Commemorative Postage Stamp Released in Honour of Emperor Perumbidugu Mutharaiyar II

Why in News

• The Vice-President of India, Shri C. P. Radhakrishnan, on 14 December, released a commemorative postage stamp in honour of Emperor Perumbidugu Mutharaiyar II (Suvaran Maran) at the Vice-President’s Enclave, New Delhi.

About Emperor Perumbidugu Mutharaiyar II

• Also known as Suvaran Maran and Shatrubhayankar.
• Ruled between 705 AD and 745 AD.
• Belonged to the Mutharaiyar dynasty, which dominated the central regions of Tamil Nadu between the 7th and 9th centuries CE.
• Ruled from Tiruchirappalli for nearly four decades.

Political and Administrative Significance

• Remembered as one of the most renowned rulers of ancient Tamil Nadu.
• His reign was marked by:
  • Administrative stability
  • Territorial expansion
  • Military prowess
  • Cultural and religious patronage
• The Mutharaiyars were originally feudatories of the Pallavas, but as Pallava power weakened, leaders like Perumbidugu Mutharaiyar emerged as independent rulers in practice.
• He is believed to have fought alongside Pallava king Nandivarman in several battles.

Territorial Extent of the Mutharaiyars

• Controlled regions around the Cauvery basin, including:
  • Thanjavur
  • Pudukkottai
  • Perambalur
  • Tiruchirappalli and surrounding areas.

Religious and Cultural Contributions

• The Pallava period witnessed a revival of Hinduism amid earlier dominance of Jainism and Buddhism.
• As Pallava feudatories, the Mutharaiyars were notable temple builders.
• Suvaran Maran patronised Shaivism and other scholarly traditions.
• A Jain monk, Vimalachandra, is recorded to have visited his court for philosophical debates, indicating religious pluralism.

Architectural Legacy

• The Mutharaiyars significantly influenced South Indian temple architecture.
• A chapter titled “Early Pāndya, Muttarayar and Irukkuveļ Architecture” by K. V. Soundara Rajan in the book Studies in Indian Temple Architecture (1975), edited by Pramod Chandra, credits the Mutharaiyars with influencing early Chola architecture.

Significance of the Stamp Release

• Recognises the historical, cultural, and architectural contributions of the Mutharaiyar dynasty.
• Reinforces efforts to highlight regional dynasties and their role in shaping India’s civilisational heritage.

Sources: PIB & IE