Athula (IAST: Atula), fl. 11th century AD, was a medieval Sanskrit-language poet from the Mushika or Ezhimala kingdom, located in present-day northern Kerala (the Malabar Coast), south India.12 He is best known for composing the Mushika-vamsa-kavya, a mahakavya (epic poem) about the ruling dynasty of the kingdom.31
The dynastic chronicle was composed in the court of Mushika ruler Srikantha ("Kantan Karivarman", in Malayalam).45 Athula is sometimes alternatively dated to the first half of the 12th century AD (Unni, 1980).6 It has also been suggested that he might be identical to the Chera court poet Tholan.6
References
References
- Narayanan, M. G. S. (2013) [1972]. Perumals of Kerala. Thrissur (Kerala): CosmoBooks. pp. 178–179. ISBN 9788188765072.
- Thapar, Romila (2003) [2002]. The Penguin History of Early India: From the Origins to AD 1300. Penguin Books. pp. 394–95.
- Mailaparambil, Binu John (2012). Lords of the Sea: The Ali Rajas of Cannanore and the Political Economy of Malabar (1663-1723). Leiden: Brill. p. 10. ISBN 978-90-474-4471-8.
- Rao, T. A. Gopinatha (1913). "No. 10—Mushika Vamsa: A Study". Travancore Archaeological Series. Vol. II. Madras: Methodist Publishing House. pp. 106–113.
- Narayanan, M. G. S. (2013) [1972]. Perumals of Kerala. Thrissur (Kerala): CosmoBooks. pp. 180–181. ISBN 9788188765072.
- Vielle, Christophe (2011). "Real and Ideal Kings in Matrilineal Kerala". Religions of South Asia. 5 (1/2): 369. doi:10.1558/rosa.v5i1/2.365. hdl:2078.1/129594. ISSN 1751-2689.