Vallavaraiyan Vandiyadevan

Vallavaraiyan Vandiyadevan
Equestrian statue of Vallavaraiyan Vandiyadevan in Chennai.
Chola Chieftain of the Samanthas
EmperorRajaraja I
Rajendra I
Chola Chieftain of Brahmadesam
EmperorRajaraja I
Rajendra I
BornThiruvallam / Vallam, Chola Empire
(modern day Thiruvalam, Tamil Nadu, India)
DiedThanjavur, Chola Empire
(modern day Tamil Nadu, India)
SpouseKundavai Pirāttiyār
DynastyBana dynasty
Military career
Service Chola Army
RankSenathipathi
Commands
ReligionHinduism

Vallavaraiyan Vandiyadevan was a general of the Chola Army. He was one among the famous chieftains of the Chola emperors Rajaraja I and Rajendra I and chief of the Samanthas of Chittoor and also the husband of Rajaraja's elder sister Kunthavai Pirattiyar.[1] He was also the chieftain of the Sri Lanka Front Army of Rajaraja l and Rajendra I. Territory under his authority was known as Vallavaraiyanadu. He ruled Brahmadesam.[2] Vandiyathevan is idealized in Kalki Krishnamurthy's (Kalki) famous novel Ponniyin Selvan and also in many other novels like Vandiyadevan Vaal, Vandiyadevan Senai Thalaivan.

Actor Karthi portrays Vandiyathevan in the 2022 Tamil film Ponniyin Selvan I and subsequent sequel Ponniyin Selvan II, an adaptation of Kalki's novel of the same name.

  1. ^ K. A. Nilakanta Sastri (2000) [1935]. The CōĻas. Madras: University of Madras. p. 186.
  2. ^ K. A. Nilakanta Sastri (2000) [1935]. The CōĻas. Madras: University of Madras. p. 226.