Tenkasi Pandyas


Tenkasi Pandyas were the Pandya kings from Sadaavarman Parakrama Pandya to his successors who ruled with Tenkasi as their capital. With the invasion of the Sultanates, Vijayanagaras, and Nayakars from the fourteenth century onwards, the Pandyas lost their traditional capital of Madurai and shifted to cities like Tenkasi and Tirunelveli. Tenkasi was the last capital of the Pandyas. All the Pandyas from Sadaavarman Parakrama Pandya and his next generations were crowned in the Adheenam Mutt in Kasi Viswanathar temple. During the same period, some Pandyas ruled with Tirunelveli as their capital. Kayatharu, Vadakkuvalliyur, and Ukkirankottai are some of their major cities. Inscriptions on them are found in Tenkasi's Kasi Viswanathar temple, Brahmadesam, Cheranmadevi, Ambasamudram, Kalakkad and Pudukkottai. The last Pandyan king to be known in the history of the Pandyas was Kolakonda, who was also among the Tenkasi Pandyas.

List of Tenkasi Pandya kings

List of Pandyas who ruled with Tenkasi as the capital.
NoKingPeriod
1Sadaavarman Parakrama Pandya1422–1463 AD
2Kulasekara Pandiyan III1429–1473 AD
3Aksharan Perumal Parakrama Pandya1473–1506 AD
4Kulasekara Pandya1479–1499 AD
5Sadaverman Sewallapa Pandya1534–1543 AD
6Parakrama Kulasekaran1543–1552 AD
7.Nelveli Maran1552–1564 AD
8.Sadaavarman Adeevirama Pandya1564–1604 AD
9.Varathuranga Pandya1588–1612 AD
10.Varagunarama Pandya1613–1618 AD
11.Kollankondan

All the Pandyas of the Varagunarama Pandya period were under the Vijayanagara Empire and paid them tribute. However, other sources invariably mention that though the Madurai Nayakas were in-charge of Madurai, from time to time, they were opposed by and had skirmishes with the Tenkasi Pandyans, who are also said to have had intermittent control of Madurai. The Tenkasi Pandyas also had imperial ambitions, fought some wars, conquered territories outside their terrain. This is proven by the fact that the last Tenkasi Pandyan king bore the title "Kollamkondan", which means the one who conquered Kollam in Malayalam country. The Pandya dynasty lasted till about 1655, though some coins issued in 1670 AD have also been found.

Pandyas losing Madurai

Although the Vijayanagara Empire and the Nayaks ruled Madurai after the 14th century, they were occasionally opposed by the Pandyas. Sometimes they have ruled Madurai. Prominent among them were Saadavarman Vikrama Pandya and his son, Arikesari Parakrama Pandya. They had built 32 forts around Madurai. Later, when Vishwanatha Nayakkar became the Madurai Mandalasuvaran, he feared of Pandya resurgence in Madurai. He divided Madurai into 72 districts, including 16 districts of those closest to the Pandyas. He gave them positions and made them separate from the Pandyas. This made Pandyas to lose Madurai forever.

Tenkasi's origin

Shenbagapozhil in Tamil means "champak tree-lined rainforest". In the fifteenth century, Lord Shiva is said to have had appeared in the dream of King Parakrama Pandya, who ruled the Shenbagapozhil area. In that dream, he was said that a lingam worshiped by the Pandya's ancestors was in the Shenbaga forest. He was said that ants could be found crawling out of their fort and if they followed the ants, the lingam could be found. He was also told by Shiva to construct a temple there. The reason is the order from Shiva, "Shiva devotees in the south die before reaching Kashi on their way to Varanasi in the north. So for them to get my grace, build a city equaling that of Varanasi in the south". Obeying his words, King Parakrama Pandya built the Tenkasi gopuram for his ancestor-worshiped lingam. The word Tenkasi translates to "South Kashi". The town was called the Tenkasi after the temple.

Other names

Tenkasi was known by 16 names before the reign of Sadaavarman Parakrama Pandya. They were
  1. Sachhithanapuram
  2. Muttuthantavanallur
  3. Anantakkuthanur
  4. Saivamuthur
  5. Tenpuliyur
  6. Kuyinkudi
  7. Sittharvasam
  8. Senpagapozhil
  9. Sivamavoor
  10. Sathamaatharoor
  11. Sithiramoolathanam
  12. Mayilaikudi
  13. Palalinkapaadi
  14. Vasanthakudi
  15. Kosigai
  16. Sitharpuri

    Cityscape

The Pandya city of Tenkasi was centered around the Kasi Viswanathar temple. There were square-shaped streets in succession around the temple. The Tenkasi Pandyas were based on a fortress known as Ukkirankottai.

Proofs

Historic text

Pandya Kulodayam is a Pandya history book written by Mandalakavi of the Tenkasi Pandya period. The information it contained were:
  1. The first Pandya king to be crowned with Tenkasi as the capital was the Sadaavarman Parakrama Pandya.
  2. All the Pandya kings after him were crowned in the Tenkasi temple. They were inscribed in the temple's inscriptions.
  3. The last Pandya king, King Kolakkondan, was killed in approximately AD 1615.

    Numismatics

Although the Pandya kings who ruled Tenkasi ruled only marginal lands, they had issued coins in their name. The coins with the name of King Sadayarvarman Kulasekara Pandya II's son Aagavarman, were found.

Art

Notable temples

Temple's specialty

''Vayuvasal'' (Sadaavarman Parakrama Pandya entrance)

Some of the sculptural masterpieces of Tamil Nadu can be seen in the Thiruoolaka Mandapam at the Swami sannathi. There are 16 statues in the hall.
  1. Agni Veerapathirar
  2. Rathidevi
  3. Maha Thandavam
  4. Urthuva Thandavam
  5. Kalidevi
  6. Mahavishnu
  7. Manmathan
  8. Veerapathirar
  9. Paavai
  10. Paavai
  11. Tharman
  12. Beeman
  13. Arjunan
  14. Nakulan
  15. Sahadevan
  16. Karnan
The above statues are all sculpted out of single stone with subtle workmanship by the Pandya-era sculptors.

Tunnels

The entrance to the tunnel is still visible in the big temple. It is said to have four tunnels.
  1. The Avur people still say that the tunnel to the east is going to Vindhankottai in Sundarapandiapuram.
  2. Another route is said to pass through the Kulasekara Nathar Temple.

    Thirumalapuram Paintings

There is a cave temple on the Thirumalapuram hill near Tenkasi. It is on the way to Serndamaram village near Kadayanallur. The temple has paintings of the Pandya period. The first to discover these paintings was scholar Duprai. These colour cave temple paintings exemplify the art of the Pandya period.

Literature

Tenkasi Pandyas had also contributed to Tamil literature.
YearCapitalPandya kingTextsGuru
1560 –1600Karuvai, later TenkasiVarakunaramanVaayu Sangeethai, Ilinga PuranamAkora Shivam Swami Devar
1588 – 1613KaruvaiVarathurangaramanPramothira Kaandam, Karuvai Anthathi, KokogamVembathur Eesana Munivar
1564 – 1610TenkasiAtiviraraman known as SeevalaramanNaidatham, Kashi Kandam, Koorma Puranam, VetriverkaiSwamidevar

Apart from these, a historical book called Pandya Kulodayam was also written by Mandalakavi during the Tenkasi Pandyas period.