PATIRRUPPATTU
THE CERA KINGS OF PATIRRUPPATTU
The antiquity of the Cērās
Tamilakam has historical antiquity anterior even to the Christian era. The Tamils have been proud of their glorious heritage of cultural and literary traditions. In the ancient days, the sub-continent of India comprised of many independent king- doms. South India was under the rule of three kings, the Cērās, the Colas and the Pandiyas. Panamparanar, the contemporary of Tolkäppiyaṇār states that the country lying in between the Venkatam hills and Kanniyakumari was called, 'Tamilakam'[1] and Tolkappiyaṇār states that the land was under the rule of three famous kings, the Ceras, the Colas, and the Pandiyas.[2]
Of these three dynasties, Cērā kings were the most ancient and the most distinguished in ruling over a very wide stretch of land, in offering gifts to the poor and the learned and in the nobility of character.
The Colas and the Pandiyas traced their descent to the Sun[3] and the Moon[4] respectively. There are no reliable or definite literary evidences to show as to which dynasty the Ceras belonged. There is an indication in the Villi-Bharatam, that the Cērās descended from Agni.[5] But the earlier literature does not support this view. Some historians have claimed divine origin for the
