Were Cholas Hindus Or Tamils? Dravidian Activists Complain Of Identity Theft In Ponniyin Selvan

Tamil film director Vetrimaaran’s comments that the Chola Emperor Raja Raja Chola was not a Hindu has led to a kerfuffle on social media.

The emperor has been depicted, and is a central figure, in the recently released movie ‘Ponniyin Selvan - I’.

The comments were made during the 60th birthday celebrations of the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) leader Thirumavalavan.

“They are constantly taking away our identities. Let it be giving saffron clothes to Valluvar; depicting Rajaraja Chola as a Hindu king”, he said.

Apart from Thirumavalavan who supported Vetrimaaran in his tweets, the comments also found support from Congress MP Jothimani, Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) leader Seeman and Tamil actor Karunas.

Thirumavalavan in his tweets said that Shaivism and Vaishnavism were in conflict with each other during Raja Raja Chola’s time. He also mentioned the Lingayat demand for a separate religion. “Therefore where was Hinduism in that age?”, he asked.

Karunas said that Raja Raja Chola was a Tamil king and the fact that he followed Shaivism has got nothing to do with Hinduism as Hinduism is a later construct.

In response to these comments Tamil scholars have cited inscriptions and other evidence for the Chola dynasty's devotion towards Vishnu and patronage of Vaishnavite traditions.

Notable among these evidences include an inscription of Raja Raja Chola’s influential sister Kundavai referring to herself as an ‘azhwar’ - a distinctly Vaishnavite term used for saints and most devoted bhakts of Vishnu.

Another inscription of Raja Raja, made during his lifetime, invokes both Shiva and Vishnu in the preamble.