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Manabharana Is Not Malay (Manabharana Bukan Melayu)

In recent times, an alarming narrative has emerged within the Malaysian blogosphere, suggesting a historical event that appears to be a misinterpretation or perhaps a deliberate misinformation campaign. The claim revolves around a so called Malay prince named Manabharana from Srivijaya, purportedly attacking and conquering the Chola kingdom. This misleading story has gained traction and is spreading like wildfire across various social media platforms. The need to address and rectify such inaccuracies is crucial not only for the sake of historical accuracy but also for fostering a responsible and informed online community. To delve into the matter, it is essential to clarify that historical records reveal the existence of multiple individuals named Manabharana throughout history. However, a nuanced understanding reveals that all these figures were Tamils (Damila) hailing from the Pandya kingdom, with references to their exploits documented in Tamil inscriptions and Sri Lankan chronicles
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The SriVidya Connection of Madurai

Image result for madurai kadamba tree
Kadamba tree near West Gopuram of Meenakshi Temple
Picture Credit: S. James

In Hinduism, the worship of the Divine Mother Goddess is known as Saktham. Among the various schools in Saktham, one is known as SriVidya. 

In the SriVidya tradition, the supreme goddess is called Lalita TripuraSundari. She is also called Kameswari. In Kancheepuram, she is worshiped as Kamakshi.

The goddess Varaahi serves as her Chief Commander. Matangi is her Prime Minister. Together the trio of Lalita, Matangi and Varaahi represents Icha, Jnana and Kriya Sakthis.

In Madurai, the goddess Matangi is worshipped as Meenakshi. As Ngana Sakthi, she represents represents speech and wisdom. This is why she has a parrot. In Hinduism, parrot symbolizes speech. Matangi is also known as Shyamala or RajaShyamala. 

The word Shyamala refers to her dark green complexion like that of an emerald stone. Hence she is called as Marakatha Syama (marakatham = emerald). 

One of the many names of Matangi is Kadamba Vana Vaasini. This was mentioned in the famous song known as ShyamalaDandakam. It was written by Kalidasa. Kadamba Vana Vaasini means she who resides in the Kadamba forest. 

Matha marakatha shyama, Mathangi madha shalini,
Kuryath kadaksham kalyani, kadamba vana vasini,
Jaya Mathanga thanaye, Jaya Neelolpala dhyuthe,
Jaya Sangeetha rasike, Jaya Leela shuka priye
-Kalidasa's Shyamala Dandakam-

Madurai has many names. One of it is KadambaVanam because it used to be a large Kadamba forest. The entire Madurai city is the abode of the goddess Syamala. 

However, there are not many Kadamba trees left in today's Madurai. The SthalaVriksham (temple tree) of the Madurai Meenakshi temple is the Kadamba tree. It is believed that this tree was part of the original Kadamba forest before the forest was cleared to build the city over 2500 years ago. The tree is still there in the temple.

So when you go to Madurai, bow down to the beautiful Meenakshi and as you sit under her Kadamba tree, remember this article and the SriVidya connection of Madurai.

Image result for madurai meenakshi



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