KERALA SANDESHA HISTORY OF PLACE TEMPLES RIVERS FINAL PART Short Poems describing Kerala history
Chapter 4 - Traces of Historical Facts from Sandesha Kavyas and Short Short poems gives us much information on some of the important historical figures of ancient Kerala. Some of the short poems bearing on Kerala history are given below. Agnivamsa-raja-katha Agnivamsa-raja-katha is a work in verse giving the legendary history of the Zamorin dynasty of Calicut. Vatakkumkur says that this is a very late work and probably written by a member of the Calicut royal family. The work is annonymous and little historical importance. Citrodayamani Citrodayamani of Sambasiva Sastri contains 2 cantos euloging Sri Citra Tirunal Maharaja of Travancore and giving the dynastic history of that royal house. The poem refers the Sri Citra Tirunal Maharajavarma as follows— citrodayamaṇiḥ so'ya mīpsitārthapradāyakaḥ sumanonandyamānaśrīratrābhātutarāṃ ciram || (I-5) The poet refers the Kerala kings as Chera— cerahvayāḥ katipaye keralābharaṇaṃ babhuḥ | Among the Cera kings Chenkkuttavan is mentioned in this poem teṣu caṅkuṭṭuvākhyātaścerodhīradharāpatiḥ colapāṇḍyamahīndrāṇāṃ nigrahānugrahaprabhuḥ || (I-9) Travancore dynasty is mentioned as— vijayāt vañcimedinīm. Poem refers the kings named Cheraman Perumal. Cheraman Tolar, is a poet and a lover of literature. In the Travancore dynasty then he mentions a Kulasekhara Alvar, author of Mukundamala. In the Travancore Royal house others kings are referred as Sthanu Ravi, Bhaskara Ravi, Govardhana Martanda (pramukhyo vañcivallabhaḥ) Sangramadhira Ravivarma, Vira kerala Varma, Martanda Varma, Srimulam Tirunal, Sri. Cittira Tirunal Maharaja. I n the second canto poet refers Sir. C.P. Ramasvami Martanda Varma Sataka The Martanda Varma Sataka is a short poem consists 111 stanzas. The author of this kavya in stated to be one Kerala Varma who had the appellation vira. It deals with the life of Prince Asvati Tirunal Martanda Varma of Travancore. It opens with the statement that Martanda Varma flourishes in the world. Then the prince’s date of birth is furnished. He is stated to have been born under Asvati asterism in the month of Kartika, in the year 1047 M.E. In the fourth verse, his unique distinction of becoming the first graduate prince of India has been alluded to— abhūtapūrvāṃ nijavaṃśajānāṃ bīeparīkṣottaraṇena labhyāṃ caturbhujāṅgaṃ labhate sma dhīmān yaḥ kañjukaṃ sadi?[Â]barudaṃ hi bālye || In the eighth verse the princes elder brother is mentioned. tasyāgrajanme yuvarājabhūyaṃ sametya dhīmāniha lālasīti || The elder brother referred to above may be identified with prince Kerala Varma. Then the author refers to the death of the princes mother. Then the author speaks of the prince’s desatana and his visit to the Himalayas. The remaining portion of the poem is devoted to describe the various qualities of the prince. Among them the noteworthy. There were many advisers, he made decision on his own accord. He never tolerated falsehood, even it uttered by one dearest to him.— priyataro api vadannanṛtaṃ vacaḥ sapati dūrata eva nirasyate || Padmanabhodaya Padmanabhodaya is a short kavya of Sankukavi known as Sankara Kavi written at the instance of Ramavarma Yuvaraja, nephew of king Martanda Varma of Travancore. According to Ullur, he has probably a Brahmin of Tamil extraction. He has written this poem named Padmanabhodaya on the Padmanabha Svami temple, Trivandrum. The author belongs to the first half of the eighteenth century. The work consists of 142 verses in four sections called Paddhatis. It deals with the glory of Anantasayanaksetra, description of the magnificance of Lord Padmanabha and the blessings showered by the lord of Divakara Yati. In this poem Sanku pays tribute to the king of Travancore, namely Martanda Varma. śrīmān mārtāṇḍabhūpo jayatu budhajanānandakārī nitāntaṃ kāvyaṃ cedaṃ madīyaṃ kalitaharikathā sāravatvāt sudhīndrāḥ śruṇvantvācandratāraṃ bhavatu ca dharaṇau vañcivaṃśo'tidīrghau brahmānandāmṛtābdhau mama hṛdayamidaṃ majjatāṃ nirviśeṣam || The adjective budhajanānandadāyī applied to the king indicates the amount of patronage extended by him to poets and scholars. In another verse he refers to the heir-apparent. Rama Varma whose order was like God’s inhibition to the poet.— dharmaḥ śarīrīva ca bhāgyarāśirde hīva mūrto haribhaktipūraḥ | sugātravān dhairyaraso'sti tatra śrīrāmavarmābhidhabhūmipālaḥ || The description of the prince as the embodiment of Dharma is very significant. In later times he became more famous as the Dharmaraja than Rama Varma Sankunni statement suggests that the cognoman Dharmaraja was derived not from the king’s grating protection to the refuges from Malabar, and the provision made for their maintenance for about twenty five years, but on account of his regular practice of Dharma. Here, Dharma does not merely mean charity, it initially refers to the doctrine of ideal kingship propagated by teh Dharmasastras. Other Short Poems Keralavilasa of Manavikrama Ettan Tampuran of Calicut contains 105 verses based on Keralolpatti. Kasiyatra varnana of Ramaswami Sastri of Elattur contains 120 verses on the pilgrimage of Visakham Tirunal Maharaja to Banaras in 1882. Apaddipah of Subbarama pattar P.S. is a poem in 33 verses on how a destitute family fleeing the kingdom of Zamurin was helped by an unknown person bearing a divine light to settle in the kingdom of the Maharaja of Cochin. Srimulacarita is short poem written by Ganapati Sastri deals the history of Travancore royal dynasty. Gurudigvijaya of Anantagiri is a biography of Sankaracharya. Brahmanapratishta is another work dealing with the settlement of Brahmins from Tulu Nadu into his country by king Udayavarma of Kolattunadu. Desyastaka contains 8 slokas dealing with the life of Udayavarma of Kolattunadu. Mala is a historical short poem of Krishnavariar A.V. on Parikshit Tampuran of Cochin. Visakhavilasa of Kesavan Vydyan in praise of Visakam Tirunal Maharaja of Travancore. Gaunasamagama is a small kavya on the visit to Trivandrum of Lord Napier, Governor of Madras, the governor is the Gauna in the kavya, composed in 1863 by Ramaswami Sastri of Elattur. Mahamrityunjayacarita of Sankara Variyar of Meethale Madom on a Mahamrtyunjaya conducted by the Raja of Kadatthanadu. Matamahisha Sastipurthi-dasaka of Krishnan Namputhiri of Nellurkandi describes the penegric on the Maharaja of Cochin. Setuyatravarnana of T. Ganapati Sastri on the setu yatra of Visakham Tirunal Maharaja of Travancore. Above mentioned these works shed light on the ancient Kerala history. bhavacchaṅkarācārya samaye śaivavallabhaḥ ceramān parumālākhyaḥ ko'pyāsīd rājaśekharaḥ || so'yaṃ mukundamālādi ganthānāṃ prabhavaḥ kaviḥ adyāpi vaiṣṇavā hṛdyāṃstāṃstān gāyanti vedavat || avṛṇīta ca sar si pi rāmasvāmyāryamuttamam nītinyāyopadeṣṭāraṃ devendra iva goṣpatim || mātyanirvartitakāryavastuṣu svamantrivīreṣu hi teṣu satsvapi vicāryakāryāṇi tanoti yassvayam na dhīmatāṃ kṛtyavidhau parārthitā || śriyāṃ pati śrīpati rājaśekharo mahīpatirdākṣiṇakeralādhipaḥ | viśālavikhyātamatirmahābhujo viśākharājo'ya vibhāti viśrutaḥ || —Vide Kerala Sahitya Caritram, Ullur IV -P 232; Keraleya Samskrita Sahitya Caritram IV -P 624mnKerala Sanskrit Literature -P 224 -History of Classical Sanskrit Literature P 522 -Kerala Sahitya Caritram, Ullur -V -P 948 K RAJARAM IRS 29925 END -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. 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