Kulasekhara

Kulasekhara (also transliterated as Kulachekara in Tamil and early Malayalam), meaning "Head-Ornament of the Race",^[1] is a South Asian male name, used both as a given name and a last name. It is commonly found in south India — particularly in Tamil Nadu and Kerala — and in Sri Lanka.

People with name Kulasekhara

Nuwan Kulasekara, Sri Lankan cricketer (born 1982)
Kosala Kulasekara, Sri Lankan cricketer (born 1985)

In historical context

Pandya dynasty

Several Pandya royals who held the regnal name "Kulasekhara" are known to scholars.^[2]

Jatavarma Kulasekara I (fl. late 12th century AD)
Maravarma Kulasekara I (fl. 13th century AD)

In Kerala

Medieval Chera Perumal kings of Kerala were formerly referred to by scholars/historians as the "Kulasekharas" or the "Kulasekhara Perumals" (hence the "Kulasekhara dynasty"), based on the assumption that all of them bore the abhiṣekanāma (regnal title/name) "Kulasekhara". However, it is now known that not all of them held this specific title.^[3]^[4] Only two Chera Perumal rulers with the title "Kulasekhara" are currently known from archaeological and epigraphic evidence.^[5]

Sthanu Ravi Kulasekhara (fl. 9th century AD)^[6]^[3]
- Identified with Kulasekhara the Alvar or Kulasekhara Varma^[7]
Rama Kulasekhara (fl. late 11th century AD)^[8]

Kulasekhara dynasty

The ruling lineage of the kingdom of Venad, who traced their ancestry to Rama Kulasekhara, the last Chera ruler of Kerala, was known as the "Kulasekhara dynasty" or the "Chera dynasty".^[9]^[2]^[10] Several Venad elders from the early 14th to the 18th century held the title "Kulasekhara Perumal".^[11] ^[1]
In the modern period, the rulers of Travancore, successors to the Venad rulers, were likewise referred to as the "Kulasekharas" or the "Kulasekhara dynasty".^[11]

References

^ ^a ^b Vielle, Christophe (2011). "Real and Ideal Kings in Matrilineal Kerala". Religions of South Asia. 5 (1/2): 368. doi:10.1558/rosa.v5i1/2.365. ISSN 1751-2689.
^ ^a ^b Karashima, Noburu, ed. (2014). A Concise History of South India. New Delhi: Oxford University Press. p. 124. ISBN 978-0-19-809977-2.
^ ^a ^b Veluthat, Kesavan (2018). "History and Historiography in Constituting a Region: The Case of Kerala". Studies in People's History. 5: 13–31. doi:10.1177/2348448918759852. S2CID 166060066.
^ Ganesh, K. N. (2009). "Historical Geography of Natu in South India with Special Reference to Kerala". Indian Historical Review. 36 (1): 3–21. doi:10.1177/037698360903600102. ISSN 0376-9836. S2CID 145359607.
^ Devadevan, Manu V. (2020). "The Semantic Universe of the Kudiyattam Theatre". The 'Early Medieval' Origins of India. Cambridge University Press. pp. 229–30.
^ Karashima, Noburu, ed. (2014). "States in the Deccan and Kerala". A Concise History of South India. New Delhi: Oxford University Press. pp. 145–46.
^ Veluthat, Kesavan (2023). "Sthāṇu Ravi". The Encyclopedia of Ancient History: Asia and Africa. Wiley. ISBN 978-1-119-39991-9.
^ Narayanan, M. G. S. (2013) [1972]. Perumāḷs of Kerala. Thrissur (Kerala): CosmoBooks. pp. 125–130. ISBN 9788188765072.
^ Thapar, Romila (2003) [2002]. "The Politics of the Peninsula". The Penguin History of Early India: From the Origins to AD 1300 (PDF). Penguin Books. pp. 368–69.
^ Narayanan, M. G. S. (2013) [1972]. Perumāḷs of Kerala. Thrissur (Kerala): CosmoBooks. pp. 125–130 and 171. ISBN 9788188765072.
^ ^a ^b Ganesh, K. N. (1990). "The Process of State Formation in Travancore". Studies in History. 6 (1): 20–21. doi:10.1177/025764309000600102. ISSN 0257-6430.