Stone inscription found near Madurai confirms co-rule by Pandiya brothers

MADURAI: A stone inscription discovered in a village on the Madurai – Virudhunagar border confirms the theory that the Pandiya dynasty was once ruled simultaneously by brothers Jatavarman Kulasekara Pandiya and Maravarman Sundarapandiyan.
Curator of the government museum in Madurai, Dr M Marudhu Pandiyan, deciphered the inscription with the help of other experts including archaeological officer B Asaithambi, R Udaiyakumar, a research scholar, and archaeologist Dr S Santhalingam.He said the inscription with a Tamil poetic verse was discovered by assistant professor of sociology of Tamil Nadu open university, Chennai Dr D Thirumalairaja, and his team at Kannkkanenthal in Kariapatti taluk of Virudhunagar district.
The Tamil script found on the stone says, ``Sri Anna mennu nadai’’, similar to the verse found in a stone inscription at Ponamaravathi in Pudukottai district, dating to Maravarman Sundarapandiayan 1 (1216-1238). The inscription refers to Saka year 1139, which is equivalent to 1217 CE, and also mentions that it is the 28th year of Jatavarman Kulasekara Pandiya’s reign. Usually, the date of Kulasekara Pandiya’s rule is confined to 1190 to 1216 CE, but this stone inscription extends his rule by one more year, 1217 CE. History also has it that his younger brother Maravarman Sundarapandiyan I was coronated in 1216 CE.
In the newly discovered inscription, the Pandiya king is referred to as Thennavan and compared to Karna of Mahabharatha, for his liberal donations. It speaks about donation of wetlands for cultivation of Sennel paddy at Kulatththi Vaykkaal at Kalkurichi. The name of the person who engraved the stone inscription, Poovan Irrattayan alias Sola Gangan, is also engraved in it.
``This stone inscription is of historical importance as it is confirmation of the fact that two kings ruled the Pandiya dynasty at a specific time, which is also mentioned in some other inscriptions discovered earlier. Officially it is stated that Jatavarman Kulasekara Pandiya’s rule was from 1190 CE to 1216 CE, making it a 26-year rule, but the stone inscription speaks of 28 years of rule. So, he must have co-ruled the dynasty with his younger brother for an extended period’’ Dr Marudhu Pandiyan added.