Sthanu Ravi Varma
Sthanu Ravi Varma, known as the Kulasekhara, was the Chera Perumal ruler of Kerala in southern India from 844/45 to c. 870/71 AD. He is the earliest medieval Chera ruler of Kerala known to scholars. Sthanu Ravi notably assisted the Chola ruler Aditya I in conquering the Kongu country from the Pandyas around 885 AD.
The famous Quilon Syrian Christian copper plates are dated to the fifth regnal year of king Sthanu Ravi. Two more inscriptions dated in the regnal years of Sthanu Ravi are found at the Irinjalakuda Kudalmanikyam Temple and at Thiruvatruvay, Thiruvalla. The Koyil Adhikarikal during his time was his son-in-law, Vijayaraga. Sthanu Ravi had a son born around 870 AD. He was succeeded by Rama Rajasekhara.
Toward the end of his reign, Sthanu Ravi probably abdicated the throne and became a Vaishnavite alvar saint known as Kulasekhara Alvar. He is also identified with the playwright Chera king "Kulasekhara Varma".
Background
Sthanu Ravi Kulasekhara is regarded as the earliest known Chera ruler of Kerala. It is speculated that present-day central Kerala likely separated from the larger Chera or Kerala kingdom around the 8th–9th century AD to form the Chera kingdom of Mahodayapuram-Kodungallur. Central Kerala was probably under some form of viceregal rule before this period.The direct sovereign authority of the Chera Perumal king was likely restricted to the country around the capital, Makotai (Mahodayapuram, present-day Kodungallur), in central Kerala. His pan-Kerala kingship was likely ritualistic, remaining nominal compared to the political and military power wielded by local chieftains. Nambudiri Brahmins also exercised significant authority in religious and social matters, a system often described as "ritual sovereignty combined with Brahmin oligarchy".
Campaigns in the Kongu country
Sthanu Ravi appears to have acted as a junior ally in a military campaign led by the Chola ruler bearing the title "Rajakesari Varma" in the Kongu country. Epigraphic evidence indicates that the two rulers jointly conferred military honours upon a Tanjore chief named Vikki Annan, who was married to a woman identified as "Kadamba Mahadevi". Vikki Annan was likely a Ganga prince, being the son of Prithvipati, and is mentioned in a Ganga inscription dated to the mid-9th century AD. The designation "Kadamba" in the princess's name suggests a probable affiliation with the Kadamba lineage.The identity of the Chola ruler titled "Rajakesari Varma" remains a subject of scholarly debate. One interpretation, advanced by historian Elamkulam P. N. Kunjan Pillai, identifies "Rajakesari Varma" with Aditya Chola. This hypothesis assumes that Sthanu Ravi ruled Kerala until around 885 AD, enabling his participation as a junior partner in Aditya Chola’s Kongu campaigns, particularly the conquest of the region from the Pandyas. Recent scholarship generally supports this view. An alternative interpretation, accepted by M. G. S. Narayanan following T. V. Mahalingam, identifies "Rajakesari Varma" with Srikantha Chola, thereby placing the joint military action in Kongu around 844/45 AD.
Astronomy
The astronomer and mathematician Sankaranarayana served as a distinguished member of the royal court of Kulasekhara at the capital, Mahodayapuram. He is best known for authoring the Laghubhaskariyavyakha, an extensive commentary on the works of the eminent mathematician Bhaskara I. Evidence suggests that an "astronomical observatory" operated at Mahodayapuram under Sankaranarayana's supervision.The vyakhya contains references to an instrument termed the "Rashichakra", marked by a "Yanthravalaya". This "device" is possibly identical to the Golayanthra or Chakrayanthra described by the renowned polymath Aryabhata. The Chakrayanthra was subsequently refined and came to be known as the Phalakayanthra by Bhaskara I.
Inscriptions
As Sthanu Ravi
Ayyan Adikal, the chieftain of the port of Quilon under Sthanu Ravi, issued the renowned Quilon Syrian Christian copper plates around 849 AD. The inscription records that Ayyan Adikal granted land and serfs to a Christian church at Quilon, established by Mar Sapir Iso, and entrusted its maintenance to the trade guilds anjuvannam and manigramam. The grant was made in the presence of the Chera Perumal prince Vijayaraga. An inscription from Kanyakumari indicates that Vijayaraga was married to a daughter of Kulasekhara, titled Kizhan Adikal Ravi Neeli, and was likely the son of Kulasekhara's sister.Literary references
Contradicting testimonials
- An anonymous work titled "Padmapadacharyacharita" states that the protagonist — who was a disciple of philosopher-theologian Shankara — flourished during the time of a Kerala king named "Kulasekhara". However, "Shivanandalahari", attributed to Shankara, indirectly refers to the Kerala ruler as Rajasekhara. Similarly, "Shankaravijaya" by Vidyaranya also mentions a Kerala king named Rajasekhara as a contemporary of Shankara.
- Vasubhatta, a renowned Yamaka poet of medieval Kerala and the author of "Tripuradahana" and "Saurikathodaya", identifies his patron king as "Rama". "Vijayadarsika", a later commentary by Acyuta on Vasubhatta's "Yudhisthiravijaya", states that "Kulasekhara" was the coronation title of king Rama, whose given name, according to the commentator, was "Rama". "Ratnapradipika" by Sivadasa — another commentary subsequent to "Vijayadarsika" — echoes the same claim: "Kulasekharasya Kulasekhara iti namavatah, etadabhisekakrtam nama. Pitradikriam tu ramavarmeti". Modern scholars, however, generally regard these assertions as the result of confusion on the part of the commentators Acyuta and Sivadasa, who were chronologically distant from Vasubhatta, leading them to conflate Sthanu Ravi Kulasekhara with Rama Rajasekhara.
- Some scholars also identify king Rama Kulasekhara as the patron of the poet Vasubhatta, thereby placing Vasubhatta in the 11th–12th centuries AD. However, this view is generally considered unacceptable for several reasons.
Laghubhaskariyavyakha
Identification of Sthanu Ravi with Kulasekhara
In his commentary Laghubhaskariyavyakha, Sankaranarayana notes that he was patronized by a king of Mahodayapuram named "Ravi", who bore the title "Kulasekhara", thereby supporting the identification of Sthanu Ravi with Kulasekhara. The opening verse of the commentary also contains an indirect invocation to a lord referred to as "Sthanu", deliberately composed so as to be applicable both to the deity Shiva and to the reigning monarch.Coronation year of Sthanu Ravi
Laghubhaskariyavyakha also provides two distinct dates, one in the Kali Era and the other in the Saka Era.- "Angartvambara nanda devamanubhir yate dinanam gane"
- Decipherment
- * Anga = 6, Rtu = 6, Ambara = 0, Nanda = 9, Veda = 4, and Manu = 14
- * Order - 6609414
- * Read in Reverse Order - 1449066
- Equivalent Kali Date - 3967 years and 86 days = 866 AD
- Another reference to the date - "Sakabdah punariha candra randhramuni sankhyaya"
- * Candra = 1, Randhra = 9, and Muni = 7
- * Order - 197
- * Read in Reverse Order - 791 = 870 AD
Further, Sankaranarayana mentions the conjunction of Guru and Sauri in Capa, stating that it occurred when the king had completed 25 regnal years. It is known that, in the 9th century AD, Jupiter and Saturn simultaneously entered Dhanu Rasi only in 869 AD.