Jatavarman Sundara Pandyan I facts for kids

Jatavarman Sundara Pandyan I, also known as Sadayavarman Sundara Pandyan, was a powerful king of the Pandyan kingdom. He ruled parts of South India (which was called Tamilakkam back then) from 1251 to 1268 CE. He is remembered for helping the arts and building beautiful temples. He also made sure the Pandyan kingdom grew very rich. By the time he died in 1268 CE, the Pandyan empire was at its strongest and largest ever.

Becoming King

Sundara Pandyan I became king in 1251 CE. During this time, the Pandyan kingdom was often ruled by several princes from the royal family. One prince would be the main ruler, and others would share power. Sundara Pandyan I shared his rule with Maravarman Vikkiraman II and his brother Jatavarman Veera Pandyan I.

The World When He Ruled

By the mid-1200s, the Chola empire, which had been very strong in Southern India for 300 years, was getting weaker. The last Chola king, Rajendra Chola III, ruled an empire that was falling apart. It faced many rebellions and outside attacks from the Hoysalas and Kadavas. Earlier Pandyan kings, like Maravarman Sundara Pandyan I, had already started to break the Chola's power. By the time Sundara Pandyan I became king in 1251, the Hoysalas also had less control over the Tamil kingdoms. Sundara Pandyan I took control of almost all of Tamil Nadu, reaching up to Nellore in what is now Andhra Pradesh.

Great Victories

Battles Against Cheras and Cholas

Sundara Pandyan I first attacked the Chera country. The Chera army was defeated, and their king was killed in battle. After that, he focused on the Cholas. He defeated Rajendra Chola III, who then had to accept Pandyan rule.

Battles Against Hoysalas

He also attacked the Hoysala lands near the Kaveri River. He captured a strong fort called Kannanur Koppam. Many Hoysala generals were killed, and the Pandyans took a lot of treasure, horses, and elephants. This attack stopped when the Hoysala king, Someshwara, went back to his own kingdom. Later, in 1262, Someshwara tried to attack the Pandyan kingdom but was defeated and died. Sundara Pandyan I's brother, Jatavarman Veera Pandyan I, became the governor of the lands they had captured.

Battles Against Kadavas

Sundara Pandyan surrounded the city of Sendamangalam and fought the Kadava king Kopperunchingan II. However, after defeating him, Sundara Pandyan gave Kopperunchingan his throne and country back. During his campaigns against the Kadavas and Hoysalas, he also conquered the Magadai and Kongu regions.

Invading Sri Lanka

In 1258, a minister in Sri Lanka asked Sundara Pandyan for help. Sundara Pandyan sent his army and made Chandrabhanu, a ruler from Tambralinga who had taken over the Jaffna kingdom, accept Pandyan rule. Chandrabhanu had to send valuable jewels and elephants as tribute every year.

Later, Chandrabhanu tried to invade the southern part of Sri Lanka. So, between 1262 and 1264, Prince Jatavarman Veera Pandyan I, Sundara Pandyan I's brother, went to Sri Lanka again. Chandrabhanu was killed in this battle, and another king on the island was also defeated. Veera Pandyan I then placed the Pandyan bull victory flag at the Koneswaram temple. Chandrabhanu's son, Savakanmaindan, was made the new ruler of the northern Tamil throne, but he also had to accept Pandyan rule.

However, in the late 1270s, Sundara Pandyan I's son, Maravarman Kulasekara Pandyan I, invaded Sri Lanka. He had become the Pandyan Emperor after his father died in 1268. He invaded because the Jaffna king had stopped paying tribute. Kulasekara Cinkaiariyan, a minister in charge of this invasion, became the new king of northern Sri Lanka. This was the start of the Aryacakravarti dynasty in Jaffna.

Journey to the North

After defeating the Kadava king Kopperunchingan II, Sundara Pandyan led his army north. Pandyan forces killed the Telugu ruler Vijaya Gandagopala and captured Kanchipuram in 1258. This led to a conflict with the Kakatiyas, led by Ganapati II. Sundara Pandyan I defeated a Telugu army at Mudugur in the Nellore district. He held a special ceremony there to celebrate the end of his campaign.

However, Ganapathi II later defeated Kopperunchingan II (who was then an ally of the Pandyans) and took back lands up to Kanchipuram. After Kopperinjungan II, the Kadava Pallava rulers were very weak. So, Sundara Pandyan added Kanchi, Nellore, and Visayavadai (modern Vijayawada) regions to the Pandyan Kingdom.

Helping Temples

Sundara Pandyan used the huge amount of treasure he got from his wars to make temples more beautiful. He decorated the Siva temple in Chidambaram and the Vishnu temple in Srirangam. He even put gold plating on the roofs of these two temples. Because of this, he was given the title "pon veindha perumal" (meaning "the great one who covered with gold").

He also gave many gifts to temples in Trichy, Thanjavur, and Kanchipuram. Around 1259, he built a temple at Aragalur for Kulasekara. He honored other dynasties of Tamil Nadu by building a gate at the Sri Ranganathaswami Temple in Srirangam. On this gate, he carved the names of the four great empires of Tamil Nadu: the Cholas, Pallavas, Pandyas, and Cheras. He also built the East tower of the Madurai Meenakshi Temple. He gold-plated and placed a gold pot (Kalasam) on top of the main tower of the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple. In 1263 CE, he repaired the tower of Koneswaram temple. His son Veera Pandyan placed the Pandyan victory flag and their "Double Fish" symbol at Konamalai.

Royal Titles

After defeating his neighbors, Sundara Pandyan took many impressive titles. Some of these were "Emmandalamum Kondaruliya Pandiya" (meaning "Pandiya who conquered all lands"), "Tribhuvana Chakravarthy" (meaning "Emperor of the Three Worlds"), "Ponveintha Perumal", and "Hemachadana Raja". His royal praise poems (Meikeerthi) called him "the conqueror of Kongu Nadu and Eelam; the conqueror of the Ganges and Kaveri; Vanquisher of Hoysala; Subjugator of Kadava Kopperunchingan I; The one who paid victory tribute and bravery tribute at Chidambaram; The ruler of three worlds."

Death and Successor

Sundara Pandyan I was followed by Maravarman Kulasekara Pandyan I as king in 1268. Sundara Pandyan I himself died in 1271.

Images for kids

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  Coin of Jatavarman Sundara I found in Jaffna.