Vikramaditya Varaguna

Vikramaditya (r. c. 884—911 AD[1] or 920 AD[2])—better known as Vikramaditya "Varaguna"—was a monarch of the Ay dynasty of south India. His surname indicates that he was a vassal or feudatory of the Pandya ruler Varaguna II (r. 862—885 AD). He was the immediate successor of Karunantatakkan "Srivallabha" (r. c. 856/57—884 AD[3]), a vassal of Pandya king Srimara Srivallabha (r. 815—862 AD).[1][4]

Vikramaditya Varaguna
King of the Ays
Paliyam Copper Plates (898 AD)
Reignc. 884―911/20 AD
PredecessorKarunantatakkan Srivallabha (c. 856/57―884 AD)
HouseAy dynasty
ReligionHinduism

Vikramaditya is known for making a large land donation to a Buddhist vihara in central Kerala (Paliyam Copper Plates).[5] This act of donation is considered as a symbol of friendly attitute towards the Chera/Perumal rulers of Kerala (after the fall of the Pandyas in the battle of Sripurambiyan in 885 AD).[5]

Records of Vikramaditya Varaguna
  • Thirupparappu Plates[6]
  • Thirunandikkarai Plates[6]
  • Paliyam Copper Plates[6]

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. The Bhagavati temple of Tiruchanatu Malai in Chitral is often identified as a medieval Jain centre.[1]

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

In 898 AD, Vikramaditya made a donation of certain lands in the Ay country to the deity of Srimulavasa Buddhist vihara (somewhere in central Kerala, in the kingdom of the Chera/Perumals). The inscription is compiled in Tamil script (Tamil language) and Nagari script (Sanskrit).[1]

  • 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]

Date of Paliyam Copper Plates

The currently accepted date of the Paliyam Copper Plates was fixed by historian M. G. S. Narayanan.[7]

Three dates are suitable for the astronomical data contained in the plates.

  • 868 AD - suggested by Gopinatha Rao - historically untenable.[7]
  • 925 AD - suggested by Elamkulam P. N. Kunjan Pillai - goes against the reference to the 15th regnal year.[7]
  • 898 AD - Currently accepted date (M. G. S. Narayanan)[7]
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References
  1. Narayanan, M. G. S. Perumāḷs of Kerala. Thrissur (Kerala): CosmoBooks, 2013. 97, 109. 337-39, 474-75.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. http://www.asithrissurcircle.in/monuments_tamil.html
  5. Narayanan, M. G. S. Perumāḷs of Kerala. Thrissur (Kerala): CosmoBooks, 2013. 97.
  6. 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.
  7. Narayanan, M. G. S. Perumāḷs of Kerala. Thrissur (Kerala): CosmoBooks, 2013. 109-110.


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