Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) chief and I.N.D.I. Alliance MP Thirumavalavan has sparked a controversy after launching a scathing attack on ancient Tamil rulers, including the Chola, Pandya, Chera and Pallava kings, during a recent public address.
In remarks that have drawn sharp reactions, Thirumavalavan rejected the reverence traditionally accorded to Tamil monarchs and blamed them for what he described as the cultural and linguistic decline of Tamil civilisation.
“I have no respect for any king. I do not see anyone as some great power. It was in the time of those kings that this country became worthless, became Sanskrit-ised, became Hindutva-ised,” he said.
Extending his criticism, the VCK leader accused the ancient rulers of sidelining Tamil from its religious and cultural centrality.
“It was in the time when these Pandya kings, Chola kings, Chera kings, Pallava kings ruled that Tamil, which was in the sanctum sanctorum of the Tamil temples, was thrown out,” Thirumavalavan alleged.
He further claimed that Tamil rulers adopted what he called “northern-language” influences and Brahminical rituals at the cost of native traditions.
“The one who conducted sacrificial rites, the one who did yajnas, changed Tamil names and attached northern-language names behind their own names,” he said.
Questioning the very names of some of the most celebrated Tamil emperors, Thirumavalavan asked: “Is ‘Rajaraja’ a Tamil name? Is ‘Rajendra’ a Tamil name? They are all people who put northern‑language names on themselves, who were mesmerised by the northern language (Sanskrit), who were lost in the sacrificial rituals and yajnas of Brahmins.”
He concluded by asserting that despite their reputation, these rulers bore responsibility for cultural erosion.
“Whatever great ‘king of kings’ they may have been, I am someone who has understood that they were the ones who paved the way for the destruction of our Tamil and the destruction of our culture,” he said.
Having long blamed the BJP and the Sangh Parivar for anything that happens in TN under this Corrupt Anti-Hindu DMK Govt, I.N.D.I. Alliance MP Thiru Thirumavalavan has now travelled back over ten centuries to slander the great Chola and Pandya kings, under whose enlightened rule… pic.twitter.com/NSTUok0X1w
— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) January 30, 2026
It is noteworthy that the Chola and Pandya dynasties presided over periods when Tamil literature, temple architecture, inscriptions, administration and overseas cultural influence flourished far beyond the geographical boundaries of present-day Tamil Nadu.
The seems to also mark a shift in Thirumavalavan’s rhetoric. After blaming Sanatana Dharma, BJP and the RSS for everything under the sun, the MP has now turned his criticism towards kings who reigned over a millennium ago.
If the use of names such as “Rajaraja” and “Rajendra” is cited as evidence of cultural betrayal, one wonders whether contemporary political names like Karunanidhi, Stalin, Udhayanidhi, Dayanidhi and Kalanidhi (names from the DMK’s first family) would qualify as Tamil by the same standard.
Subscribe to our channels on Telegram, WhatsApp, and Instagram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.
