Senguttuvan
Also called: Chera Senguttuvan · Topic: Sangam Age and Early South India · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Senguttuvan was a Chera ruler of the Sangam age (c. 300 BCE – 300 CE). He is known as the "Red Chera". He is a major figure in the Tamil epic Silappadikaram. The epic shows him both as a chief who receives gifts from forest people and as a ruler with ambitions across India.
Example
According to the Silappadikaram, Senguttuvan led an expedition north to bring a stone from the Himalayas. He used it to make an image of Kannagi, who was worshipped as a goddess of chastity. In another passage, forest people bring him gifts such as ivory, sandalwood, pepper and baby elephants. This shows how Sangam chiefs gained resources and then shared them out.
Don't confuse with
- Nedunjeral Adan: another Chera king. He won the rank of adhiraja (overlord) and was also said to have conquered up to the Himalayas.
- Imperial Chola Rajendra I: his northern campaign to the Ganga, in the 11th century CE, earned him the title Gangaikonda. That was many centuries after Senguttuvan.