Muthuraja

Muthuraja
Perumpidugu Mutharaiyar II alias Suvaran Maran 675 AD - 745 AD

Muthuraja or Mutharaiyar are Tamil -speaking community of landowners. Historians believe that they are descendants of Kalabhras. Mutharajas ruled over Nandi Hills before they emigrated into the upper Kaveri Delta Region and ruled there for 300 years, before the Later Chola period. Mutharaiyar (AD 610 - AD 851) earlier were a line of kings and were for a long time feudatory to the Pallavas, ruling part of Tamil Nadu in Southern India.

Origin

During the early Chola period, the chiefs of the Muthuraja community ruled over the Tanjore district in Tamilakkam. They controlled the fertile plains of the Kaveri region.[1] When the Later Cholas came to power, the Muthuraja were turned into feudatories. Muttaraiyar, literally means King of three territories.[2] They built many temples dedicated to Shiva.[3]

One of the most notable Muthuraja people was Peru Mutharaiyar, who was known for his great wealth and grand feasts. Two stanzas (200, 296) of Nālaṭiyār, one of the works of ancient Tamil literature, is dedicated to him.[4][5] One of their titles was Lord of Tanjore.[6][7]

During the period of Rajaraja Chola I, we know of at least one high-ranking chief and a feudatory of the Chola from the Muthuraja community: Śēkkizhār Araiyan Sankaranarayanan, also known as Chola-Muttaraiyan. Araiyan, which is the Tamil equivalent of the Sanskrit Raja or King, in this context means a chieftain or a governor.[8]

Temples

Vijayala choleeswaram built by llango Mutharaiyar 825AD

Narthamalai is 35 kilometres (22 mi) from Trichy on the Pudukkottai - Trichy Highway. There can be seen one of the oldest rock-cut temples built by Ilango Mutharaiyar, which was later rebuilt by Vijayalaya Chola, known as Vijayalaya Choleeswaram. The temple is dedicated to Shiva. There are also two rock-cut caves, one of which has 12 life-size sculptures of Vishnu. The temple is maintained and administered by the Archaeological Survey of India as a protected monument.

Paluvettaraiyar regiment

Paluvettaraiyar temple in Melapalur, Ariyalur dt

The Paluvettaraiyar regiment was a military regiment maintained by the Mutharaja chief Paluvettaraiyar. It comprised both Muthuraja and Sengunthar soldiers[9] in the regiment of Paluvettaraiyar and were involved in the invasion of Lanka by Cholas in the 10th century.[10][11]

See also

References

  1. ↑ The political structure of early medieval South India, page 112
  2. ↑ Journal of Indian history, Volume 19, page 40
  3. ↑ Early Chōl̤a art:origin and emergence of style
  4. ↑ History of Tamil language and literature:beginning to 1000 A. D., page 89
  5. ↑ Śaṅgam polity:the administration and social life of the Śaṅgam Tamils, page 33
  6. ↑ Tirupati Balaji was a Buddhist shrine
  7. ↑ The History and Culture of the Indian People: The classical age
  8. ↑ Indian archaeological heritage: Shri K.V. Soundara Rajan festschrift, Volume 1, page 32
  9. ↑ Ramaswamy, V. (1985). Textiles and weavers in medieval South India. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 2015-04-05.
  10. ↑ Studies in Indian epigraphy, Volumes 26–27
  11. ↑ Historical perspectives of warfare in India: some morale and matérial determinants By Sri Nandan Prasad, Centre for Studies in Civilizations (Delhi, India)
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