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| Uthiyan Cheralathan | |
|---|---|
| Vanavaramban Perum Chottu Uthiyan | |
| 1st (recorded) Chera Ruler | |
| Reign | c. 105-130 CE |
| Successor | Nedum Cheralathan |
| Spouse | Veliyan Nallini |
| Issue |
|
| House | Chera |
| Chera dynasty |
|---|
| Early Cheras |
|
| - |
|
| - |
|
| Kongu Chera dynasty (Karur) |
|
| Chera/Perumals of Makotai (Kerala) |
|
Uthiyan Cheralathan ("Perum Chottu Uthiyan") is earliest known ruler Chera of early historic south India (c. 1st - 4th century CE) from available literary sources.[1][2] He had his headquarters at a place called Kuzhumur in Kuttanad (southern Kerala). His lifetime was in the late first and early second century CE (he died in 130 after a battle with Karikala Chola). His consort was Veliyan Nallini, the daughter of Veliyan chief Venman.
Reign[edit | edit source]
Conflict with The Satavahanas[edit | edit source]
"You are king of a country with prosperous towns! The sky is your limit! O Greatness who gave unlimited rice, until those hundred men wearing golden thumpai flower garlands had seized the land and perished in the field fighting furiously against the five whose horses wore swaying plumes!”
— Purananuru verse - 2[3]
According to N. Subramanian, Purananuru verse 2, which refers to Uthiyan Cheralathan (also called as Perum Choru Uthiyan), does not support the later traditiona claim that he fee both the hundred Kauravas and Pandavas during the Mahabharata war . It's Unhistorical and Subramanian considers such an interpretation anachronistic and historically implausible, as the epic is placed several millennia earlier. Instead, the verse is interpreted in a historical context, suggesting that Uthiyan Cheralathan, along with allied chieftains such the Five Velirs, may have give the military support and successfully resisted incursions by the Satavahana dynasty in the northern Kongu region.[4]
Uthiyan is fabled to have fed the armies of the Kauravas and the Pandavas in the Mahabharata War (Kauravas and Pandavas aren't explicitly mentioned, could be any Northern war). Uthiyan Cheralatan assumed the title "Vanavaramban" which could either mean "One whose Kingdom Reaches up to the Sky" or "the One who is Loved by the Gods". The latter title was previously adopted by the Maurya emperor Asoka.
Uthiyan's elephant corps and cavalry forces are particularly praised in the early Tamil literature. He went into several battles and in the battle of Venni (Vennil) with Karikala Chola, he was wounded on the back while leading the warriors (Akam 55). Being unable to bear the disgrace he committed suicide by slow starvation. It is said that some of his "Companions" also committed suicide with him [unwilling to part him] (Akam 55). Uthiyan Cheralatan was succeeded by his son, Nedum Cheralathan[5]
Notes[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Singh 2008, p. 384.
- ↑ Sen, Sailendra (2013). A Textbook of Medieval Indian History. Primus Books. pp. 60–61. ISBN 978-9-38060-734-4.
- ↑ Vaidehi Herbert (2013). Purananuru: Translation in English with meanings. Chennai: Kondrai. p. 27.
- ↑ Subrahmanian, N. (1978). History of Tamilnad (3rd ed.). Madurai: Koodal Publishers. p. 68.
- ↑ Kankasabhai, V.,The Tamil Eighteen Hundred Years Ago. New Delhi: Asian Educational Services, 1904. 90.
References[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
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