Ay dynasty


Ay dynasty, also known as Kupaka in medieval period, were an Indian ruling lineage which controlled the south-western tip of the peninsula, from the early historic period up to the medieval period. The clan traditionally held sway over the harbour of Vizhinjam, the fertile region of Nanjinad, and southern parts of the spice-producing Western Ghat mountains.
The Ays formed one of the major chieftains of early historic Kerala, along with the Cheras of central Kerala and the Musakas of Elimalai in the north. Greek geographer Claudius Ptolemy described the "Aioi" territory as extending from the Baris to Cape Comorin. The elephant was the emblem of the Ays. It is speculated that the name Ay is derived from the early Tamil word "Ay" meaning cowherd.
The medieval Ay lineage has its origins in the hill-chiefs of early historic south India. The Ay kingdom functioned as a buffer state between the powerful Pandyas/Cholas and the Cheras in the medieval period. A number of kings such as Chadayan Karunanthan, Karunanthadakkkan "Srivallabha", and Vikramaditya "Varaguna" figure as the Ay chiefs of the harbour of Vizhinjam. The famous Brahmin salai at Kantalur, somewhere near present-day Trivandrum, was located in the Ay kingdom. The salai was sacked by Chola emperor Rajaraja I in c. 988 AD. Historians assume that the Ays were a leading power in the region till c. 10th century AD.
The medieval Ays claimed that they belonged to the Yadava or Vrishni lineage and this claim was advanced by the rulers of Venad and Travancore. Sri Padmanabha in Trivandrum was the tutelary deity of the medieval Ay family.

History

The Ay clan was one of the major hill-chiefs of early historic south India. Members of the Ay family – of the Podiyil Hills – were related to the early historic Cheras of central Kerala. Towards the close of the early historic period, Pandya supremacy might have extended to the Ay territory.

Ay chieftains of early historic south India

A number of Ay chiefs such as Andiran, Titiyan and Atiyan are mentioned in the early Tamil poems.
Originally the whole region of Venad was part of the larger Ay-Vel territory. Persons belonging to the Ay family were the chieftains of the Vel country.
In c. 765 AD, Pandya king Jatila Paranthaka/Nedum Chadayan Varaguna I sacked port Vizhinjam by defeating the Vel chieftain and took possession of the Ay-Vel country . This event is also remembered in the Velvikkudi plates as "the suppression of the rebellious Ay-Vel".
The Pandya foray into south Kerala brought the Chera-Perumal rulers into the conflict and a prolonged Pandya-Ay/Chera struggle followed.
In the 9th century, as a result of the encroachment of the Pandyas and Chera/Perumals, the ancient Ay territory was partitioned into two portions. Venad with its base at Kollam came under influence of the Chera-Perumal kingdom while the Ay kingdom, or what was left of it, with its base at Vizhinjam came under the influence of the Pandya ruler Srimara Srivallabha. Larger Cinnamanur Plates do mention a victory of king Srivallabha at Vizhinjam. Ay vassal of the Pandya king Srimara Srivallabha was certain Karunanthadakkkan Srivallabha.
Srimara Srivallabha was succeeded on the Pandya throne by Varaguna II. The Ay kings of Vizhinjam remained vassals of the Pandyas, as indicated by the surname of the then king Vikramaditya.
The Pandyas were defeated in the "great battle of Sripurambiyam" in c. 885 AD. Chera Perumal's considerable influence in the Ay country following this battle is visible in two records discovered from that region. A record of the Kizhan Adikal Ravi Neeli, the wife of Chera Perumal Vijayaraga, can be found in Tirunandikkara, a Shiva temple located in the Ay country. In 898 AD, Vikramaditya Varaguna is seen making huge land gifts to the Srimulavasa Buddhist vihara in the Chera Perumal kingdom.
The chieftains of Venad, owing allegiance to the Chera-Perumals, were determined on extending their sway into the Ay kingdom. Their opportunity might have came in the disorder following the Chola defeat at Takkolam. The Venad chieftains were eventually successful in capturing the whole Ay country down to Kottaru. In general, the influence of the Kerala rulers spread into the southern Ay territory in the 10th century AD.

Medieval Ay grants

The famous salai at Kantalur, somewhere near present-day Trivandrum, was located in the Ay country. The salai was sacked by Chola emperor Rajaraja I in c. 988 AD.
The entire region to the south of Trivandrum, including the port of Vizhinjam and Cape Comorin, came under the control of king Rajaraja in the early 11th century. The kings of Kollam, Kodungallur, and Kolladesam were also defeated by the Cholas. There is a possibility that the Venad chieftains tried to recapture the old Ay region after the raids by Rajaraja I. Chola Rajadhiraja claims to have "confined the undaunted king of Venadu to the Chera kingdom ......and liberated the king of Kupaka...and put on a fresh garland of Vanchi after the capturing Kantalur Salai while the strong Villavan hid himself in terror inside the jungle".