Ko Kizhan Adikal

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Chola-Chera Perumal relations (c. 9th-10th centuries AD)

Ko Kizhan Adikal Ravi Neeli was the traditional title of the queens/princesses of the Chera Perumal kingdom in medieval south India.[1][2] It was initially assumed that Kizhan Adikal was a proper given name (and not a royal title).[1]

The title was used by Kerala princesses (in the Tamil country) even after their marriages to Chola princes.[3]

Records[edit]

The title appears in the following inscriptions discovered from Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

Records associated with the Cholas[edit]

  1. "Ko Kizhan Adikal", mother of Chola prince Rajaditya, in a Tirunavalur/Tirumanallur inscription (c. 935 AD, 28th regnal year) of Chola king Parantaka I (907 — 955 AD) (EI VII, 19a).[4][5]
  2. Lalgudi record of Cankaran Kunrappozhan, from Nandikkarai Puttur in Malainatu (Kerala), mentioning "Cheramanar makalar" "Ko Kizhan Adikal" (queen of Parantaka).[6]
  3. "Ravi Neeli" or "Kizhan Adikal ", daughter of "Cheramanar" or "Keralaraja" Vijayaraga, in a Tiruvotriyur inscription (936 AD, 29th regnal year) of king Parantaka I (Index 17 & SII III, 103).[7][8]
  4. "Kizhan Adikal" appears in the Tiruvalla copper plates with her husband king Parantaka I (lines 109-111) (Index A80 & TAS II, III).[9]

There is a possibility that the princesses (1) and (3) are the same, or are sisters. If they were sisters, king Parantaka I married two distinct Chera Perumal princesses (the mothers of his two sons, Rajaditya and Arinjaya Chola).[10] The marriage between a Chera princess and Parantaka, c. 910 CE, is mentioned in the Udayendiram plates of Ganga king Prthivipati II Hastimalla.[11][1]

The velam of the Kizhan Adikal ("Kizhan Adikal Velam" or "Kizhai Velam") at Tanjavur is mentioned in three Chola inscriptions.[3]

  1. Saranganatha Perumal Temple, Tiruchirai, Kumbakonam (5th regnal year) (SII 19, 150).[3]
  2. Vedaranyeswara Temple, Vedaranyam, Tirutturaippundi, Tanjore (Parantaka I, 43rd regnal year) (SII 17, 530).[3]
  3. Nageswaraswamin Temple, Kumbakonam (Aditya II Karikala, 4th regnal year, the mother of Rajaditya) — as "Udaya Pirattiyar Kizhan Adikal" (SII 3, 201).[2][3]

Other Chera Perumal records[edit]

  1. "Ravi Neeli alias Kizhan Adikal", daughter of Kulasekhara and wife of Vijayaraga, in a Tirunandikkara inscription (9th century AD) (Index A7 & TAS IV, 36).[12]
  2. "Chatira Sikhamani alias Kizhan Adikal" or "Perumattiyar" in a Trikkakara inscription (953 AD) with Chera king Indu Goda (10th century AD) (Index A24 & TAS III, 36).[13]
  3. "Kizhan Adikal" in a Tiruvanchuli/Tiruvalanjuli temple (Tanjore) inscription mentioning Chera Perumal Rama Kulasekhara (fl. late 11th century AD) (SII III, 221).[14]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Narayanan, M. G. S. (2013) [1972]. Perumals of Kerala. Thrissur (Kerala): CosmoBooks. pp. 96–101, 437, 442, 445 and 473. ISBN 9788188765072.
  2. ^ a b Sastri, H. Krishna, ed. (1987) [1920]. "No. 201". South Indian Inscriptions. III (Part III and IV): 377. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. ^ a b c d e Ali, Daud (2007). "The Service Retinues of the Chola Court". Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies. 70 (3): 490. doi:10.1017/S0041977X0700081X. JSTOR 40378936. S2CID 162530217.
  4. ^ Narayanan, M. G. S. (2013) [1972]. Perumals of Kerala. Thrissur (Kerala): CosmoBooks. pp. 100–101. ISBN 9788188765072.
  5. ^ Epigraphia Indica 7 (1902–03), no. 19a.
  6. ^ South Indian Inscriptions 19 (1988), no. 408.
  7. ^ South Indian Inscriptions 3 (1920), no. 103.
  8. ^ Narayanan, M. G. S., ed. (2013) [1972]. "Index to Cera Inscriptions". Perumals of Kerala. Thrissur (Kerala): CosmoBooks. pp. 442–43. ISBN 9788188765072.
  9. ^ Narayanan, M. G. S., ed. (2013) [1972]. "Index to Cera Inscriptions". Perumals of Kerala. Thrissur (Kerala): CosmoBooks. p. 473. ISBN 9788188765072.
  10. ^ Spencer, George (1982). "Ties that Bound: Royal Marriage Alliance in the Chola Period". Proceedings of the Fourth International Symposium on Asian Studies. Hong Kong: Asian Research Service: 723.
  11. ^ South Indian Inscriptions 2 (1895), no. 76: v. 8.
  12. ^ Narayanan, M. G. S., ed. (2013) [1972]. "Index to Cera Inscriptions". Perumals of Kerala. Thrissur (Kerala): CosmoBooks. pp. 437–38. ISBN 9788188765072.
  13. ^ Narayanan, M. G. S., ed. (2013) [1972]. "Index to Cera Inscriptions". Perumals of Kerala. Thrissur (Kerala): CosmoBooks. p. 445. ISBN 9788188765072.
  14. ^ Narayanan, M. G. S. (1993). Tewari, S. P. (ed.). "A New Name in the Twilight of the Chera Kingdom in Kerala". Journal of the Epigraphical Society of India. 19. The Epigraphical Society of India, Mysore: 20.
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