Netunceliyan, was an early Pandya king. Netunceliyan was known by the title Āriyappaṭai-kaṭanta Neṭuñceḻiyaṉ (he who won a victory against an Aryan army). He is a character in Ilango Adigal's Cilappatikaram, one of the Five Great Epics in Tamil literature.[4]
| Netunceliyan | |
|---|---|
| Āriyappaṭai-kaṭanta Neṭuñceḻiyaṉ (lit., he who won a victory against an Aryan army)[1] | |
.jpg) Kannagi asking for justice in the court of Netunceliyan, a scene from the Cilappatikaram | |
| Pandyan Ruler | |
| Reign | 270 BCE[2] |
| Successor | Vetrivēl Seliyan[3] |
| Spouse | Kopperundevi |
| Issue | Vetrivēl Seliyan |
| House | Pandyan |
Literature
editThe Cilappatikāram's Katturaikadai canto mentions Neduncheziyan's victory over Aryans:
[...] These and many other things, illustrative of the unmatched rule of righteousness of the Pandyan Neduncheziyan, who vanquished the army of the northern Aryas, and established peace in the southern Tamil country [...]
— Cilappatikāram, Book II: Maduraikkāndam, Canto XXIII: Katturaikādai[5]
Netunceliyan thus appears in Cilappatikaram, which describes the tragic story of Kannagi and Kovalan.[6][7] It is attributed to Ilango Adigal, a Chera prince turned monk, and was probably composed between the 2nd and the 6th centuries CE.[8][9]
The first part of Cilappatikāram describes the city of Puhar in the Chola Empire, where the pair of Kovalan and Kannagi reside. After Kovalan loses his wealth through his illicit relationship with the dancer Madhavi, he returns to Kannagi and the couple decide to move to Madurai in the Pandya Empire. The Pandyas are led by king Neduncheziyan and his wife Kopperundevi.[10]
When Kovalan attempts to sell one of the two anklets of Kannagi to raise money, the royal goldsmith, who had earlier stolen an anklet belonging to the queen Kopperundevi, finds the that anklets are similar, and falsely accuses Kovalan of stealing the queen’s anklet. Enraged by the act, the king Neduncheziyan orders Kovalan’s arrest and execution without a fair trial.[11] After Kovalan is executed, Kannagi appears in the royal court, trying to prove her husband’s innocence and demanding justice. She breaks open her remaining anklet to reveal that her anklet contained rubies whereas queen Kopperundevi's missing anklet contained pearls. When the king realises the truth and his mistake, he kills himself due to remorse.[12]
Archaeological evidence
edit
According to Iravatham Mahadevan, the Tamil Brahmi inscriptions discovered at Mangulam, possibly mentions the Pandyan king Netunceliyan.[13][14][15] He is titled as Āriyappaṭai-kaṭanta Neṭuñceḻiyaṉ (Netunceliyan who defeated the Aryans), signifiying his defeat of the Aryans.[16]
In popular culture
edit| Year | Title | Language | Actor |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 | Kannagi | Tamil | Unidentified |
| 1964 | Poompuhar | Tamil | O. A. K. Thevar |
| 1968 | Kodungallooramma | Malayalam | Kottarakkara Sreedharan Nair |
| 2016 | Paththini | Sinhala | Ravindra Randeniya |
See also
editReferences
edit- ↑ Sastri, K. A. Nilakanta (1955). A History of South India. Oxford University Press. p. 121. Retrieved 26 April 2026.
- ↑ Ashok, Sowmiya (2025). The Dig: Keeladi and the Politics of India’s Past. John Murray India. p. 170.
- ↑ Dikshitar, V. R. Ramachandra (1939). The Silappadikaram. Oxford University Press. p. 309. Retrieved 26 April 2026.
- ↑ Sastri, K. A. Nilakanta (1955). A History of South India. Oxford University Press. p. 121. Retrieved 26 April 2026.
- ↑ Dikshitar, V. R. Ramachandra (1939). The Silappadikaram. Oxford University Press. p. 271. Retrieved 26 April 2026.
- ↑ Zvelebil 1973, p. 174–175.
- ↑ Pollock 2003, p. 296–298.
- ↑ Sastri 2002, p. 397.
- ↑ Alain Danielou 1965, p. viii.
- ↑ Parthasarathy 1993, p. 73–90.
- ↑ Dikshitar 1939, p. 217–221. sfn error: multiple targets (3×): CITEREFDikshitar1939 (help)
- ↑ Dikshitar 1939, p. 247–251. sfn error: multiple targets (3×): CITEREFDikshitar1939 (help)
- ↑ Mahadevan 2003, p. 43.
- ↑ Umamaheshwari 2018, p. 43.
- ↑ Ashok, Sowmiya (23 December 2025). The Dig: Keeladi and the Politics of India’s Past. Hachette India. ISBN 978-93-5731-853-2.
- ↑ Kavitha, S. S. (19 September 2012). "About a secular past". The Hindu.
Bibliography
edit- Danielou, Alain (1965). Shilappadikaram (The Ankle Bracelet) by Iḷaṅkōvaṭikaḷ. New Directions Publishing. ISBN 978-0-8112-0001-1.
- Dikshitar, V. R. Ramachandra (1939). The Silappadikaram. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-9-390-03592-2.
{{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help) - Mahadevan, Iravatham (2003). Early Tamil Epigraphy from the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-01227-1.
- Parthasarathy, R. (1993). The Cilappatikaram of Ilanko Atikal: An Epic of South India. Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-07848-1.
- Parthasarathy, R (2004). The Cilappatikāram: The Tale of an Anklet (Iḷaṅkōvaṭikaḷ). Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0-14-303196-3.
- Pollock, Sheldon (2003). Literary cultures in history: reconstructions from South Asia. University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-22821-9.
- Sastri, Nilakanta (2002) [1955]. A History of South India (Reprinted ed.). New Delhi: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-195-60686-7.
- Umamaheshwari, R. (2018). Reading History with the Tamil Jainas: A Study on Identity, Memory and Marginalisation. Springer Publishing. ISBN 978-81-322-3756-3.
- Zvelebil, Kamil (1973). The Smile of Murugan: On Tamil Literature of South India. Brill Publishers. ISBN 978-9-004-03591-1.