Kundavai Pirattiyar, commonly known mononymously as Kundavai, was a Chola Indian princess who lived in the tenth century in South India. She was the daughter of Parantaka II and Vanavan Mahadevi. She was born in Tirukoilur and was the elder sister of Chola emperor Rajaraja I. She had title as IlaiyapirÃÂtti Kundavai Nachiyar.
However, when her husband Vallavaraiyan Vandiyadevan was crowned king in his hometown Bana kingdom, she did not accept the offer to become queen of the kingdom and remained as the princess of Tanjore.
Kundavai (also transliterated as Kundhavai or Kunthavai) was born in 945 CE. She was the only daughter of the Chola king Parantaka II and queen Vanavan Mahadevi. She had an elder brother â Aditha Chola II, and a younger brother â Raja Raja Chola I.
Kundavai married Vallavaraiyan Vandiyadevan, a member of the Bana dynasty, a feudatory of the Cholas mentioned in the Tanjore inscriptions. He was also the commander of the Chola infantry that fought in Sri Lanka in the days of Rajaraja l. The territory under his authority was known as 'Vallavaraiyanadu', and occasionally 'Brahmadesam'.
Along with her great-aunt Sembiyan Mahadevi, Kundavai brought up her nephew, Rajendra I, who was the son of Rajaraja I and Thiripuvana Madeviyar, princess of Kodumbalur. Rajendra I spent most of his childhood in Pazhaiyarai with Kundavai and Sembiyan Mahadevi.
Kundavai commissioned many temples for Tirthankars, Vishnu and Siva. She revered many Jain Monks and Vedantic seers . She features in Chola inscriptions.
She is believed to have built many Jain temples but at least two Jain temples have inscriptions that records to have been built by her, one at Rajarajeswaram later known as Darasuram and the other at Tirumalai. She built a hospital after her father named Vinnagar athura salai at Thanjavur and donated extensive lands for its maintenance. She made lavish donations to the Brihadeeswarar Temple at Thanjavur during the reign of her younger brother Rajaraja Chola I and her nephew Rajendra Chola I.
One of the inscriptions reads:
Some of the images or idols set up by princess Kundavai include:
Here is an excerpt from the 29th year of Rajaraja that lists some of her gifts to Brihadeeswarar Temple:
Kundavai spent the last days of her life with her nephew Rajendra I at the palace in Pazhaiyarai.
Kundavai is celebrated as mentor to Rajaraja I. Her influence continued into the next generation as she helped rear Rajendra Chola. Uniquely for her era, where royal women were used to forge alliances, Kundavai's father allowed her to exercise her free will, whereupon the princess resolved to stay in the Chola kingdom all her life. Esteemed throughout the Chola realm for her taste and learning, Kundavai was requested to look after the daughters of other royal clans, tutoring them in art, music, and literature.