Vikramaditya Varaguna
| Vikramaditya Varaguna | |
|---|---|
| King of the Ays | |
.jpg) Paliyam Copper Plates (898 AD) | |
| Reign | c. 884―911/20 AD |
| Predecessor | Karunantatakkan Srivallabha (c. 856/57―884 AD) |
| House | Ay dynasty |
| Religion | Hinduism |
Vikramaditya (r. c. 884—911 AD
Vikramaditya Varaguna succeeded Karunanthadakkkan Srivallabha known for building and consecrating the Parthasarathy temple, Parthivapuram dedicated to Hindu deity Vishnu along with a Vedic salai (school) attached the temple.[4] Vikramaditya married Aykula Mahadevi at this temple.[4]
Vikramaditya is known for making a large land donation to a
Records of Vikramaditya Varaguna
Chitral inscription, dated to the 28th year of Vikramaditya Varaguna, says that Kunantangi Kurattikal, the disciple of Arattanemi Bhatara of Perayakkudi gifted some gold ornaments to the Bhatariyar of Tiruchanatu Malai.
Certain Varaguna - may be Vikramaditya - the disciple of Tirucharanattu Pattini Bhatarar appears as a donor in an inscription discovered from the temple of Tiruchanatu Malai in Chitral.[1]
Paliyam Copper Plates
The Paliyam Copper Plates name Varaguna, and do not mention Vikramaditya. There were several Varaguna in the history of South India. However, the Paliyam Plates include passages that mention the king to be from the Vrishni-kula and Yadava-vamsa, which helps identify Vikramaditya Varaguna as the likely source.[8]
According to these plates, Vikramaditya made a donation of certain lands in the Ay country to the deity of Srimulavasa
- Paliyam Copper Plates open with three Sanskrit slokas in praise of Soudhodani (Buddha), Dharmasangha (Dharma) and Avalokitesvara.[1]
- Describe Varaguna as the "Lord of Vizhinjam" and a member of the "Vrisni Race".[1]
- Show arrangements made by the king - probably the Chera/Perumal king - to protect the plot handed over to the Srimulavasa vihara. It is tentatively concluded that the king had appointed Vira Kota, a member of the Chera/Perumal family, to protect the plot.[1]
- Contain request to the king's descendants to "uphold dharma" and protect the land of donation[1]
- Contain general appeal to all people to turn to "acts of benevolence".[1]
- Tamil portions show the details - such as boundaries - of the plot donated[1]
These plates are significant as they confirm that Buddhism was present and receiving land grants in the 9th-century in Tamil speaking regions of South India. Further the confirmation and use of Nagari script and Sanskrit in 9th-century South India is also notable.[8]
Date of Paliyam Copper Plates
The currently accepted date of the Paliyam Copper Plates was fixed by historian M. G. S. Narayanan.[9]
Three dates are suitable for the astronomical data contained in the plates.
- 868 AD - suggested by Gopinatha Rao - historically untenable.[9]
- 925 AD - suggested by Elamkulam P. N. Kunjan Pillai - goes against the reference to the 15th regnal year.[9]
- 898 AD - Currently accepted date (M. G. S. Narayanan)[9]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Narayanan, M. G. S. Perumāḷs of Kerala. Thrissur (Kerala): CosmoBooks, 2013. 97, 109. 337-39, 474-75.
- ^ a b c d e Gurukkal, Rajan. The Agrarian System and Socio-Political Organisation Under the Early Pandyas c. AD 600-1000. Doctoral Thesis. Jawaharlal Nehru University, 1984. 29-30.
- ^ "Asithrissurcircle.in".
- ^ a b T.A. Gopinatha Rao (1910), The Huzur Office Plate of Vikramaditya Varaguna, Travancore Archaeological Series Volume 1, Part 2, pp. 1–3
- ^ a b Narayanan, M. G. S. Perumāḷs of Kerala. Thrissur (Kerala): CosmoBooks, 2013. 97.
- ^ a b c T.A. Gopinatha Rao (1910), Travancore Archaeological Series Volume 2, pp. 193–195
- ^ T.A. Gopinatha Rao (1910), Travancore Archaeological Series Volume 2, pp. 125–127 with plates
- ^ a b T.A. Gopinatha Rao (1910), Two Inscriptions of Vikramaditya Varaguna, Travancore Archaeological Series Volume 2, pp. 187–188
- ^ a b c d Narayanan, M. G. S. Perumāḷs of Kerala. Thrissur (Kerala): CosmoBooks, 2013. 109-110.
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