Kundavai
Princess of Tanjore
Kundavai as portrayed in Kalki's Ponniyin Selvan.
BornĀlvār Sri Parāntakan Sri Kundavai Nachiyar
945 CE
Tirukoilur, Chola Empire
(modern-day Tamil Nadu, India)
DiedPazhaiyarai, Chola Empire
(modern-day Tamil Nadu, India)
SpouseVallavaraiyan Vandiyadevan
DynastyChola (by birth)
Bana (by marriage)
FatherParantaka II
MotherVanavan Mahadevi
ReligionHinduism (Shaivism sect)

Kundavai Pirattiyar, commonly known mononymously as Kundavai, was a princess of the Chola empire who lived in the tenth century in South India.[1] She was the daughter of Parantaka II and Vanavan Mahadevi.[2][3][4] She was born in Tirukoilur and was the elder sister of Chola emperor Rajaraja I. She had title as Ilaiyapirātti Kundavai Nachiyar.

However when her husband Vallavaraiyan Vandiyadevan was crowned king in his hometown Bana Kingdom, she did not accept the offer to become queen of the kingdom and remained as the princess of Tanjore.[5]

Life

Kundavai (also transliterated as Kundhavai or Kunthavai) was born in 945 CE. She was the only daughter of the Chola king Parantaka II and queen Vanavan Mahadevi. She had an elder brother – Aditha Chola II, and a younger brother – Raja Raja Chola I.

Kundavai married Vallavaraiyan Vandiyadevan, a member of the Bana Dynasty, a feudatory of the Cholas mentioned in the Tanjore inscriptions.[5] He was also the commander of the Chola infantry that fought in Sri Lanka in the days of Rajaraja l. The territory under his authority was known as 'Vallavaraiyanadu', and occasionally 'Brahmadesam'.

Along with her great-aunt Sembiyan Mahadevi, Kundavai brought up her nephew, Rajendra I, who was the son of Rajaraja I and Thiripuvana Madeviyar, princess of Kodumbalur. Rajendra I spent most of his childhood in Pazhaiyarai with Kundavai and Sembiyan Mahadevi.

Kundavai is celebrated as mentor to Rajaraja I. Her influence continued into the next generation as she helped rear Rajendra Chola. Uniquely for her era, where royal women were used to forge alliances, Kundavai's father allowed her to exercise her free will, whereupon the princess resolved to stay in the Chola kingdom all her life. Esteemed throughout the Chola realm for her taste and learning, Kundavai was requested to look after the daughters of other royal clans, tutoring them in art, music, and literature.

Life and works

The temple that Kundavai built in memorial of The Great Rajaraja I at Rajarajapuram (Dhadhapuram)

Kundavai commissioned many temples for Tirthankars, Vishnu and Siva. She revered many Jain Monks and Vedantic seers .[6][5] She features in Chola inscriptions.[7][8]

A Jain temple commissioned by Kundavai at Tirumalai (Jain complex) in Tiruvannamalai.

..vessels and ornaments made of gold, silver and pearl and presented to the temples of Kundavai-Vinnagar-Alvar, Iravikulamanikka-Iswara and Kundavai Jinalaya, built by the princess Parantakan Kundavai Pirattiyar, daughter of Ponmaligaittunjiyadevar(Parantaka Sundara Chola).[9]

She is believed to have built many Jain temples but at least two Jain temples have inscriptions that records to have been built by her, one at Rajarajeswaram later known as Darasuram and the other at Tirumalai.[8] She built a hospital after her father named Vinnagar athura salai at Thanjavur and donated extensive lands for its maintenance.[10][11] She made lavish donations to the Brihadeeswarar Temple at Thanjavur during the reign of her younger brother Rajaraja Chola I and her nephew Rajendra Chola I.

One of the inscriptions reads:

Records gift of sheep for lamps to the temple of Kundavai-Vinnagar-Alvar by princess Pirantakan-Kundavai-Pirattiyar. Also mentioned is the senapati, Mummudi-Chola Brahmamarayar who was in charge of the management of the temple[12]

[13] Some of the images or idols set up by princess Kundavai include:[14]

Here is an excerpt from the 29th year of Rajaraja that lists some of her gifts to Brihadeeswarar Temple:

Hail! Prosperity! Until the twenty-ninth year (of the reign) of Ko-Rajakesarivarman alias Sri-Rajarajadeva who..-
Arvar Parantakan Kundavaiyar, (who was) the venerable elder sister of the lord Sri-Rajarajadeva and the great queen of Vallavaraiyar Vandyadevar
..gave three thousand five hundred karanju of gold, which was a quarter superior in fineness to the (gold standard called) dandavani, and one thousand five hundred karanju of gold, which was one (degree) inferior in fineness to the dandavani, – altogether, five thousand karanju of gold.[15]

Hail ! Prosperity! Until the third year (of the reign) of Ko-Parakesarivarman, alias the lord Sri-Rajendra-Soradeva,-
Arvar Parantakan Kundavaiyar, (who was) the venerable elder sister of the lord Sri-Rajarajadeva (and) the great queen of Vallavaraiyar Vandyadevar gave-

..One sacred girdle (tiruppattigai), (containing) ninety-seven karanju and a half, four manjadi and nine-tenths of gold. Six hundred and sixty-seven large and small diamonds with smooth edges, set (into it), – including such as had spots, cracks, red dots, black dots, and marks as of burning, – weighed two karanju and a quarter and six-tenths (of a manjadi). Eighty-three large and small rubies, viz., twenty-two halahalam of superior quality, twenty halahalam, twenty smooth rubies, nine bluish rubies, two sattam and ten unpolished rubies, – including such as had cavities, cuts, holes, white specks, flaws, and such as still adhered to the ore, – weighed ten karanju and three-quarters, three manjadi and two-tenths. Two hundred and twelve pearls, strung or sewn on, – including round pearls, roundish pearls, polished pearls, small pearls, nimbolam, ambumudu, (pearls) of brilliant water and of red water, such as had been polished while still adhering to the shall, (and pearls with) lines, stains, red dots, white specks and wrinkles, – weighed eighteen karanju and two manjadi. Altogether, (the girdle) weighed one hundred and twenty-nine karanju and seven-tenths (of a manadi), corresponding to a value of four thousand and five hundred kasu..

One ring for the foot of the goddess, (containing) seventy-one karanju and a half and two manjadi of gold. Four hundred and fifty-nine diamonds, set (into it), viz., four hundred and fifty diamonds with smooth edges, and nine small square diamonds with smooth edges, including such as had spots, cracks, red dots, black dots, and marks as of burning, – weighed (one) karanju and a half, three manjadi and nine-tenths. Thirty-nine large and small rubies, viz., ten halahalam of superior quality, eight halahalam, nine smooth rubies, three bluish rubies and nine unpolished rubies, – including such as had cavities, cuts, holes, white speeks, flaws, and such as still adhered to the ore, – weighed three karanju and three-quarters, three manjadi and six-tenths. Altogether, (the ring) weighed seventy-seventy-seven karanju, four manjadi and (one) kunri, corresponding to a value of a five hundred kasu.[15]

Kundavai spent the last days of her life with her nephew Rajendra I at the palace in Pazhaiyarai.[11][16][17]

..run-tiru-amudu sëd-arulavaum ăga nellu padin kalam-āga ōrādaikku nellu nūrru irubadin kalamum udaiyār sri-Rājarājadēvarkku mun pirand-arulina sri ālvār sri-Kundavai Pirāttiyār pirand-arulina avitta-tirunālāl tingal oru nāl tiru-vilā elund-arulavu.[18]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Lalit kalā, Issue 15, page 34
  2. ↑ Early Chola art, page 183
  3. ↑ A Topographical List of Inscriptions in the Tamil Nadu and Kerala States: Thanjavur District, page 180
  4. ↑ Worshiping Śiva in medieval India: ritual in an oscillating universe, page 5
  5. 1 2 3 South Indian Inscriptions – Vol II-Part 1 (Tanjore temple Inscriptions)
  6. ↑ Women in Indian life and society, page 49
  7. ↑ Śrīnidhiḥ: perspectives in Indian archaeology, art, and culture, page 364
  8. 1 2 Encyclopaedia of Jainism, page 1000
  9. ↑ A topographical list of inscriptions in the Tamil Nadu and Kerala states, Volume 2, page 206
  10. ↑ Ancient system of oriental medicine, page 96
  11. 1 2 Great women of India, page 306
  12. ↑ A topographical list of inscriptions in the Tamil Nadu and Kerala states, Volume 2, page 207
  13. ↑ Portrait sculpture in south India, page 34
  14. ↑ Middle Chola temples:Rajaraja I to Kulottunga I (A.D. 985–1070), page 42
  15. 1 2 South Indian inscriptions: Volume 2, Parts 1–2
  16. ↑ Encyclopaedia of Status and Empowerment of Women in India: Status and position of women in ancient, medieval and modern India, page 176
  17. ↑ Middle Chola temples: Rajaraja I to Kulottunga I (A.D. 985–1070), page 381
  18. ↑ Śāṅkaram: recent researches on Indian culture, page 97

Further reading

  • Great women of India By Madhavananda (Swami.), Ramesh Chandra Majumdar
  • Lalit kalā, Issue 15, Lalit Kalā Akademi., 1972
  • Middle Chola temples: Rajaraja I to Kulottunga I (A.D. 985–1070) By S. R. Balasubrahmanyam, Oriental Press, 1977
  • Śrīnidhiḥ: perspectives in Indian archaeology, art, and culture By K. R. Srinivasan, K. V. Raman
  • Encyclopaedia of Jainism, Volume 1 By Indo-European Jain Research Foundation
  • Portrait sculpture in south India By T. G. Aravamuthan
  • Ancient system of oriental medicine By S.P. Verma
  • Worshiping Śiva in medieval India: ritual in an oscillating universe By Richard H. Davis
  • Women in Indian life and society By Amitābha Mukhopādhyāẏa
  • A Topographical List of Inscriptions in the Tamil Nadu and Kerala States, Volume 7, T. V. Mahalingam, Indian Council of Historical Research, 1985
  • Śāṅkaram: recent researches on Indian culture By S. Sankaranarayanan, S. S. Ramachandra Murthy, B. Rajendra Prasad, D. Kiran Kranth Choudary
  • South Indian inscriptions: Volume 2, Parts 1–2 By Eugen Hultzsch, India. Archaeological Survey, India. Dept. of Archaeology
  • Encyclopaedia of Status and Empowerment of Women in India: Status and position of women in ancient, medieval and modern India By Raj Pruthi, Rameshwari Devi, Romila Pruthi
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