Ponniyin Selvan was the sobriquet given to Raja Raja Chola, who is the greatest of them all, variously described and sung in history as the hero who conquered all the way into North of India across Vindhyas, sea-fared to Sri Lanka many a times, went across the seas to South East in those days when it was a wonder, and the only sea-faring race heard of were the Phoenecians and the Arabs.The novel describes how the people of this period bought horses from the Arabs who land on the shores of a small island, and how the sighting of this horse plays its own minor role in tracing and developing the plot further.In fact, the story revolves and shuttles between Raja Raja (meaning the King of Kings) and the political happenings at home, during his sojourn in Sri Lanka. The narrative deals with attempts by his sister Kundavai to bring back Arunmozhi (as Raja Raja was called before his crowning) to establish political peace in a land seemingly getting besot with unrest and signs of civil war, plotted by vassals and petty cheiftains.A little deal of historical knowledge helps a great extent in making the best of one's enjoyment of reading Ponniyin Selvan, and has been proved time and again how families have been victims of this infectious addiction called Ponniyin Selvan readership. So in this context, it helps to learn of Arunmozhi (Raja Raja Chola) and his family. Rajarajan Family:The original title of Arunmozhivarman (Rajaraja Cholan) was Rajakesari Varman or Mummudi-Sola-Deva. He was the second son of the Parantaka Cholan II alias Sundara Cholan and Vaanavan Maadevi. Rajarajan had an elder sister, Kundavaiyar and an elder brother, Aditya Karikalan. Rajarajan had a high regard for his sister, who spent her later life in Tanjore with her younger brother, his first daughter was named after her. Only one son and three daughters of the King are known namely; Rajendra Cholan I, Kundavai, who married the Eastern Chalukya King Vimaladitya, Mahadevadigal and another whose name is not traceable. Rajarajan had a number of queens. Lokamahadevi was probably the chief queen, who built the shrine of Sri Lokamahadesvarar, called Uttara Kailas in the Sri Panchanadisvara temple at Thiruvaiyaru.

I think the story of Ponniyin Selvan might have been referring to the 10th century AD because Raja Raja Chola or rather Arulmozhi Varman of Kalki's Ponniyin Selvan ruled the Chola kingdom from 985 AD to 1014 AD.You are right. The incidents happened somewhere in 970 AD - 975 AD. Uthama Chozhar ruled from that day till 985 AD, and after his death Rajaraja ascended the throne.Somehow it occurred to me that 900 - 1000 is called as ninth century rather than tenth. May be I have become too digital and started counting from Zero :-)Rajendra Chola, son of Raja Raja Chola, might have made some military gains during his North Indian campaign.Probably yes. It is said that the Chozha empire reached its peak during his reign. He might have made at least some short term advancements in the North.But this book was mentioning about the ancestors of Rajaraja planting "tiger flags" on the Himalayas. I doubt whether there is any reality in that.But I guess it would have been a wonderful experience for you to read such a novel from Kalki, whatever may be the history or the reality.Yes, it was a great experience. I am looking for Kalki's other two historic novels Shivakamiyin Shapadham and Parthipan Kanavu.

Ponniyin Selvan by "Kalki" Krishnamurthi: R. Krishnamurthy's (pen name: Kalki) epic novel Ponniyin Selvan. This novel was first published in serial form in the Tamil weekly magazine Kalki from 1950 - 1954. Though Krishnamurthy wrote a large number of short stories, it was as a novelist that he got fame. He was also the first significant historical novelist in Tamil and his other works include Parthiban Kanavu and Sivagamiyin Sabatham.Parantaka Chozha was succeeded by his second son Kandaraditha as the first son Rajaditha had died in a battle. On the death of Kandaraditha, his son Maduranthaka was a child and hence Kandaraditha's brother Arinjaya ascended the throne. After Arinjaya's death, his son Parantaka II, Sundara Choza was coronated. He had two sons, Aditha Karikalan and Arulmozhi Varman and a daughter Kundavai.When the story starts, the emperor Sundara Chola is ill and bedridden. Aditha Karikalan is the general of the Northen Command and lived in Kanchi and Arulmozhi Varman (who would be famous later as Rajaraja Chola I) is in Sri Lanka in battle and their sister Kundavai Piratti lived in Chola royal household at Pazhayari.The story is set in motion, when rumor starts that there is a conspiracy against Sundara Chozhar and his sons. One person who gets a glimpse of the Pandya conspirators is a warrior of the Vana clan Vallavarayan Vandiyathevan. Even though the book is titled Ponniyin Selvan, the hero of the book is Vandiyathevan, a friend of Adhitha Karikalan.It is through Vandiyathevan that we meet most of the characters in the novel such as Arulmozhi Varman, the prince whom all the people loved and Periya Pazhavetturayar, the chancellor who married Nandini when he was sixty. During his youth Aditha Karikalan had fallen in love with Nandini, but she turned vengeful after Aditha Karikalan killed Veerapadyan (who was either Nandini's father or brother) and vowed to destroy the Chozha dynasty. We also meet Kundavai Devi, who after hearing the news of the conspiracy sends Vandiyathevan to Sri Lanka to give a message to Arulmozhi Varman to come back immediately.

Ponniyin SelvanI have just finished reading a truly wonderful Tamil epic Ponniyin Selvan by Kalki. The main characters in the story are
· Kandaradithar - the late emperor,Sembianmadevi - his wife and dowager queen and Madurantaka Thevar - their son (rather, the title of their son)
· Paranthaka Sundara Chozhar - the ailing emperor and Vanamadevi - his wife
· Aditha Karikalar - their eldest son, Arul mozhi varman - their second son - Ponniyin Selvan - later Raja Raja Cholan and Kundavai - their daughter
· Aniruddha Brahmarayar - the prime minister and Chinna Pazhuvettarayar - Commander of Tanjavur fort.
· Periya pazhuvettarayar - Treasury keeper, lord of Pazhuvur and Nandini Devi - his wife
· Sambuvarayan - lord of Kadambur, Kandan Maran and Manimekalai - his son and daughter
· The Pandya king and Ravidasan, Soman Sambhavan, Idumbankari and Devaralan - Pandya Conspirators
· Vandiyathevan - a warrior of an impoverished Vana clan and the beloved of Kundavai
· Parthibendran - friend of Adita Karikalar
· Tirumalai - a vaishnavite spy of the prime minister and Kudandai Astrologer
· Sendan Amudan and his motherVani - keepers of the garden
· Poonkuzhali - boat girl
· Mandakini - a mute, mad lady from Ilangai
Historical background Vijayalaya Cholan (848-871 CE) was the founder of the later Chola dynasty. He conquered the country from a vassal chief of the Pallavas, and established Thanjavur as the capital of the dynasty. His son and successor Aditya I conquered the Pallavas and the Kongu country. Later, under the leadership of his son Parantaka I (c 907-955 CE), the cholas acquired a dominion which foreshadowed the greater empire of Rajaraja and Kulothunga Chola I. Parantaka I won victories over the Banas, the Gangas, the Pandya and the King of Ceylon.
This fact and the extent of his conquest are known from his inscriptions. Towards the end of his reign, or before his death, the Rashtrakutas under Krishna III invaded the Tamil Country, killed the Chola prince Rajaditya at Takkolam (near Arakonam) in c. 948 CE , and seized Tondainadu which they seemed to have ruled for about a quarter of a century, confining the sway of the Cholas to their ancestral dominion comprising the Tanjavur and Thiruchirapalli districts.


The names of the next five kings after Rajaditya are known, but little is on record regarding their life history. They were Gandaraditya, Arinjaya Chola, Parantaka Chola II, Aditya Karikalan or Aditya II and Madurantaka. Aditya Karikalan II appears to have re-conquered Tondainadu a few years later. On Aditya's death, or on the death of Parantaka II, whichever was the later, the succession was probably disputed. Most of the nobles and subjects preferred that Arulmozhivarman (Rajaraja) ascend the throne, but he himself was in favour of his uncle, Madurantaka Uththama Chola becoming the king. Eventually, Arulmozhivarman was appointed heir-apparent. Rajarajan became the king in 985 CE. His reign was the starting point of a period of unexampled prosperity.
Ponniyin Selvan was the sobriquet given to Raja Raja Chola. The original title of Arulmozhivarman was Rajakesari Varman or Mummudi-Sola-Deva. He was the second son of the Parantaka Chola II alias Sundara Chola and Vaanamaadevi. Raja Raja Cholan had an elder sister, Kundavai and an elder brother, Aditya Karikalan. He had a high regard for his sister, who spent her later life in Thanjavur with her younger brother, and named his first daughter after her.
Kalki’s other sources were stone inscriptions, copper-plates and other books. There is a stone tablet in the great temple of Thanjavur which has the following inscription: “The revered elder sister of Raja Raja Cholar, the consort of Vallavarayar Vandiyathevan, Azwar Paranthakar Kundavaiyar”. The book sources were K.A.Nilakanta Sastri’s The Cholas and T.V.Sadasiva Pandarathar’s Pirkala Cholar Charitttiram. The second book has a five line reference to Vandiyathevan and from that, he became the hero of this novel. The names of the conspirators also came from a stone inscription.
A lot of the information about the activities of various kings came from inscriptions like these as well as copper plates like the one found at Anbil. The Thiruvalangadu copper-plates state, "The Chola people were very keen that after Sundara Chola, Arulmozhivarman should ascend the throne and rule their country. But Arulmozhivarman respected the right of his Uncle Uttama Chola, the son of his grandfather’s older brother, Gandaraditya, to the throne and crowned him King".
Parantaka Chozha was succeeded by his second son Kandaraditha as the first son Rajaditha had died in a battle. On the death of Kandaraditha, his son Maduranthaka was a child and hence Kandaraditha's brother Arinjaya ascended the throne. After Arinjaya's death, his son Parantaka II, Sundara Choza was coronated. He had two sons, Aditha Karikalan and Arulmozhi Varman and a daughter Kundavai.
When the story starts, the emperor Sundara Chola is ill and bedridden. Aditha Karikalan is the general of the Northen Command and lived in Kanchi and Arulmozhi Varman and their sister Kundavai Piratti lived in Chola royal household at Pazhayari.
The story is set in motion, when rumor starts that there is a conspiracy against Sundara Chozhar and his sons. One person who gets a glimpse of the Pandya conspirators is a warrior of the Vana clan Vallavarayan Vandiyathevan. Even though the book is titled Ponniyin Selvan, the hero of the book is Vandiyathevan, a friend of Adhitha Karikalan.
It is through Vandiyathevan that we meet most of the characters in the novel such as Arulmozhi Varman, the prince whom all the people loved and Periya Pazhavetturayar, the chancellor who married Nandini when he was sixty. During his youth Aditha Karikalan had fallen in love with Nandini, but she turned vengeful after Aditha Karikalan killed Veerapadyan (who was either Nandini's father or brother) and vowed to destroy the Chozha dynasty. We also meet Kundavai Devi, who after hearing the news of the conspiracy sends Vandiyathevan to Sri Lanka to give a message to Arulmozhi Varman to come back immediately.
Besides these, there are other characters like Maduranthaka Thevar, the son of Kandaraditha and the man whom the conspirators want to crown king, and Anirudha Brahmarayar, Sundara Chozhar's Prime Minister and the man who has eyes and ears everywere. But the most wonderful character in the book is Brahmarayar's spy Azhwarkadiyan Nambi, a Vaishnavite, who roams around the country challenging Saivaites for debates. He collects information for the Prime Minister and is always around Vandiyathevan, rescuing him during trouble.
There are some lovely women too, like Vanathi, the Kodumbalur princess who is in love with Arulmozhi, Poonkuzhali, the boat woman who rows the future king to Lanka, Mandakini, the deaf and dumb step mother and Rakkammal, the wife of a boatman who supports the Pandya conspirators. Most memorable among these is Nandini, who has the power to make influence any man.
With the help of a boat girl, Vandiyathevan reaches Sri Lanka and meets Ponniyin Selvan and becomes his close friend. In Lanka, Ponniyin Selvan realizes that his father had spent some time in an island near Lanka and had been with a girl born deaf and dumb. He meets her and realizes from her drawing that he had two children. Who are those children and do they have the right to the throne? Later one day in Thirupurambayam forest Vandiyathevan seens Nandini and the Pandya conspirators place a small boy on a throne and take a vow in front of him. Who is this boy and what right does he have to the thone? This is the kind of suspense that is maintained throughout the novel.
While coming back from Lanka, Ponniyin Selvan is caught in a cyclone and goes missing. Rumor spreads that he is dead, but he survives and stays at Choodamani Viharam, a Buddhist monastery in Nagapattinam. Then slowly the dispersed family starts asembling. The conspirators meanwhile choose one day in which both the king and both his sons would be assasinated.
Will the conspirators succeed in killing Sundara Chozha and crowning Madhuranthaka as the king or will Ponniyin Selvan be the king? That is the summary for the story. But then it is not that simple either for all the people in the novel have long histories of interaction with each other and everything is not as black and white as it seems. There are new revelations and relations being established all the time. and even when you think you can predict what is going to happen, new surprises pop up.
Even though this is a work of fiction loosely based on historical facts, some incidents are left without a closure such as the question - who murdered Aditha Karikalan. Various people confess to doing it, but even at the end, a doubt remains.
The three strengths of Kalki are plot, characters and dialogue.There is not even one dull moment in this 1800 page book. Suspense is maintained throughout the novel and when you think you have understood his techniques, the characters themselves reveal that they are not who you think they are. Even the last book is a page turner due to the unexpected turn of events. For a novel of this size, there are many characters like spies, magicians, warriors, soothsayers and Buddhists, and since the novel is this big, we get to know each of them very well. The dialogue between the characters are very poetic which looks odd in English. I am sure would have sounded beautiful in Tamil.
There are couple of points of irritation also. The author for some reason decides to pop into the novel at some places and give some commentary which is sometimes a detail about history, or a rationalization of events. This intervention broke the flow and I felt would have been more appropriate as an appendix or a separate article. In the book, Vandiyathevan goes to Sri Lanka in a boat rowed by the boatwoman Poonkuzhali, but there is very less detail of the type of boat or how they were able to navigate the ocean. In many places such technical details are glossed over.
This was originally published in Tamil, but thanks to the translation by C.V.Karthik Narayanan, non-Tamil reading people like me can enjoy this classic work. People who can read Tamil have certified that this translation is excellent. Though this book is quite lengtly, (6 books, each of about 300 pages), it is a page turner.
This was my first Indian historic novel and it gave a good idea of the Chola dynasty in a non-boring way.

Introduction:Sri R. Krishnamurthi (1899-1954), popularly known as Kalki, is the author of thirty-five volumes of short stories, novels, essays, travelogues, and biographies. Though his eminent scholarship was found expressed in all types of literature still he is recognized and appreciated more as a writer of social and historical novels.Novel as a new literary genre in Tamil had its beginning in the later part of the 19th century and there were a few works of originality and high quality in that century.But the dawn of the twentieth century witnessed only poor imitations of Western detective fiction. It was an era of translated and adapted novels first from Bengali and then from English and Marathi. The flowers that blossomed were of foreign origin and did not display the colour and fragrance of this soil. The novels of J. W. M. Reynolds rambled in the garb of this country and their influence was so great that even a scholar like Maraimalai Adigal had adapted a story of Reynolds for his Kumudavalli or Naganttrasi.With the appearance of Kalki in the literary scene Tamil novels had entered another era. His first novel Kalvanin Katali, when serialized in Ananta Vikatan, stole the hearts of the readers by its features of realism and description. It echoed the vox populi of this country and blazoned the colour and quality of this soil. These qualities raised the standard of the Tamil novel and increased the number of novel readers with literary taste.Three reasons can be cited for the phenomenal success of Kalki's novels. First of all, he possessed in abundance the gift of story-telling. Secondly, he introduced healthy humour in his writings. And lastly, he threw light upon the cultural and social aspects of this country as well as the current time. "Like the great European novelists of the 19th century, Kalki was a master of striking scenes and episodes. With something of the burning patriotic fervour too of the humour of Dickens and the gift of portraiture of a Thackeray Kalki spread out his novels in impressive sequence."1Almost all of Kalki's novels appeared first in the serial form and only then in the book form. So they had both the advantages and disadvantages of serialization.Thiaga Boomi (1937), Solaimalai Ilavarasi (1947), Magudapathi (1942), Apalaiyin Kannir (1947) Alai Osai (1948), Devakiyin Kanavan (1950), Poiman Karadu (1950), Punnaivanattupuli (1952), Parthiban Kanavu (1941-42), and Amara Valvu are his other novels.

Kumble, the best man to lead Test side
At heart he is a lion. And he can still roar, writesPeter Roebuck
Anil Kumble has qualities needed to coax fine performances from veterans and to instil confidence in youth.
Anil Kumble is the best man to lead the Indian Test team on its forthcoming expedition to Australia. He could forge a strong alliance with Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the obvious man for the T20 and ODI teams down under.
Between them these sturdy cricketers have the qualities needed to coax fine performances from veterans and to instil confidence in youth. Probably it won’t happen because selectors and officials are otherwise inclined but it’d be worth a g o.
More likely a more fashionable player will be given a second or third tilt at the pot.
Almost alone amongst the senior men, Kumble has not been given a chance to take charge of the Indian team. Over the last few years he has been the most constant, most probing of the Indian players yet he is seldom mentioned as a contender for the captaincy. Unstinting effort
Instead he has served with unstinting effort. Always he has put the team first.
His loyalty is to India and his comrades, and his own interests are pushed to the back of his mind, an uncommon occurrence amongst cricketers.
From time to time he may have been beaten but he has never been broken. Kumble has set a towering example. Neither the glamour and clamour of the age has distracted him from his task.
Captains scanning the field in search of someone still wanting to bowl with the sun scorching, the batsmen dominating and the scoreboard rattling, need not look past him.
Others might appear discouraged but Kumble would stride to the crease, his hope intact, his intentions plain.
Nor does he berate a fieldsmen after a catch had been dropped, or not for long anyhow (for he is only human). He can glare but he forgives readily and then tries to make amends. His appetite for wickets has never been sated. Are not these exceptional qualities? Here is an underestimated man.
As a cricketer, Kumble has surpassed expectations. It might be the same as a tactician and leader. On the rare occasions this unsmiling tweaker has directed operations he has shown the sort of flexibility and aggression supposedly absent in contemplative types.
But then Kumble merely resembles a librarian. At heart he is a lion. And he can still roar, continues to take wickets and has even scored his first Test century, an innings that reminded observers that he had started as a batsman.
Certainly he has a couple more years left in him in Test cricket. Moreover he does not expect to play in the one-day matches and is therefore perfectly placed to form a partnership with Dhoni, a young cricketer with plenty on his plate. Superb captaincy
Dhoni was superb in South Africa and is clearly capable of inspiring younger players. That does not mean he ought forthwith to be put in charge of a successful Test side full of older hands. Nor does success in T20 necessarily mean that the same players will prosper in the Test arena. Indeed Yuvraj, the most explosive batsmen in the tournament, has been exposed in Tests as a batsman with a dubious back foot game.
Dhoni can take charge of the Test team in two years, when his proteges, including the splendidly fertile Gautam Gambhir, Uthappa, Chawla and those contrasting pacemen, R.P. Singh and Sreesanth (the ice and the fire), are ready to replace the fading champions.
Till then it’d be wise to let him work on his own game whilst widening his experience of captaincy in one-day matches. Let us not kill the golden goose after a single egg has been laid.

A very crucial game for India

Setback in third ODI could mean no comeback for the host
Tendulkar, Dravid and Ganguly have been under needless pressure
Ponting could take Brad Hodge’s spot at No. 3
Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar, who gave India solid starts during the series in England, will once again be in the thick of things against Australia.
Hyderabad: The Future Cup series is on the boil. The third game – the visitors lead 1-0 – could be pivotal to the outcome of a seven-match series, effectively reduced to six after the abandoned verdict in Bangalore. A setback here and it would mean no comebacks for the Indians.
The sky was overcast here on Thursday. The forecast for Friday says the weather will be “generally cloudy with rain in some parts of the city.” The conditions could greatly influence the course of events.
The surface at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium has encouraged pacemen in the initial phase. In the India-South Africa duel here nearly two years back, the host lost five wickets for very little in the morning and lost the match. For India, at least, fielding first is the more likely option in the event of winning the toss.Ponting may play
The influential Ricky Ponting is expected to lead the side and could take Brad Hodge’s spot at No. 3. The innovative Brad Haddin, who has provided the innings momentum in the end overs, should keep his place. Experienced left-arm paceman Nathan Bracken is back as well and could replace either Mitchell Johnson or all-rounder James Hopes.
Sourav Ganguly batted at the nets and should come in for Gautam Gambhir or Robin Uthappa. At the end of the day, it is performance that matters, and the seniors, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Ganguly have been under needless pressure.
In the three ODIs that India clinched in England, Tendulkar, who batted with refreshing freedom, and Ganguly laid a solid platform. Dravid’s effort in Bristol must rank among the finest ODI innings by any batsman over the last two years.
While the Indian Twenty20 side should be given its due for a fantastic triumph, it must be realised that ODI cricket brings with it different demands in terms of focus and innings-building skills.
There has been, sadly, much bad blood between the teams. Both the captains have already been spoken to by the match referee and the umpires. A hefty fine or a ban awaits subsequent offenders in this series.
Sreesanth, if he holds on to his place, will be under intense scrutiny. If he switches his mind back to his match-winning burst against the South Africans in the Test at the Wanderers, Sreesanth would realise that he was relaxed and calm as he ran in to bowl.
India has serious bowling worries with the Australians hustling the Indian spinners. The Aussie batsmen have used their feet to go after the spinners, forced them to shift line.
Off-spinner Ramesh Powar must have realised the difference between bowling at the Englishmen and the fleet-footed Australians adept at reading the hand. Powar has been tentative, his length has suffered and with it the crucial element of his bowling — the dip. Even the more experienced Harbhajan Singh was forced to switch his line. Brilliant running
The Aussies have also run brilliantly between the wickets. Dhoni might have to take the calculated risk of placing his fielders in single-denying positions and forcing the Aussies to go over the top.
There is a possibility of left-arm paceman Rudra Pratap Singh replacing Powar but then such a move would leave the spin department thin with Harbhajan, not yet at his best. Both Tendulkar and Yuvraj went for runs in Kochi.
Finding the right mix is never easy, when you are up against the World Champion.
The teams (from): India: M.S. Dhoni (captain), S. Tendulkar, S. Ganguly, R. Uthappa, R. Dravid, Yuvraj Singh, I. Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, R.P. Singh, S. Sreesanth, G. Gambhir, R. Powar, R. Sharma, D. Karthik.
Australia: R. Ponting (captain), A. Gilchrist, M. Hayden, M. Clarke, A. Symonds, B. Haddin, B. Hogg, B. Lee, S. Clark, M. Johnson, N. Bracken, J. Hopes, B. Hodge, B. Hilfenhaus, A. Voges.
Umpires: Steve Bucknor and Suresh Shastri. Third umpire: Pratap Kumar; Match Referee: Chris Broad.
Play begins at 9 a.m.