Athiyamān Nedumān Añci was one of the most powerful Tamil Vēlir kings of the Sangam era[1]. A famous royal of the Athiyamān family dynasty, he was the contemporary and the patron of poetess Auvaiyar of the Sangam period[2]. Athiyamān was a dynastic title of the Vēlir line who ruled over the Dharmapuri, Salem and surrounding areas with their capital at Tagadur (now known as Dharmapuri)[3]. The most famous of their line were the father-son duo: Nedumān Añci and Elini (the son)[4][5]. They were one of the Kadai ezhu vallal (7 great patrons) of arts and literature in ancient Tamilakam[6].
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When poetess Auvaiyar visited the court of Athiyamān Nedumān Añci, he liked her so much that he deliberately delayed in giving her gifts to prolong her stay. The poetess at first not realizing the game, got angry and condemned him and then later when she realized the true motive, became so fond him that she decided to stay and became his close friend. On another occasion, he gave her the gooseberry (nelli) fruit to the poetess with the hope of improving her life expectancy[2].
Auvaiyar describes her patron as a hardened warrior, Purananuru, song 87:
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when you enter the field of battle, Among us is a warrior, who is like a chariot wheel, made painstakingly by a carpenter, who tosses off eight chariots in a day![7] |
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In 118 CE, another Velir king Malaiyamān Thirumudi Kāri of the Kadai ezhu vallal waged war on Thagadoor against Athiyamān Nedumān Añci. It was an attempt fuelled by his longtime desire to become an emperor equivalent in power to the Cholas. After a fierce battle, Kāri would lose Kovalur to Athiyamān and would only regain it much later after Peruncheral Irumporai sacked Tagadur.[8]
Athiyamān Nedumān Añci lived in one of the most turbulent periods and was looking at an imminent invasion by the Cheras and the Cholas. He would send Auvaiyar as an envoy to the court of Ilantiraiyan of Kanchi who was a viceroy of the Chola sovereign and later ally himself with the latter to deter the Chera king[9]. Auvaiyar is given a grand welcome by Tondaimān who then goes on to proudly show her his archery. Though impressed, Auvaiyar refuses to give up her patron by subtly hinting that the king's weapons sparkled as they were probably never used whereas the arsenal of her patron were all worn out as they had seen numerous wars[2][9].
But this congregation of Nedumān Añci with the Chola and Pandya does not deter the Chera emperor, Peruñcēral Irumporai who finally arrives and sacks Tagadur. In spite of his small army, Nedumān Añci, will lead from the front and valiantly go down fighting in the battle field. AricilKilār, the war bard of Peruñcēral Irumporai, pays due homage to the opponent of his patron as he eulogises his king in Tagadur-Yāttarai[10].
Upon his death, a distressed Auvaiyar would sing a number of elegies:
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Where is he now? ..if he had even a little rice, he shared it in many plates Where is he now? ..He gave us all the flesh on the bones Where is he now? Wherever spear and arrows flew, he was there Where is he now? ..father, mainstay, king Where is he now?.[11] |
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his white umbrellas cool as the moon will not blacken will not die![12] |
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A good number of inscriptions in Jambai in Tirukkoyilur taluk have been discovered which help us identify the Satyaputras of the Ashoka's edicts:
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These put to rest any speculation regarding the identity of Satyaputras as being non-Tamil and goes on to show the greatness of this line as they are mentioned on par with the other three Tamil kingdoms[14].