Kadungon

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Kadungon or Kadunkon was also the name an earlier Pandya king, mentioned in the Sangam literature.
Kadungon
Pandyadhiraja
Reign 590 CE-620 CE
Coronation 590 CE
Predecessor Unknown
Successor Maravarman Avanisulamani
Dynasty Pandya

Kadungon was a Pandya king who revived the Pandya rule in South India in the 7th century CE. Along with the Pallava king Simhavishnu, he is credited with ending the Kalabhra rule, marking the beginning of a new era in the Tamil speaking region.[1] Most historians, including R. C. Majumdar, state the period of Kadungon rule as 590-620 CE.[2][3][4]

The Sangam literature mentions early Pandya dynasty, which is believed to have gone into obscurity during the Kalabhra interregnum. The dynasty was revived by Kadungon, who is considered as the first important Pandya ruler.

Not much is known about Kadungon.[5] Most of the knowledge about him comes from the Velvikudi (or Velvikkud) inscription of the Pandya king Parantaka Nedunchadaiyan (also Nedunjadaiyan or Nedunchezhiyan). According to this inscription, Kadungon defeated several petty chieftains and destroyed "the bright cities of unbending foes".[6][7] It describes him as the one who liberated the Pandya country from the Kalabhras and emerged as a "resplendent sun from the dark clouds of the Kalabhras".[8] His defeat of Kalabhras (considered Jains or Buddhists) was hailed as the triumph of Brahminism.[9]

Kadungon's title was "Pandyadhiraja"[10], and his capital was Madurai. He was succeeded by his son Maravarman Avanisulamani.[6]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Majumdar, Ramesh Chandra [1968] (1987). Ancient India. Motilal Banarsidass, 395. ISBN 978-8120804364. OCLC 3756513. 
  2. ^ Majumdar, Ramesh Chandra; Achut Dattatraya Pusalker, Asoke Kumar Majumdar (1977). The History and Culture of the Indian People. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, 267. OCLC 59089562. 
  3. ^ Perera, L. H. Horace; M Ratnasabapathy (1954). Ceylon & Indian history from early times to 1505 A.D.. Colombo: W.M.A. Wahid, 161. OCLC 12935788. 
  4. ^ Pollock, Sheldon Ivan (2003). Literary Cultures in History: Reconstructions from South Asia. University of California Press, 306. ISBN 978-0520228214. OCLC 46828947. 
  5. ^ Tripathi, Rama Shankar [1942] (1999). History of Ancient India. Motilal Banarsidass, 483. ISBN 978-8120800182. OCLC 43890119. 
  6. ^ a b Chopra, Pran Nath; T.K. Ravindran, N. Subrahmanian [1979] (2003). History of South India. S. Chand & Company Ltd., 79. ISBN 8121901537. OCLC 6357526. 
  7. ^ [1924] (1983) in Rao Bahadur H. Krishna Sastri: Epigraphia Indica Vol. XVII. Archaeological Survey of India, 291-309. 
  8. ^ Padmaja, T. (2002). Temple of Krishana in South India: History, Art and Traditions in Tamilnadu. Abhinav Publications, 44. ISBN 978-8170173984. OCLC 52039112. 
  9. ^ Ramaswamy, Vijaya (1997). Walking Naked: Women, Society, Spirituality in South India. Indian Institute of Advanced Study, 69. ISBN 978-8185952390. OCLC 37442864. 
  10. ^ Sastri, K A Nilakanta (1964). The Culture and History of the Tamils. K.L. Mukhopadhyay, 20. OCLC 17907908.