Presented my books to the Governor of Tamilnadu

On Friday, the 24th of May, 2024, Thiruvallur's birth day was celebrated by the Honorable Governor of Tamilnadu, Shri. R.N.Ravi at the Raj Bhavan. It was the day of Anusham in the month of Vaikasi. This day of birth star of Thiruvallur is also celebrated in the Thiruvallur temple in Mylapore. This star and the month were also accepted as the birth star and the birth month of Thiruvallur in a meeting headed by Maraimalai Adigal in 1935.

For reasons best known to him, the former Chief Minister, Shri. M. Karunanidhi declared that Thiruvallur's birth day must be celebrated on the 2nd day of Thai month. This has caused deep consternation in the minds of people. As if to assuage the feelings of the informed public, the Governor initiated the observance of the birthday on Tiruvaḷḷuvar on Anusham in the month of Vaikasi which happened to fall on the 24th of May this year.

He invited a select number of scholars for this occasion celebrated on the evening of the 24th. 

I also received the invitation and decided to present six of my books to him. I hurriedly prepared 'Ramayana 5114 BCE' on which I had already started working. I made a shorter version of the book with 10 issues in Part-I and the dating details in Part-II. I printed only limited copies to be given to the Governor and other dignitaries. A longer version with three parts covering more issues will be published in three months about which I will make an announcement. 

On that evening, I got the opportunity to meet the Governor to present my books.

The books are 

1. Ramayana 5114 BCE

2. Mahabharata 3136 BCE

3. Ramanuja Itihasa

4. Date of Adi Shankara 148 BCE

5. When was the first Vedic homa done?

6. Who killed Aditya Karikala?

While giving, I told him specifically about the Ramayana book that it contains Tamil connection to the Ramayana. He said that he would read.

The programme went on with 'Villu Pattu', a ppt presentation on Tiruvaḷḷuvar and a couple of speeches. The Governor talked about his acquaintance with a specific Kurl as early as 1964 when he was in his 9th standard. The first book he received on becoming the Governor of Tamilnadu was Thirukkural which inspired him greatly that he has become a sishya of Tiruvaḷḷuvar. He hosted the birthday of Tiruvaḷḷuvar as a disciple of Tiruvaḷḷuvar.

A sumptuous dinner was hosted at the end of the celebration in which various dishes made of different grains were served.

The occasion offered me opportunity to meet many scholars. On my part I was happy to have given my books to the Governor.

For the curiosity of readers, let me give the wrapper of the book 'Ramayana 5114 BCE' and the Content page.

'ஆதித்த கரிகாலனைக் கொன்றது யார்?' - My Tamil book released by Swasam Publications

The Tamil version of my historical non-fiction on the death of the Chola King Aditya Karikala is published by Swasam Publishers in Chennai. 

The death of Aditya Karikala was the central theme of the movie 'Ponniyin Selvan' written by Kalki. Since there is a huge mix of facts and fiction in the story by Kalki and in the movie, I researched the Chola history of that period and brought out the facts about Aditya Karikala and his death. 

In the course of unraveling the mystery, I found a lot of discrepancies in the until-now recorded history of the Chola-s of that period which made me work on them and bring them out in this book. This was necessary to establish the motive for the murder of Aditya Karikala. He was killed for decapitating Veera Pandya, the Pandyan king. His anger against Veera Pandya was triggered by Veera Pandya killing one of his immediate ancestors. Who was that ancestor? The book provides the authenticated answer for that.

The book begins with a major issue believed by many scholars including Nilakanta Sastri which became the basis of the story of Ponniyin Selvan by Kalki. This issue centered around Madhurantakan who became the Chola king after the death of Aditya Karikala. Did Madhurantaka conspire to kill Aditya? How could he ascend the throne when Arulmozhi Varman (Rajaraja Chola) or Aditya's son were the rightful heirs to the throne? 

These questions are answered in this book which gives a clarity about the middle chola genealogy and also helps in finding out the undocumented kings in the lineage.

The book can be bought from Swasam Publications through this LINK  

Book release of 'Ramanuja Itihasa' in Tamil

 The book “Rāmānuja Itihāsa” (ராமானுஜ இதிகாசம்) is set on a detective tone to resolve two historical mysteries in Ramanuja’s life that have far reaching implications for our understanding of the history of the medieval Cholas and the unrecorded earliest incursion of Islamic iconoclasts into southern India in the 11th century CE after the death of Mahmud of Ghazni.

In the course of finding out the answers for two questions - on who persecuted him and who looted the deity of Melukote - the book explores Ramanuja's journey from Srirangam to back to Srirangam in the course of which the later day history is also revealed, of the destruction spree of Tipu Sultan on the temples and monuments associated with Ramanuja when he came to know that the martyrdom of the Ghazi who looted the deity of Melukote was made wasteful by Ramanuja by having successfully restored the looted property. Ramanuja was perhaps the one and only person in the entire history of struggle against the Muslim invaders in having reclaimed the stolen property without any violence or bloodshed.

The book further brings to the fore the identity of the Chola King who had thrown out the Main Murti of Lord Govindaraja of Chidambaram into the sea. Ramanuja managed to protect the processional murti of Govindaraja by installing the deity at Tirupati.

Supported by multiple evidences and photographs from a field trip on the trail of Ramanuja, this book is an intellectual feast to both history enthusiasts and the disciples of Ramanuja. The Tamil version of this book with additional features, such as the return of Lord Govindaraja, the massacre of Mandayam Iyengars and the caste conflicts traced to right-hand and left-hand sections was published by Swasam Publishers yesterday. The first copy was given by writer Anantha Sairam Rangarajan to octogenarian writer Sadagopan. 

To get a copy write to Swasam Book store at  https://www.swasambookart.com/books/9788119550555