South India and her Muhammadan Invaders c9.55

c9.55

Māravarman Kulaśēkhara.—The next great Pāṇḍya whose history is of sufficient importance to be dealt with is the last great one among them called Māravarman Kulaśēkhara I, whose accession took place in A.D. 1268 according to the late Professor Kielhorn, and of whose forty-fourth year¹ we have a record or two. His reign therefore would extend from A.D. 1268 to 1311 almost. This long reign was one of comparative peace and uniform prosperity, if the statements of Marco Polo and the Muhammadan historians are to be given full credit. This ruler is apparently the ‘Khales Dewar’ of the Muhammadan historians, and the ‘Asciar’ or ‘Ashar’ of Marco Polo. Of Khales Dewar, Wassaf says that he ‘had ruled for forty years in prosperity and had accumulated in the treasury of Shahr-Mandi² 1200 crores in gold.’ In his days, Kāyal a port of the Pāṇḍya country was in a very prosperous condition, and Marco Polo says of him that he was ‘the eldest of the five brother kings.’ Of Kāyal he says: ‘it is at this city that all the ships touch that come from the west, from Hormos³ and from Kis⁴ and from Aden, and all Arabia, laden with horses and with other things for sale. And this brings a great concourse of people from the country round about, and so there is great business done in this city of Cail.’⁵ Reverting to his account of the king he continues ‘the king possesses vast treasures, and wears upon his person great store of rich jewel. He maintains great state and administers his kingdom with great equity, and extends great favour to merchants and foreigners, so that they were very glad to visit his city.’ According to a grant of this Kulaśēkhara he is described as in residence at his palace located ‘in a grove south of the town of Jayangonda-Śolapuram' and the royal seat in the palace is called Kālingarāyan. This Māravarman Kulaśēkhara is also known by the other title Konērinmaikondān (the king who had no equal). His records are generally without introduction, although the Ālvār Tirunagari record,¹ has one which recounts his achievements. The fact that the name of the officer Kālingarāyan figures in this document and in various others of a king Māravarman Kulaśēkhara goes to prove the identity of the ruler referred to. In one document of his seventeenth year, which would correspond to A.D. 1285, the king is said to have been in residence at Gangaikonda-pattanam.² He is represented in the one grant with introduction as ruling over both the Chola and the Pāndya countries. Of this particular period it can almost correctly be said that there were five Pāndyas³ at the time, as Marco Polo says.