Any new light on the dark ages of Tamil country?

Who are Kalabras?

When I started reading Jeyamohan’s ‘Arugargalin Padhai’ this morning was stuck by the encounter with Kalabras in the first chapter itself. Only last week in a Facebook forum we had a discussion about them. I could only go to the extent of sharing the pages from Nilakanta Sastri’s book though I had with me chapters from M.Rajamanickam’s ‘Pallava History' with me.

Jeyamohan writing about his travels on the route the Jaina travelers, the traders took, travels across India. The starting point is through Sathyamangalam in Tamil Nadu to Kanagagiri in Karnataka. He says that could have been the route the Kalabras or Kalappirar in Tamil took to enter Tamil territory. The golden period of Kanagagiri dotted with several Jain monuments coincided with the Kalabra period of 2 CE to 5 CE. Lot of research needs to be done, comparing the historical evidence available from places like Kanagagiri and Jain texts like ‘Hemanga Desha’, Jeyamohan emphasizes rightly.

Tamil literary evidence shows Kalabras as great patrons of Jainism. It was during the Mutharaya rule in Pandya Kingdom in 470 CE that Samana Sanga convened in Madurai as mentioned in a Jaina text ‘Digambara Darsanam’, says Rajamanickam in ‘Pallavar Varalaru’.

There are verses in ‘Naaladiyar’, an ancient Tamil text that sings the praise of Mutharayar.  

From a pillar inscription at Sendhalai near Thanjavur the lineage of Mutharyar’s and their identification as Kalabras is given. Three generations of Mutharayars ruling in the Chola territory is mentioned with the third one having a title as Sri Kalabra Kavalan. How did the Kalabras came to be known as Mutharayars? When they won the Pandayan kingdom they took the title of Marans and the tile of Muthu (pearl) + Araryar, the kings of area where pearls are found. Another reasoning is Mu (three)+ arayars, the ones who won over the trio of Pallava, Chola and Pandyas.

Were they the Kalvars from the Kalathi (Srikalahasti?) hillside, which becomes Kalabaru in Kannada and Kalappirar in Tamil? They were not of royal descent. That is the idea the ‘Pallavar Varalaru’ gives. The Pandya, Pallava charters show their victories over the Tamil trios, but no records outside which may make us believe they were of south Indian origin.

Kalabras must have ruled the Pandya kingdom for around 300 years.

Budhdhadatta a join monk in his Pali text ‘Abidammavatharam’ mentions one Achuta Vikranthan Kalappira ruled from Puhar as his capital – they seemed to have been contemporaries.

This Achuta also seems to have been mentioned in a few Tamil texts – Achuta kalappalan mentioned in ‘Yapperum Kalakkarigai’ and ‘Yapperum Vrithi’.

One of the 63 Nayanmar’s, the Tamil Saiva poet saints, Kootruva Nayanar was a Kalabra. Nambiyandan Nambi writes about him, and he had conquered many kings. He prayed to the Brahmins of Thillai (Chidambaram – Thillai moovayiravar as the Brahmins were known) to be crowned. They declined since he was not a Chola. Then he prayed to God, and Shiva crowned him with his Thiruvadi as per detailed account in Periyapuranam. Without doubt he must also have lived before 6^th cent CE says Rajamanickam.

Another Nayanar, Idankali Nayanar was also a Kalabra. He was a chieftain who ruled a smaller province of Kodumbalur.

Kalabra and Pallava wars -  From beginning of 3 ^rd century CE when Pallavas tried to capture Thondai mandalam, Kalabras were affected by them, moved into Thondai mandalam from North and the mini Chola rule in Thondai Mandalam fell. Pallavas captured Thondai Mandalam. Kalabras lost to Pallavas and fled south of Palar leaving Kanchi.

Later Sivaskanda Varman fought the Kalabras and drove them beyond South Pennar and expanded Pallava kingdom.

They must have had internecine wars with Pallavas till 6^th century.

Vellore charter hails Simha Vishnu as a great warrior who defeated Kalbaras and his reign was between 575-615. Simha Vishnu’s grandson  Narasimha Varman I also fought Kalabras.

End of 7^th cent CE, and beginning of 8^th cent CE Chalukyas had also noticed Kalabras.

Continuously attacked by the Pallavas in the north and the Pandyas in the south the Kalabras weakend and ruled by 8^th century as Mutharayars, small province of Kodumbalur near Thanjavur as their feudatories.

Rajamanickam makes a distinction – the Kalabras who ruled from Thanjavur were Pallava feudatories, and the Kalabras who ruled Kodumbalur were Pandya feudatories.

By the middle of 9^th cent CE, Viijayala Cholan snatched Thanjavur back from Kalabras.

Quoting the Vaishnava text Divyasuri Caritam which mentions one of the Azhwars, the Vaishnava saint poets Thirumangai Azhwar as belonging to Kallar community, and a small ruler of Aali Nadu.

Kallars as a community exist even today – in the Telugu regiona they were Jamindars known as Muthu Rajas, around Trichy also they were Jamindars and at Melur near Madurai the Mutharayars are known as Amabalakkaarar.

A general observation which Nilakanta Sastri also mentions is that the Kalabras were known as evil rules, not much is known about the 300 years they ruled, and also they were called interlopers not liked by the people who they ruled. There have also been doubts raised if they were termed evil and their period called dark ages, only because they were patronizing Jainism/Buddhism? Would like to know if there are any modern research work available to explain this. Will it always  be a "Kalabra Interregnum"?