Nedunj Cheliyan I

Netunceliyan, was an early Pandya king. Netunceliyan was known by the title Āriyappaṭai-kaṭanta Neṭuñceḻiyaṉ (he who won a victory against an Aryan army). He is a character in Ilango Adigal's Cilappatikaram, one of the Five Great Epics in Tamil literature.

Literature

The Cilappatikāram 's Katturaikadai canto mentions Neduncheziyan's victory over Aryans:

Netunceliyan thus appears in Cilappatikaram, which describes the tragic story of Kannagi and Kovalan. It is attributed to Ilango Adigal, a Chera prince turned monk, and was probably composed between the 2nd and the 6th centuries CE.

The first part of Cilappatikāram describes the city of Puhar in the Chola Empire, where the pair of Kovalan and Kannagi reside. After Kovalan loses his wealth through his illicit relationship with the dancer Madhavi, he returns to Kannagi and the couple decide to move to Madurai in the Pandya Empire. The Pandyas are led by king Neduncheziyan and his wife Kopperundevi.

When Kovalan attempts to sell one of the two anklets of Kannagi to raise money, the royal goldsmith, who had earlier stolen an anklet belonging to the queen Kopperundevi, finds the that anklets are similar, and falsely accuses Kovalan of stealing the queen’s anklet. Enraged by the act, the king Neduncheziyan orders Kovalan’s arrest and execution without a fair trial. After Kovalan is executed, Kannagi appears in the royal court, trying to prove her husband’s innocence and demanding justice. She breaks open her remaining anklet to reveal that her anklet contained rubies whereas queen Kopperundevi's missing anklet contained pearls. When the king realises the truth and his mistake, he kills himself due to remorse.

Archaeological evidence

According to Iravatham Mahadevan, the Tamil Brahmi inscriptions discovered at Mangulam, possibly mentions the Pandyan king Netunceliyan. He is titled as Āriyappaṭai-kaṭanta Neṭuñceḻiyaṉ (Netunceliyan who defeated the Aryans), signifiying his defeat of the Aryans.

The inscriptions mentions that workers of Neṭuñceḻiyaṉ I, a Pandyan king of Sangam period, made stone beds for Jain monks. It further details the name of worker for whom he made stone bed. For example, an inscription shows that Kaṭalaṉ Vaḻuti, a worker (- accountant; he was also related family) of Neṭuñceḻiyaṉ, made a stone bed for the Jain monk Nanta-siri Kuvaṉ.

In popular culture