State, religion and identity: The case of Rajaraja Chola

The controversy over Mani Ratnam’s epic period drama Ponniyin Selvan-1 has hit a crescendo with film celebrities and politicians joining the debate over the Hindu identity of King Rajaraja Chola.
We should all be celebrating the creative genius behind telling the story of an iconic king. However, a few of those whom we look up to getting into a trivialising bickering over religious identity in a bygone era is discomforting.

More so because it is about a ruler whose immense contribution to the Dravidian consciousness was nevertheless liberating in its national and international scope.

Identities have been crucial for individuals to survive well socially, and for states and cultures to become worthy of emulation in a given time and context.

Beyond that identities are of limited use and certainly timeless in character.

Rather, the greatest of empires, let alone philosophies, saints and sects have often belonged to those who overcame their inhibitions of identity.

There is no reason to presume that the Shaivite Rajaraja was bound by the identity of his time or tried to bind others, either as a king or a devotee.

The king that he was

The thirty years before Rajaraja’s ascension to the throne were a period of great uncertainty for the Cholas.

It was during Rajaraja’s nearly thirty years rule from 985 CE to 1014 CE that the Chola kingdom was back in vogue as the most powerful south Indian kingdom.

The reign of Rajaraja I and his son Rajendra I brought political unity to the whole of southern India at a time when northern India was reeling under “repeated Islamic inroads”, notes K A Nilakanta Sastri in his 1958 book, A History of South India.

Rajaraja laid the ground of Chola dominance across the Indian Ocean all the way up to Lakshwadeep, Maldives and Southeast Asia, and brought glory to one of the longest ruling dynasties helping its continuity for almost 250 years after him.

On the military front, Rajaraja’s formidable army and navy also ruled the roost in Kerala, Kalinga, Karnataka and Sri Lanka by pushing back the Cheras, Pandyas, and Sinhalas, among others.

Rajaraja – the ruler

The great emperor is also remembered for streamlining the administrative, revenue collection and irrigation system through systematic land surveys and reorganisation of the kingdom into governable units.

He is also known for creating an effective audit system and strengthening local self-government by giving autonomy to village assemblies and public bodies.

Rajaraja – the individual

Born Arulmozhi Varman, Rajaraja-I, literally the King of Kings, adopted the title on his ascension to the Chola throne in 985 CE.
Although, as a prince, Arulmozhi had gained a name for himself, courtesy battlefield successes against Sinhala and Pandya army.
Rajaraja was a king with many wives and had at least one son and three daughters. Although, in the family, he was deeply influenced by his elder sister and did not hesitate in seeking a good advice on matters of state.

Another evidence of his wily traits happen to be the marriage of one of his daughters to a Chalukya prince.

Rajaraja – the devotee king

The Shaivite Rajaraja’s relationship with the predominant faiths was regal.

He encouraged Buddhism, supported Shaivism and facilitated construction of Buddha Shrine at Nagapattinam and Buddhist monastery at Anairnangalam village.

Possibly Rajaraja’s most timeless contribution happens to be the magnificent South Indian architectural gem – the Shiva temple of Brihadeeswara in Thanjavur.

N Vanamamalai wrote in the journal “Social Scientist” in 1974 that Rajaraja built Brihadeeswara “to commemorate his victories in battle, proclaim the greatness of the Chola dynasty and to dazzle the subjects of the empire with the magnificent edifice”.

Sastri terms the era of Rajaraja and his son as “the silver age of the religious revival” when a new commentary was composed on the Rig Veda and “the glorious conception of the form of the Dancing Lord Nataraja found embodiment in many monumental bronze images …”

Ponniyin Selvan

The film Ponniyin Selvan or the Son of Kaveri brought to the world the story which the greatest filmmakers of Tamil Cinema have tried to tell since late 1950s.

To have adapted it from a 2000+ page Tamil novel into a two-and-a-half-hour odd magnum opus is a feat in itself. The film has taken the box office by storm and the beauty of visual medium will ensure that it is seen worldwide by people across languages, geographies, and cultures.

It will not only enhance the appeal of Tamil language, history, and culture, it will also bring adulation for India and increase our soft power.

It is a pity for award-winning filmmakers and politicians to get into an identity argument after such endeavours.

This is belittling the phenomenal accomplishment of telling the historical-fictional story of a great king who ruled a thousand years ago and influenced lands and cultures beyond his shores.