Real and fiction in Ponniyin Selvan

Readers of Kalki’s Ponniyin Selvan may be in doubt about the protagonist of the novel – whether he is Raja Raja I, the greatest of the Chola kings, or Vandhya Devan, his confidante and husband of his sister Kundhavai? Vandhya Devan dominates the entire narrative in such a way that he himself looks after King Raja I.

“It is easy for any novelist to fabricate a character that is properly described in history. Tamil Nadu There are more inscriptions about King Raja I, and Kalki had to tread carefully while depicting him,” says R. Kalaikolvan, an Ophthalmologist and Director, Dr. Rajamanikanar Center for Historical Research says.

Endless debate over historicity of Kalki’s account will revive as filmmaker Mani Ratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan Hits the screens in late September.

imaginary personality

It was Raja Raja Chola I, who became Ponniyin Selvan (son of river Ponni, known as Kaveri) at the hands of Kalki, who also brought in many fictional personalities into his work.

Some of the main characters like Azhavarkadian, Punkuzhali, Nandini and Chinna Pajuvettarayar fall into the fictional category, but Kalki immortalized them by giving them strategically important roles. But the lead Vandhya Devan is not fictional. Dr. Kalaikovan explains that he was a historical figure, although whatever is attributed to him could have been born out of Kalki’s fertile imagination. “His name has been identified only in the inscriptions as Kundhavai’s husband. The inscription says Pallavarayar Vandhya Devar Deviyar Alvar Paranthakan Kundhavai Deviyar. But all his breathtaking courage and astonishing strategies are essentially Kalki’s own restless brainchild,” he adds.

In the epilogue, Kalki himself states that there are no clear rules for writing novels, especially for historical novels. “The history of Tamil Nadu has not been established with imprecise evidence. Of course, Tamils ​​can take pride in their ancient history. Appropriate historical research has been done in Tamil Nadu over the years. The inscriptions and copper plates are copied and historians are trying to establish the history of Tamil Nadu through their findings,” he noted.

Vandhya Devan is presented as a warrior of the Banar tribe. The late historian KA Nilakanta Sastri, an eminent expert on the Cholas, said that there was an ancient line of Banas kings, who ruled for more than two centuries, called Perumbanappadi, Bada Banana Desha. “It was the area between Palar to the north, Punganur to the west and Kalahasti to the east,” Mr. Shastri said.

Raja Raja I became king after the assassination of his elder brother and rightful successor Aditya II, known as Aditya Karikalan. Although he was called the Veera Pandian Thalai Konda Koparakesari Varman Karikalan (who beheaded the Pandiya king Veera Pandian), there were two more claimants to the title.

According to Sri Sastri and another historian Sadashiva Pandarthar, one of the claimants was Parthivendravaran, a chieftain of Thondaimandalam. The other was the Bhuti Vikramkesari of Kodumbalur, who also claimed victory over Veera Pandian in a battle.

Read also: Ponniyin Selvan’s charm may not fade with age

In Ponniyin Selvan, there are two Pajuvetharayar and they are brothers, but Dr. Kalaikovan says that historically there was only one Pajuvetrayar and his name was Maravan Kandan. “He had three sons and lived up to the period of Uttam Chola. He had no younger brother.”

Kalki has also played with the chronology of events. For example, sambuvairs are introduced at the beginning of the novel. But “they were nowhere in sight during the Sundar Chola period. They established themselves as minor kings only during the Chalukya-Chola king, Vikrama Chola. They ruled Tiruvannamalai and the surrounding areas, and not In Kadambur as described by Kalki,” says Dr. Kalaikovan.

best seller

Vanathi, the wife of King Raja I, is identified as Vanama Madevi, and the Tiruvalanchuzhi inscriptions confirm that she is Rajendra’s mother. The colorful characters captured the imagination of Tamils, and the novel continues to top sales at all book fairs across Tamil Nadu today.

Speaking at a book fair in Pudukottai recently, State Development Policy Council Vice-Chairman J. Jayaranjan said that it was the Dravidian movement that benefited immensely from the novel. “You need a great past to shape the nationalist sentiments. The novel was making a lot of impact at a time when leaders were talking about the greatness of Tamils,” he said, adding that the winners of the competition were also given the book as prizes at the book fair.