The appearance of Pazhaiyarai, a nondescript village on the banks of the Arasalaru, a tributary of the Cauvery, hardly suggests that it was once the capital of the Cholas, where the royal families lived until the 11 th Century even when Thanjavur was the seat of administration. It was once a rich, thriving town, and those familiar with Kalki’s Ponniyin Selvan will have an idea of its glorious past.
“Oh! How many small villages are there in Pazhaiyarai! It includes Nandipuravinnagaram, Thiruchathimuttram, Patteeswaram, Harichandrapuram and various temples. There were four Siva temples — Vada Thali (North), Keezh Thali (East), Mel Thali (West) and Then Thali (South) — on the four sides of the town,” describes Kalki. Except the southern one, all other temples are still standing at Pazhaiyarai.
As director Mani Ratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan: I is waiting to be released in a couple of months, there is renewed interest in the novel, and one is not sure if Pazhaiyarai has received adequate attention in the film. Kalki refers to Kundavai as the daughter of the Pazhaiyarai king, referring to her father Sundara Cholan.
Kundavai, elder sister of Raja Raja I, and her lover Vandhiyadevan had received treatment on a par with Raja Raja I, and there are suggestions that the actual hero is Vandhiyadevan. Kundavai, who first met Vandhiyadevan in the house of a Kumbakonam astrologer in the company of Azhwarkadiyan, who remain mysterious throughout the novel, once again gets a chance to encounter him in Pazhaiyarai.
“When Kundavai Piratiyar points to Azhwarkadiyan, the other princesses present all burst into laughter. Azhwarkadiyan also turns his attention towards them to know the reason for the laughter. The eyes of Kundavai Piratiyar try to exchange a message with Azhwarkadiyan. He bows his head, indicating that he understands it,” writes Kalki about their meeting in Pazhaiyarai.
Though Ponniyin Selvan is a work of fiction, Kalki, drawing on historical works, references literature, inscriptions and copper plates. His writing skill is able to transport his readers to the period when the Cholas were expanding their empire.
Kalaikovan, director of Dr. Rajamanickanar Centre for Historical Research, Tiruchi, said there was adequate evidence to suggest the existence of Pazhaiyarai since the 5 th Century, and it was sung by Saivite saint Thirunavukkarasar. Sekkizhar, the author of Periyapuranam, refers to it as Arai Vada Thali.
“When Thirunavukkarasar visited Vada Thali, the Jains tried to hide the idol of Lord Siva [Siva Linga] from him, the local king intervened and helped Thirunavukkarasar. It is a madakkoil, and it is still there,” explains Dr. Kalaikovan, who has written about the temple.
He said Then Thali could have either been destroyed or lost to time. Dancers from the temple had visited Thanjavur. “I worked in those areas, and I was not able to trace Then Thali. Mel Thali is still there, and there are a lot of Chola period sculptures,” he says. The Somanathar temple, Dr. Kalaikovan, said could be Keezh Tali. There is a Chola period ‘Kottravai’ (a female deity) in the temple.
Historian Sadasiva Pandarathar, author of The Later Cholas, reiterates that the ruler who helped Thirunavukkarasar, without doubt, was a king who belonged to the Chola lineage. They remained vassal kings under the Pallavas. There is a place called Cholar Maligai, which once housed the palace of the Chola kings. “Chola King Vijayalaya and his descendants retained Pazhaiyarai as their second capital. Inscriptions also prove that the royal families lived there till the 11 th Century,” explains Pandarathar.
Kalki writes that every prince and princess had their own palaces around Cholar Maligai and “even a thousand eyes are not adequate to enjoy their beauty.” According to Pandarathar, the palace was surrounded by Ariyapadai Veedu, Pambai Veedu, Pudupadai Veedu and Manappadai Veedu. These were all localities occupied by Chola soldiers.
While narrating the scenes in Pazhaiyarai, Kalki says a section of the soldiers in the four streets were waging war in Eelam, another in Madurai and yet another in the north.
“Only women, children, and old people live in those houses. The Velakkarappadai in Mazhavarpadi has also been sent to Thanjavur, and their houses remain locked. Ministers and officials also moved to Thanjavur,” Kalki further writes, hinting at the emergence of Thanjavur overshadowing Pazhaiyarai.
