Chola kings inspired by royal emblem of Nolamba Pallavas
Historian MyNaa Swamy at Siddheswara Swamy temple in Hemavati
Madakasira (Sathya Sai): ‘Padma Nandi’, the royal symbol of the Nolamba Pallava Kings, may have been the origin of the scepter carried by the Chola kings, says Historian MyNaa Swamy.
After visiting the Siddheswara Swamy temple at Hemavati in Amarapuram mandal of Sathya Sai district, he spoke to reporters about the Nolamba emblem in Madakasira on Friday.
He announced that he was researching on the Nolamba Pallava sculpture and identified the emblem on a pillar in the open hall (mandapam) of the Siddheswara temple. The pillared mandapam known as the Agra mandapa has the royal emblem, facing the north.
The emblem was sculpted in the form of Nandi, sitting on a blossoming lotus. Next to Nandi is the royal insignia, the chhatram (umbrella). Before and behind the Nandi, there are chamars. Below Nandi, there is a kirtimukham (crocodile face), and there are miniature sculptures of lions here and there. Sculptures of Ganesha and Kumara swamy can be seen below the kirtimukham, he added.
MyNaa Swamy explained that the royal emblem-Padma Nandi figure is also present on the gold coins minted by the Nolamba Pallavas and the gold coins are limited to museums only. The scepter designed by the Cholas has a figure of Nandi seated on a lotus at its head. Padma Nandi in Hemavati has close similarities to Nandi in scepter.
Nolamba Pallavas ruled parts of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu, with Hemavati (Henjeru) as their capital until 1052 from 730 AD. They fought wars with the Ganga, Bana, Vaidumba and Chola kings and established a stable kingdom. But Chola king Rajadhi Raja 1 (1044–1052), accompanied by his brother Rajendra II, attacked and occupied the Nolamba and Chalukya kingdoms. An inscription is revealing that Rajendra II moved about 40 most beautiful pillars of Hemavati and built a temple at Tiruvayyur near Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu. The scepter known as Sengol is also found in the sculptures of the Chalukyas, but the historian believes that the Chola kings may have been inspired by the royal emblem of Nolamba Pallavas.