Chora Man Dakini - The Sword of The Cholas

Please read these 2 articles before proceeding. It will give you the needed basic understanding. 

The Perak Coronation Address (click) 
The Meaning of Chola (click)


Yesterday, I made the above announcement in Facebook:

I was actually refering to the royal sword of Perak. This sword belonged to the Chola dynasty and I will explain about it. 

The sword is known as Chura Si Manja Kini, Chora Mandakini, Chora Man Dakini, Chora Samanda Kian, Chora Sa Mendang Kian. Some say that it is Churiga Si Mandakini and claims that it means The Blade From Mandakini in Sanskrit. Mandakini is a river in Uttar Pradesh. 

If we were to check its language structure, it will not be possible to construct such phrase in Sanskrit as the word Si and Churiga has no proper meaning when combined in such way.  Furthermore, it also has no meaning in the Malay language.

I am of the opinion that it is Chora-Man-Dakini and pronounced as Choraman Dakini. According to Tantric practices, Dakinis are female spirits who are companions of the Goddess Durga.

Although the Cholas were Saivites , they never worshipped Shiva as their clan or family deity. Shiva was considered as the Supreme God of the universe. The Chola kings were considered as representations of Vishnu. 

Durga and forms of Durga were their family deity. Durga known as Kotravai in ancient times. It was customary for ancient Tamil warrior clans to have female deities as family deities.

The family deity of Rajaraja Chola was known as Nisumbha Soodani or the Slayer of Nisumbha. The story of Nisumbha and his 
demon brother Sumbha slayed by the Goddess is written in Devi Mahatmyam.  

Like the other warrior kings of Tamil Nadu, the  Cholas made blood offerings to the Goddess, When offerings are made, worship is also conducted for the Dakinis. The Dakinis are venerated as guardians.

The sword could be enchanted with spells of a Dakini so that she ensures victory for the Cholas in their battles. This means the sword represents the Dakini itself. 

As explained in my other article, Chora = Chola. The word Man is an old Tamil word for king. We still have a Tamil king in Pudukottai district and his title is Thondaiman. 

Therefore, Choraman Dakini simply means the Dakini of Chola King in Tamil language. 

In order to prove the Chola theory, we need to look at some local sources. The Malay history book or Malay Annals is known as Sejarah Melayu or Sulalatus Salatin. Malay Annals is a mix of history and mythology. It must be interpreted carefully as it was written using metaphors.

According to the Malay tradition, Chora Mandakini sword originaly belonged to Sang Sapurba. He was also known as Sri Nila Pahlawan, Bichitram and Bichitram Shah. Together with his brothers Sri Krishna Pandita (also known as Palidutani) and Sri  Nila Utama (also known as Nilumanam), they appeared in a sacred hill known as Bukit Seguntang in Sumatra island. 

These princes were the founders of the Malay royalties. Sang Sapurba then gave his sword to his warrior Permasku Mambang which the warrior used to kill the serpent Saktimuna.

The sword was then passed into the hands of various kings who were considered as descendants of Sang Sapurba. It is now kept as a royal regalia by the Perak sultanate. The Perak Sultanate is an offshoot of the Malacca Sultanate.

During the coronoation, the sword is taken out, Sanskrit spells chanted and the sword will be kissed by the ruler. This has been going on since the days of Sang Sapurba.

The Malay tradition may after all be true and not just a myth but who exactly is this Sang Sapurba or Bichitram Shah? 



According to the Malay Annals, Raja Sulan was the mightiest prince of the lands of Hind and Sind (India) and of all the rajas under the wind. His daughter married Raja Narsi Barderas and they had three sons.

Raja Heiran 
Raja Suran
Raja Panden

Raja Suran took over the country of his grandfather, Raja Sulan. This is actually referring to Cheran (Raja Heiran), Cholan (Raja Suran) and Pandian (Raja Panden) kings. Although the three Tamil kings are not brothers as written in the Malay Annals, it is actually a metaphor to show that the three countries were under the rule of the Cholas.

This is actually correct because during the time of Rajaraja Chola and his son Rajendra Chola, the entire Tamil region of Chera, Chola and Pandya were under them. 

In fact, it was under the Cholas as one country for about 200 years. The empire started breaking after that and the Cholas were completely defeated by the Pandyas in the 13th century. The Pandyas then ruled the entire region until Malik Kafur appeared in the 14th century and destroyed them.

When the Cholas conquered it all under Rajaraja, it was customary to appoint brothers or cousins as governors of the conquered territory. So the three brothers mentioned above may after all be Cholas who were appointed to also govern the conquered Chera and Pandya territory. There are also records which shows that when the Cholas conquered Pandya kingdom, Chola princes ruled the land as Chola-Pandyas.

The Malay Annals then mentions that Raja Suran intended to conquer China. To do this, he needs to first go through Southeast Asia. He attacked Sri Vijaya and their vassal kingdoms. This refers to areas in Indonesia and Malaysia. Raja Suran attacked Gangga Negara which is ancient Perak. 

The last to be attacked was the city of Glang Kiu near Johor. Glang Kiu is a corruption of Thai word Ghlong-Keow which means "Box of Emeralds". This refers to the lost city of Kota Gelanggi which is nearby the Linggiu reservoir. Both Kota Gelanggi and Linggiu are words which morphed from Glang Kiu. 

In Glang Kiu, the ruler and warriors were Thai. this shows that the southern part of peninsular Malaysia were under the Thais. The king was known as Raja Chulan. This is probably a corruption of Thai name such as Chulalangkon (just guessing). 

Raja Suran then marched to Tamsak which is Temasek (Singapore). News about the Chola plunder of Sri Vijaya reached China. China then sent a vessel full of old toothless people to Temasek. Raja Suran meets the people in the vessel and notice that they are old and toothless. 

According to Malay Annals, this was a trick by China. The people in the Chinese vessel told the Cholas that they set sail from China when they were 12 years old but only reached Temasek when they are very old. This gave Cholas an impression that China is too far away and not worth to be conquered. So the Cholas dropped the idea of attacking China.

The Chola raid of Sri Vijaya is a real historical event. However, Cholas did not intend to conquer China. What happened was a trade dispute between Sri Vijaya and Chola. The Sri Vijayans gave false information regarding the Cholas to China. 

They wanted to create an impression that Chola was under them so that they can get more preference from China. This angered the Cholas as it affected their trade with China. The Cholas had commercial motive to attack Sri Vijaya. 

This is based on historical research. You can download the research work entitled The Military Campaigns of Rajendra Chola and the Chola-SriVijaya-China Triangle by Tansen Sen. (click)

The Raja Suran mentioned in the Malay Annals is none other than Rajendra Chola 1, son of Rajaraja Chola. We don't know if he personaly participated in the battles. He could have even sent his commanders to fight on his behalf. But the Chola raid of Sri Vijaya under Rajendra Chola really happened.

He had many consorts and it was customary for the Cholas to marry princess from conquered territories. The children of Raja Suran mentioned in the Malay Annals could be a result of such marriage and they are not necessarily the children of the main queen who lives in India. 

The Malay Annals states that Raja Suran married the princess of Glang-Kiu, Putri Onang Kiu. He had a princess through her and she was named Chanduwani Wasias. 

Raja Suran also married the princess of Gangga Negara, Putri Gangga. They had 3 sons. Bichitram Shah, Palidutani and Nilamanam.

Scroll up, these three sons of Raja Suran and Putri Gangga are none other than Sang Sapurba and his brothers, the ancestors of Malay royalty as mentioned in Malay Annals. 

Bichitram Shah (Sang Sapurba) then goes to Palembang. Proves his royal lineage and becomes king. It is this Bichitram Shah who brought the Chola sword, Choraman Dakini.

This sword is now in the possession of the Perak sultanate. Perak was formerly Gangga Negara and it is also the maternal home of Bichitram Shah because his mother, Putri Gangga, was the princess of Gangga Negara. 

Information in the Malay Annals is a mix of truth and mythology. It may not be accurate however certain information can still be studied as it points to certain historical event which really happened. 

This is the story of the royal Chola sword of Perak!

The Malay Annals can be downloaded here

The Sultan of Perak kissing the royal sword.

The Meaning of Chola

Picture Credit Nara 

Among the various empires of South India, it is perhaps the Cholas who were the most popular. The Cholas were known since the days of Ramayana. Together with the Pandyas and Cheras, they are part of the oldest dynasties which formed the trinity in the Tamil land.

According to inscriptions, Chola was also written as Sora or Chora. The plural form being Sorar or Chorar. In Telugu, R is replaced with D, hence they are known as Choda.

Indian History, 26th edition by V.K Agnihotri (Chief Editor)

There was a branch of Cholas in Andhra. This is a result of intermarriage between the Cholas and the feudal families in Guntur which happened during the time of Karikala Chola. So that family remained there as Telugu Chodas. There are many references to them in Andhra.

The Mauryan emperor Ashoka mentioned the Cholas as Choda in his rock edicts. The Greek writer, Ptolemy called them Sorai in his book about India. Sorai is a corruption of Sorar.

The word Chola has no meaning in Tamil but the word Chora has its meaning.

Research proves that the Cholas were famous for their plundering activities.

Tamil dictionary shows that Chorar (Tirudar) or Choram (Kalavu) are old Tamil words used to describe stealing and plundering. Source: A manual Dictionary of the Tamil language; publ. by the Jaffna-book society

The 7th song from Purananuru written in the 1st century BC shows that the Chola warfare includes plundering.

புறநானூறு பாடல் 7

களிறு கடைஇயதாள் 
கழலுரீஇய திருந்தடிக் 
கணைபொருது கவிவண்கையாற் 
கண்ணொளிர்வரூஉங் கவின்சாபத்து 
மாமறுத்த மலர்மார்பின் 5 

தோல்பெயரிய வெறுழ்முன்பின் 
எல்லையு மிரவு மெண்ணாய் பகைவர் 
ஊர்சுடு விளக்கத் தழுவிளிக் கம்பலைக் 
கொள்ளை மேவலை யாகலின் நல்ல 
இல்லவா குபவா லியல்தேர் வளவ 10 

தண்புனல் பரந்த பூசன் மண்மறுத்து 
மீனிற் செறுக்கும் யாணர்ப் 
பயன்றிகழ் வைப்பிற்பிற ரகன்றலை நாடே

Translation:

by George L. III Hart
Pressing him with your legs, you manage an elephant. 
Your fine ankles seem smooth, the leg rings worn flat. 
Your bow is so beautiful that it dazzles the eyes 
as it rests in your hand curved to draw and release 
your arrows in battle. Your chest is so broad the goddess Sri forsakes 
all others for it! You have the strength to drive back elephants! And whether 
it is night or day matters nothing to your desire 
for plunder and the sound of weeping, as your enemies scream 
for their kin in the light of their blazing cities! O Valavan 
riding your elegant chariot! In the countries of your enemies, nothing 
of value remains throughout the vast spaces where there were cities always 
shining with such fresh wealth they disdained earth 
and used fish to block holes in dams where the cool water poured through, roaring!

The act of stealing, raiding, plunder and ransack are known as Choram, Tiruttu, Kollai and Kalavu in Tamil language. Those who are involved in such acts are known as Tirudar, Kalavar, Kallar and Chorar. Although Tiruttu is commonly used today, it carries a different meaning as today Tiruttu is only confined to theft. 

In ancient times, plundering acts were hereditary and used in military campaigns. This was also popularly used by the Vikings of Europe and the Bugis of Southeast Asia. In Southeast Asia, it was the Bugis Lanuns (pirates) who later became feudal lords and formed the local navy. The British Naval force started off as pirates and they were even sanctioned by their queen to raid Spanish ships. Such things also happened in other parts of the world.

In Tamil Nadu, the Cholas were well known for such activity. It is in their name. According to the Mahabaratha (ref 5.22 and 8.12), Arjuna converted the people of South India to be a portion of his own army. It is also mentioned that the Cholas fought on his side as allies. 

The Chola-Chorar-Kallar connection can be further established if we refer to Peria Azhwar's 4th song in the Nalayiram Divya Prabandham. He wrote this around 785 AD. According to this song, Arjuna had a Kallar batallion known as Kallapadai and this batallion was helped by Krishna in the Mahabaratha war.

Source: Catalogue of the Tamil Books in the Library of the British Musuem edited by L. D. Barnett, G. U. Pope

Inscription referring to Chola king as Sri Kalla Cholan 

Even in the Malay Annals known as Sulalatus Salatin, there is a mention of Raja Suran conquering the Malay peninsular. Again, we see a a corruption of the Tamil word Soran written as Suran which means Chola. Until today, the Malays remember the Cholas as plunderers who destroyed the Srivijaya empire.

Considering the evidence, it is no doubt that the word Chola comes from the word Chorar (Sorar) and it is also known as Kalavar, Kalvar or Kallar. They are known in such way because of their plundering activity. 

Matahari - The Eye of Vishnu

Vishnu

Our Sun is known as Matahari in the Malay language. Many Malaysians and Indonesians use this word daily but they don't know its origins.

The Malay people call the eye as Mata. It has the same meaning in Polynesia and the Philipines. 

Hari is a Sanskrit word which means Vishnu. Hari also means a day in the Malay language. There is a Hindu connection.

The Malays have many art form. One of it is the Wayang Wong of Johor. The coming of Vishnu in the form of sunrise is portrayed in the Wayang Wong. I have attached some evidence to show that the Malays equate the Matahari to Vishnu.

Remember this the next time you say Matahari.

Sinkritisme dalam Wayang Wong Johor (Penerbit USM) 
by Mohd Kipli Abdul Rahman

Pengantar Sejarah Kebudayaan Indonesia 2
by R. Soekmon

KVMA Chennai Flood Relief Fund

The Klang Valley Mukkulathor Association (KVMA) organized a fund raiser for the flood victims of Chennai. We named it the KVMA Chennai Flood Relief Fund.

I announced it in Facebook on Friday 4 December 2015. We set the deadline at 12:00pm Monday 7 December 2015. Over 30 individuals donated. 

We collected a total of RM6,500. Our initial target was only RM700 as that is equivalent to Rs10,000 but we managed to hit the Rs100,000 (Rs1 lakh) mark.

We transferred Rs1 lakh to Chennai via Western Union on Monday. Based on the conversion rate of that day plus charges, it was equivalent to RM6,437.70. The funds will be managed by one Pradeep Rajan and his friends.

The funds were used to purchase 1000 kilograms of rice, mats, blankets and other basic necessities which will be distributed to 100 needy families. 

I wish to thank our donors who contributed. My friend from India, Kannan Thevar Sembiah responded immediately by donating Rs5,000. It was very kind of him to be supportive of KVMA's initiative. Special thanks to the committee members and family members of KVMA who helped out.

Pradeep and his friends such as Bose Madasamy are doing an excellent job in Chennai. They are working tirelessly to help the flood victims. This shows that the youths are the actual heroes in Tamil Nadu. 

The late Abdul Kalam would have been proud if he was alive to see the dedication shown by these Tamil Nadu youths.

Many organization collect donations but do not show how it is spent. I have included some images in this post for the benefit of my readers especially the donors. The donors have the right know how their money is being spent. 

KVMA will continue to play an active role in the Indian society, be it here in Malaysia or India.

Western Union invoice confirming money transfer from Malaysia to Chennai

Some update from Pradeep

Some updates from Pradeep

Picture taken after the mats and blankets were purchased

Some updates from Pradeep. 

Pradeep's post in Facebook after receiving the funds

I was constantly providing updates in Facebook

Pradeep, his mother and his team helped the Maranatha Church children

Our donation will be used to help 100 families

Kannan Thevar Sembiah immediately donated Rs5,000 after reading my post

The receipt for the blankets and bedsheets purchased

The receipt for the mats purchased

The receipt for the rice purchased

Who Is A Tamilar? Deciding The Tamil Identity

Tamil Nationalism or Tamilism as I prefer to call it has now re-emerged. It was pushed aside in the past by Dravidian Nationalism. I am in a way glad that it has re-emerged. 

I only hope that the present torch bearers of Tamilism will lead the people in the right direction and stay away from any form of extremism.

There are some articles in my blog which touches on Tamilism.

Tamilakam - Geographical boundaries of the present day Tamil world
The 5 Landscapes of Tamilakam -  The different types of landscapes that exist in Tamilakam
A Tribute to Taraki - Militarism of Tamil people and their military castes
Dravidian Politics & Surnames - A simple explanation on how the eradication of surnames by Dravidian front affected the Tamil society

The basic thing about Tamilism is the Tamil identity itself. 

What makes a person Tamilar? 

Today many people are able to converse in Tamil. They have names which sound similar. They reside in Tamilakam. Some are born in Tamilakam. Yet, we cannot classify all of them as Tamilar. 

Vishal Krishna Reddy

During the recent Nadigar Sangam election in Tamil Nadu, actor Vishal's ethnicity became an issue. This is because Vishal is of Telugu origin. He is not considered a Tamilar although he would have lived his entire life in Tamil Nadu.

Professor George L.Hart of University of California (Berkeley) has translated several Tamil epics into English. He is also one of the important people who helped to push India to classify Tamil as a classical language. This man definitely knows the language better than most of us yet he will also not be considered a Tamilar.

This shows that Tamil language proficiency or living in any part of Tamilakam will not be considered as criteria to consider someone a Tamilar. You can be a permanent resident of Tamil Nadu but that does not make you a Tamilar.

Professor George L.Hart

The only way is to check on the caste background of the person. If a person was born in a caste native to any parts within the geographical boundaries of Tamilakam, then that person will be considered as a Tamilar.

It is this one thing which determines who is a Tamilar and who is not even if the person resides outside Tamilakam including those in Malaysia, Singapore and Australia.

Vishal is not a Tamilar because he is Vishal Reddy. Reddy (or Reddiar) is Telugu caste which originated from outside Tamilakam. There are Reddies in Tamil Nadu who have been living in the state for almost 500 years. 

Castes shows if one is a native of the land. Reddies, Naickers, Sakkiliyars and Mutrachas are some of the castes which came from outside Tamilakam and settled down here. They are not native castes. Hence, are not considered as Tamilar. This then leads to another question. 

How long must a caste have settled down in Tamilakam in order to be considered as natives?

There are some like Kallars who arrived in Tamilakam 70,000 years ago. Others arrived later. Could be 5000 years or even 500 years.

So where do we draw the line?

A friend told me that all those who settle down in Tamil Nadu before the partition of Madras State are considered as natives. Some feel that those who settled down here during or before Western colonisation are natives. Others feel that those who arrived from outside the boundaries of Tamilakam after the end of the Sangam Ages cannot be considered as natives.

Perhaps it will be important to first decide who can be considered as native Tamilar. The government of Tamil Nadu and their counterparts in Sri Lanka, Puducherry and Karaikal can work together to set the standard.

Maravan - A Misleading Movie Title

Ganesha On Rupiah

Today is Vinayaka (Ganesha) Chaturthi. It is considered as the birth day of the elephant headed God. The legend of his birth is very popular.

Parvati created him and requested him to guard her chamber. When Shiva returned, he saw Ganesha guarding the chamber. Ganesha did not allow Shiva to enter the chamber. This angered Shiva and he beheaded Ganesha.

After realising that it was his son, Shiva brought him back to life. An elephant's head was placed as a replacement for the missing head. Shiva then made Vinayaka the leader of his Gana army. This is how he came to be known as Gana Athipathi or Ganapathi.


The image of Ganesha is the most popular Hindu icon. It is even very popular in the most populous Muslim nation which was once a Hindu nation, Indonesia.

If you take a look at the 1998 Indonesian bank note for 20,000 Rupiah, you can see an image of Ganesha on it. There is a story for this. 

Back in 1990s, Indonesia was going through several crisis. It was under the rule of Suharto. The 1997-98 Asian financial crisis hit them hard. 

It is rumoured that Suharto consulted a Hindu astrologer and asked for a solution. He wanted the country to overcome the obstacle. The astrologer suggested that he print the image of Ganesha on the bank notes. Ganesha will remove the obstacle for Indonesia.

The government published the bank notes with images of Ganesha on 19 February 1998. During the next few months, the country saw widespread unrest. It escalated into the anti-Chinese riot causing Suharto to resign on 21 May 1998.

The astrologer was right. Indonesia's biggest obstacle at that time was actually Suharto and Ganesha removed him! Surprisingly, Indonesia has shown progress ever since then.