Part 1.4 - Tamil King who will Register the Vietnam King Sri Maran

The cultural empire of India spread to Southeast Asia in the first centuries of its era. The Hindu Empire had been present for more than a thousand years in several countries of this region. Although many historians do not realize that a Pandyan king ruled over Vietnam, he was known as Sri Maran, Tamil translates it into Thiru Maran. The oldest Sanskrit inscription discovered in Vietnam called Vo-Chanh Inscription mentions the name of Sri Maran. The inscriptin was encrusted in a rock like two parts. It mainly represented donations made by the king's family. Outside the complete inscription of twenty-two lines; 15 one rock, 7 in the other, only 9 are legible. Scholars who have possession of the copy of the inscription affirm that the poetic part is in Vasanthta Thilaka's meter in Sanskrit while the rest is in poetry.

According to the inscription, the king had given all his properties to the people who were close to him. It has also made it mandatory for potential future kings to comply with this rule of giving. However, this inscription is characterized by an abrupt end, the words "Sri Maha Raja Kula" can be deciphered clearly and simply. Despite not having much information about this king, Chinese historians have confirmed that Sri Maran hailed the flourishing of the Hindu empire in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.

According to Chinese historians who named King Kiu Lien, he captured Champa, part of modern Vietnam, which allowed the beginning of a revolt. The revolt began in 132 AD and was ruled by Sri Maran since 192 AD. A remarkable fact is that all the names of the kings who followed Sri Maran were of Chinese style and beyond their recognition, although the names of the kings end with Fan (in Chinese); being nothing more than Varman. Here, surprisingly, the names of Varman and Maran are found in the Pandyan kingdom of Tamil Nadu.

Currently, there are more than 800 Sanskrit registrations in Southeast Asia. Mula Vaman was another king whose inscription was found in the thick jungle of Borneo (Indonesia). On a side note, the last king who reigned during the second Tamil Academy (2nd Tamil Sangam) was Thiru Maran. He was forced to move his capital to the current Madurai when a tsunami hit his capital.

The inscription "Velkuddi Copper Plate" also mentions Thiru Maran, Sri Maran as titles for the new kings. In fact, the king who reigned during the days of Tolkappiyar, Nilam Tharu Thiruvil Pandyan, also received the title of "Thiru". The mentioned inscription indicates that Agastya was the Kula Guru of the Pandyan clan and that there are many Agastyan statues in many places in Southeast Asia.

Kadalul Maintha Ilam Peru Vazuthi was the author of Purananuru's poem 182, which translates the king's name into "dead king at sea". The king may have died on an expedition to South East Asian countries; It was common for a Pandan king to visit a foreign country in the first or second century.

In addition, other Tamil inscriptions were discovered in Malaysia and Tamil coins were discovered in Thailand, references from Greek and Roman writers on the maritime trade of southern India, proving the expedition of Pandyas in Southeast Asia.