The Kuruba Rulers of Gingee

We know that Pallavas were Kurubas and after the fall of Pallava empire, the life of many Kurubas became very difficult and they had to migrate to other places from their capital city Kanchi. Some of them escaped to the jungles of the western ghats. Where due to their relative isolation, developed their own language, customs and traditions.

But, not many people know the tiny Kingdom of Gingee I the present day Tamil Nadu was founded and ruled by Kuruba Gowdas for over 200 years. The rulers of Gingee were the feudatories of the Cholas of Tanjavur. Valuable information regarding this can be found in the work of C.S.Srinivasachari in his "History of Gingee".

The story of the foundation of the Kingdom of Gingee goes thus- Ananda Kon, a shepherd by caste, accidentally found a treasure in one of the cavities of the western hill of Gingee while grazing his sheep in 1190AD. Making himself the head of a small band of warriors, he defeated the petty rulers of the neighbouring villages like Devanur, Jayan-gondan and Melacheri (Old Gingee), and built a small fortress on Kamalagiri which he re-named Anandagiri after himself. He raised his castemen to high places and bestowed on them the distinction of Sammanamanar (the honorable).  After reigning glori-ously for about fifty years he was succeeded by one Krishna Kon about 1240 A. D. This chief perpetuated his name by fortifying the northern hill and naming it after himself. Krishna Kon was followed by two princes successively Koneri Kon and Govinda Kon who cut out the elaborate steps to the fort-ress on Krishnagiri and built the Gopala-swami temple on its top. Puliya Kon succeeded him about 1300 A. D. He excavated tanks and built rest-houses by the sides of the roads leading to Trichinopoly, Tanjore.

Twenty years afterwards, this shepherd race was superseded by the chief of a neighbouring place, Kabilingan by name, who belonged to the Kurumba caste and now ascended the throne of Gingee. Subsequently this king was defeated by the rulers off Vijayanagar who were again Kurubas. About which I will write in a different blog.

http://archive.org/stream/historyofgingeea035396mbp/historyofgingeea035396mbp_djvu.txt -page 31-40
http://www.gingeefort.com/web/artical04.asp