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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[MAY, 1896.
It is possible also to trace the source of this common error that confounds Kûn Pandya with Sundara-Pandya. When Kún Påndya was converted by Sambandha, the Saivas in their exultation called him nipra-sir-Nedumaran, -the tall or prosperous Pândya of established beauty or grace; - probably meaning thereby nothing more than a compliment, like the title
Defender of the Faith,' conferred by the Pope on Henry VIII. I am not sure, whether the name Kûn Pandya itself was not an after designation, to be understood metaphorically and theologically, rather than literally and physically. Anyhow, the Kûn Pandya of Sambandha still continues to be worshipped as a canonized saint, only under the name of ninrasir-Nedumâra-nayanâr. When, however, the time came for the Sansksit Sthala-Purana to be written, the Pandits, who must needs translate even proper names, rendered Kun Pandya into Kubja-Pandya and ninra-sir-Nedumarán into Sundara-Påndya, exactly as they translated his queen's name, Mangaiyarkkarasi, into Vanitèsvari, and his minister's name Kulachchirai into Kulabandhana. The Purána itself makes it clear that Sandara-Pândya was simply & title assomed after the conversion ;30 and the Tamilas know of no other title then assumed, but the name of ninra-sir-Nedumâran. Be the explanation what it may, to build any theory upon the name Sundara Pâpdya, is simply to build upon quicksand. I shall add but one more testimony to this simple fact. The Rev. E. Leventhal says: "The name Sundara-Pandya is found on such a multitude of coins, both in the Tinnevelly and Madara districts, that it is difficult to believe that all those coins should have been struck by one king. Could it not be that some of his successors had used that name as a title on their coins, the meaning of the name being only beautiful." "31 Of course, such perplexities are unavoidable, when one proceeds upon a wrong hypothesis. For, it should be added, Mr. Leventhal goes upon Dr. Caldwell's theory that there was a particular På dya, called Sundara-Påndya, who reigned in 1292. Error in these regions of pure speculation is always infectious.
Now with regard to Marco Polo's Sender Bendi; Marco Polo distinctly says, he ruled over Soli, the best and noblest province of India.' Madura does not answer this description, nor can we conceive how it can possibly be corrupted, even in the language of these flying foreign visitors into Soli.' Colonel Yule may be right in identifying Soli with Tanjore, the then capital of the Chola country: but it looks more probable that it was the name of some province about the sea-coast yet to be identified. At any rate, it cannot be Madura. That in some undated 32 inscriptions in the possession of Dr. Caldwell, the expression Sundara-Chôļa-Pandya' occurs will be scarcely accepted as an argoment for confounding Soli with Madura, unless we have a foregone conclusion to maintain. More reasonable appears to be the conclusion arrived at by Colonel Yule, that Marco Polo's Sender Bendi was no sovereign of Madura, but some adventurer "who had got possession of the coast country and perhaps paid some nominal homage to Madura."33 It is unnecessary for our purpose to follow Dr. Caldwell through the maze of dreamy tales he cites from two Muhammadan historians, to show that there was a king in Madura about 1292, called 'Sundar Bandi.' The earlier of the two, Rashidu'ddin, says that a Sundar Bandi ruled over Malabar, extending from Kulam to Silâwar (which Dr. Caldwell interprets as Nellore!), with a Muhammadan minister named Shekh Jamalu'ddin, and that he died in 1293, leaving his throne and seven hundred bullock loads of jewels to his lucky minister! Wassâf, the second historian, agrees as to Sundar Bandi's death in 1293, but amplifies the seven hundred bullock loads into seven thousand, and gives the treasure to a brother of Sundar Bandi, instead of to his Muhammadan minister. But not so harmless is his other exaggeration about the extent of Malabar, which is here described as stretching from the Persian sea to Silkwar (or Nellore), - which, indeed, would be a noble province to rule over, but neither Malabar, Madura nor Soli! Still more remarkable is another statement of this historical authority
> Tiruvilaiyddal. Puranam, Chapter 69, verse 68; and Tirunelli Sthala-Purinam, p. 748, vurses 4 and 5. 31 The Coina of Tinnevelly, p. 19.
32 I have now with me some inscriptions with this name which I should have published already, but for want of time and health to make out their full bearing.
* Colonel Yule quoted by Dr, Caldwell ; see Appendix III. p. 537.
