Athiyaman Neduman Anci was one of the velir kings of the Sangam period who ruled the Mazhanadu region.Śrī puṣpāñjali, page 125 Belonging to the Athiyaman clan,Tamil Literature, page 92Madras district gazetteers, page 201 he was the contemporary and the patron of poet Avvaiyar.The Encyclopaedia Of Indian Literature (Volume One (A To Devo), Volume 1, page 295 He ruled over the area encompassing present day Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri, and Salem with the capital at Tagadur.The culture and history of the Tamils, page 17 They were one of the kadai ezhu vallal (last seven great patrons) of the ancient Tamil country.Historical heritage of the Tamils, page 256
Patron of Avvaiyar
When poet Avvaiyar visited the court of Athiyamān Nedumān Añci, he liked her so much that he deliberately delayed in giving her gifts to prolong her stay. The poet at first not realizing the game, got angry and condemned him and then later when she realized the true motive, became so fond him that she decided to stay and became his close friend. On another occasion, he gave her a rare gooseberry(nelli in Tamil) that was considered to improve one's life expectancy.
A warrior
Avvaiyar described her patron as a hardened warrior, Purananuru, song 87:
In 118 CE, another king Malaiyamān Thirumudi Kāri of the Kadai ezhu vallal waged war on Thagadoor against Athiyamān Nedumān Añci. It was an attempt fuelled by his longtime desire to become an emperor equivalent in power to the Cholas. After a fierce battle, Kāri lost Kovalur to Athiyamān and only regained it much later after Peruncheral Irumporai sacked Tagadur.History of Tamilnad:to A.D. 1565, page 66
Friendship with the Cholas
Athiyamān Nedumān Añci lived in one of the most turbulent periods and was looking at an imminent invasion by the Cheras and the Cholas. He sent Avvaiyar as an envoy to the court of Ilantiraiyan of Kanchi who was a viceroy of the Chola sovereign and later allied himself with the latter to deter the Chera king.StudiesBut in Tamil Literature and History, page 66 Avvaiyar was given a grand welcome by Tondaimān who then went on to proudly show her his archery. Though impressed, Avvaiyar refused to give up her patron by subtly hinting that the king's weapons sparkled as they were probably never used whereas the arsenal of her patron were all worn out as they had seen numerous wars.
Valiant opponent of Peruñcēral Irumporai
But this congregation of Nedumān Añci with the Chola and Pandya did not deter the Chera emperor, Peruñcēral Irumporai who finally arrived and sacked Tagadur. In spite of his small army, Nedumān Añci, led from the front and valiantly went down fighting in the battle field. AricilKilār, the war bard of Peruñcēral Irumporai, paid due homage to the opponent of his patron as he eulogised his king in Tagadur-Yāttarai.Epigraphia Indica, Volume 36, Part 4, page 134
Upon his death, a distressed Avvaiyar sang a number of elegies:
an excerpt from Purananuru, song 235:
an excerpt from Purananuru, song 231:
Inscriptions
A good number of inscriptions in Jambai in Tirukkoyilur taluk have been discovered which help us identify the Satyaputras of the Ashoka's edicts:
These put to rest any speculation regarding the identity of Satyaputras as being non-Tamil and goes on to show the greatness of this line as they are mentioned on par with the other three Tamil kingdoms.
Notes
References Śrī puṣpāñjali: recent researches in prehistory, protohistory, art, architecture, numismatics, iconography, and epigraphy : Dr. C.R. Srinivasan commemoration volume The Encyclopaedia Of Indian Literature (Volume One (A To Devo), Volume 1 By Amaresh Datta The culture and history of the Tamils By Kallidaikurichi Aiyah Nilakanta Sastri Tamil Literature By M. S. Purnalingam Pillai Madras district gazetteers, Volume 1, Part 2 Historical heritage of the Tamils By Ca. Vē Cuppiramaṇiyan̲, Ka. Ta Tirunāvukkaracu, International Institute of Tamil Studies Poems of Love and War from the Eight Anthologies and the Ten Long Poems of Classical Tamil By A. K. Ramanujan Studies in Tamil Literature and History By Ramachandra Dikshitar Epigraphia Indica, Volume 36, Part 4 Volumes 13-14 of [Reports]: New imperial series, India Archaeological Survey By Devadatta Ramakrishna Bhandarkar Kongu Nadu, a history up to A.D. 1400, Makkal Veliyeedu, 2001 Saptar̥ṣīśvara temple in the lower Kaveri Delta: a study of history, architecture, and sculpture By R. Ramasamy