To say Raja Raja Chola was Shaivite, not Hindu is like saying someone is Catholic but not Christian: Congress leader

The religious affiliation of Raja Raja Chola, the legendary ruler of South India, who possessed authority and ruled supremely, is the subject of debate.

Clockwise: Ponniyin Selvan-1 poster; an illustration of Raja Raja Chola/Twitter

It is “absolutely ridiculous”, according to former MP and stalwart of the Congress Karan Singh, to assert that King Rajaraja I of the Chola dynasty was not a Hindu. He was responding to the recent issue that developed after director Vetrimaaran said, during a gathering that Rajaraja Chola was being given a Hindu identity. He made the implication that the Chola ruler was a Shaivite and that Hinduism did not exist at that time. This line of reasoning was backed by actor-politician Kamal Haasan.

The remarks came days after the release of Mani Ratnam’s multi-starrer, Ponniyin Selvan-1, based on author Kalki Krishnamurthy’s historical fiction, depicting the story of Arulmozhivarman, who came to be known as Raja Raja Cholan, later.

In a statement, Singh said that Rajaraja was a Shaivite and not a Hindu was akin to saying that “someone is a Catholic but not a Christian”.

“These semantic gymnastics in a way denigrate and confuse our great religion,” he added.

According to Singh, though the word ‘Hindu’ may have gained traction only later, deities like Shiva, Vishnu, Hanuman, Ganesha, Mahalakshmi and Mahakali were all part of “Sanatan Dharma for millennia”.

“One should not try to create a division between Shaivism, Vaishnavism, and Shaktism,” he said, adding they were the three main streams of Hindu religion.

Singh continued, describing the Brihadeeswara temple as an architectural wonder and a place of frequent worship erected by Emperor Rajaraja.

A RECAP OF WHAT HAD HAPPENED

After director Vetrimaaran asserted that Raja Raja Chola of the Great Southern Empire was not a Hindu king, a controversy broke out. S Jothimani, a member of congress, and Kamal Haasan backed his statement.

Several pro-Tamil activists claimed on social media that the Chola kings were Shaivites by faith and this identity of the Tamil kings was “hijacked”.

Here is all the information you need to know about the mighty southern king, whose empire covered the whole Indian Ocean.

WHO WAS RAJA RAJA CHOLA?

The way of life and environment of the Cholas have long drawn people in. During his reign from 985 CE to 1014 CE, the legendary Raja Chola was the most powerful ruler in south India.

He is renowned for reviving Chola's influence and establishing its dominance throughout the Indian Ocean. His empire reached as far as Kalinga (Orissa) in the northeast and Sri Lanka in the south. With the Chalukyas in the north and the Pandyas in the south, he engaged in numerous conflicts. The Chalukya Chola dynasty's foundations were set by Rajaraja.

He conquered Sri Lanka and put the island under Chola's rule for a century, besides parts of the Maldives, Lakshadweep, Thiladhunmadulu, and Sri Lanka.

Because of his powerful navy and army fleet, he won the Kandalur Salai (Kerala). Raja Raja wiped out everyone in his path, also conquering the Karnataka regions of Gangapadi, Nolambapadi, and Tadigaipadi.

He is responsible for the development of Thanjavur's enormous Brihadisvara Temple, a magnificent display of Dravidian architecture and a temple devoted to Lord Shiva. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1987.

The great monarch launched a land survey effort and divided his empire into valanas. A robust audit system was developed along with a redesign of local self-government. Other public entities, such as village assemblies, were allowed autonomy.

Following the consecration event, there has been a recent steady increase in the number of visitors to the Brihadisvara Temple in Thanjavur.

The magnificent architectural wonder, which is a testament to the Tamils' talent for building, is a must-see on the itineraries of both domestic pilgrims from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Telangana as well as foreign visitors to the State.

The WHS records around 10,000 footfalls on ordinary days and not less than 30,000 during pilgrimage seasons.

WHAT WAS THE LATEST CONTROVERSY ALL ABOUT?

According to Vetrimaaran, Raja Raja Cholan was portrayed in Ponniyin Selvan-1 as a Hindu king, and efforts had already been made to conceal the identity of the Tamil saint Thiruvalluvar.

“They have already tried to saffronise Thiruvalluvar. We should never allow that. Tamil Nadu remains a secular state, resisting external forces,” he said.

Supporting him, Kamal Haasan said, “There were Vaishnavism, Shaivism and Samanam. The Britishers coined the term Hindu,” after watching Ponniyin Selvan-1, along with the cast and crew.

Countering this, Telangana and Puducherry Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan, who hails from Tamil Nadu, remarked that there was an attempt to hide the Hindu cultural identity in TN and called for efforts to resist it.

Lashing out at Vetrimaaran, BJP's former national secretary H Raja claimed that Raja Raja Cholan was an ardent devotee of lord Shiva and called himself ‘Sivapaadha Sekara’.

“He was responsible for building the Brihadisvara Temple. Has Raja Raja Cholan built churches or mosques to say he was not a Hindu,” H Raja asked.

THE MISSING LINKS

The raging controversy fails to answer pertinent questions: Should Raja Raja Chola be given a religious hue? How much historical information does one accept when reading or watching fiction? According to Tamilisai Soundararajan, Shaivism and Vaishnavism are two forms of Hinduism, and the idea of worship is deeply rooted in Tamil culture.

Sanatana Dharma, which is widely acknowledged as a way of life, existed, but we can't ignore the fact that throughout Raja Raja Chola's rule, there was no religion known as Hindu.

And there isn't a clear, definitive answer to the question of how to tell history from fiction or vice versa. Both cannot be separated. Both do and will continue to overlap!

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