is said to have defeated seven kings and incorporated their territories into his realm, thereby obtaining the status of an "adhiraja", with his military fame extending from Cape Comorin to the Himalayas. One of his notable campaigns was against the Kadambu clan, whose defeat is repeatedly highlighted in the Patirruppattu and compared with the victory of Subrahmanya over Surapadma. He is also credited with a victory over the Yavanas, who were captured and subjected to a distinctive form of punishment after the battle.He captured several of them and, as punishment, poured hot ghee on their heads. However, he later released them in exchange for a heavy ransom that included diamonds, other precious stones, and intricately crafted vessels.[8][9][4][10] Nedum Cheralathan fought a battle against a Chola ruler, an encounter in which both the principal adversaries lost their lives.[4][11]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Sastri, K. A. Nilakanta (1957). "The Mauryas and Satavahanas". Comprehensive History of India. Vol. 2. Bombay: Orient Longman. pp. 504–518.
- ↑ Zvelebil, Kamil. ''The Smile of Murugan: On Tamil Literature of South India''. Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1973. 52-53.
- ↑ "Jainism and Buddhism". Brill's Encyclopedia of Jainism Online. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Singh 2008, p. 384.
- ↑ "Ettuthokai – Akanānūru: 301–400". Sangam Poems Translated by Vaidehi: Sangam Poetry. Translated by Herbert, Vaidehi. Retrieved 26 April 2026.
- ↑ "Ettuthokai – Akanānūru 121–300". Sangam Poems Translated by Vaidehi: Sangam Poetry. Translated by Herbert, Vaidehi. Retrieved 26 April 2026.
- ↑ Ferenczi, R. (2022). Wilden, E.; Wojtilla, Gyula (eds.). An Annotated Translation of the Patirruppattu and the Political Geography of the Early Cēra Kingdom (PDF). Eötvös Loránd University. Retrieved 27 April 2026.
- ↑ Sesha Aiyar, K. G. (1937). Chera Kings of the Sangam Period. Sesha Aiyar. pp. 10–14.
- ↑ Subrahmanian, SV; Thirunavukkarasu, KD, eds. (1983). Historical Heritage of The Tamils. Madras: International Institute of Tamil Studies.
- ↑ Singh 2008, p. 385.
- ↑ Menon, A. Sreedhara. A Survey of Kerala History. Kerala: National Book Stall, 1967.
Citations[edit | edit source]
- Singh, Upinder (2008), A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: from the Stone Age to the 12th century, New Delhi: Pearson Longman, ISBN 978-81-317-1120-0
  | This Indian history-related article is a stub. You can help Bharatpedia by expanding it. |
 | This biography of a member of an Indian royal house is a stub. You can help Bharatpedia by expanding it. |