Kaundinya I
Kaundinya Varaman Deva
King of Funan
Reign1st century CE
Coronationlater 1st century CE
PredecessorSoma, Queen of Funan
SuccessorHun Pan-huang
BornIndian East Coast (likely Kalinga coast)
DiedFunan
SpouseSoma, Queen of Funan
ReligionHinduism

Kaundinya I (Khmer: កៅណ្ឌិន្យ, Sanskrit: कौण्डिन्य, Kauṇḍinya), also known as Hùntián (混塡, Chinese), Hỗn Điền (混塡, Vietnamese) and Preah Thong (Khmer: ព្រះថោង),[1] was the second monarch of Funan (reigned c. 1st century) which comprises much of Cambodia located in mainland Southeast Asia centered on the Mekong Delta. He was the consort of the first monarch Soma, Queen of Funan,[2] also known as Liǔyè (Chinese) and Neang Neakii (Khmer) and together both were the co-founders of the kingdom of Funan with the capital located at Vyadhapura.

Indian origins

Numerous sources and folklores talk about the arrival of the merchant. Kaundinya from India and the subsequent marriage with the Naga princess Soma leading to the establishment of the kingdom. But the sources mostly point to Kaundinya's arrival from India without clearly describing his origins which later acquires numerous legendary characteristics contributing to different folklores from numerous sources which is reflected from the Chinese and other regional Southeast Asian sources.[3][4][5] The union is symbolised in the personification of Khmer culture as Preah Thong and Neang Neak.

Modern theories

Newly discovered DNA evidence, suggest there is some truth to the Khmer creation mythology. DNA sample taken from a protohistoric individual from the Wat Komnou cemetery at the Angkor Borei site in Cambodia contains substantial level of South Asian admixture (ca. 40–50%).

Radiocarbon dating result on the human bone (95% confidence interval is 78–234 calCE) indicate that this individual lived during the early period of Funan.[6]

The history of maritime links along with the inscriptions analysis corresponding to the region can provide insights into the origins of Kaundinya in India. Sanjeev Sanyal's book The Ocean of Churn: How the Indian Ocean Shaped Human History further looks into the origin of the name Kaundinya, which is not usually a common first name in India but a gotra (i.e. derived from ancestors by the Brahmins and gurus by other classes) of a group of Brahmins who lived on the eastern coastline of India especially along the Odisha-Andhra-Tamil coastline. Hence this corresponds to the ancient Kalinga region (now modern Odisha) considering the early Indian mariners were trading from this region as evident from their ancient maritime history around 3rd century BC[7][8] and the port of Palur (near Ganjam) which was referred to by Ptolemy as a prominent international port during the 2nd century CE.[9] The links with Kalinga are also noted from the copper plate land grants given by the rulers of Kalinga to Kaundinya Brahmins who lived in the Mahendragiri region of Ganjam with the most notable one being the Ragolu inscription copper plate grant issued by the ruler Nandaprabhanjanavarman of the Pitrbhakta dynasty,[10][11] the Shaivite customs mentioned in the Chinese work History of the Southern Dynasties during the reign of Kaundinya's descendant Jayavarman Kaundinya with regards to Mount Mo-tan in Funan,[12][13] bearing affinity with the early Saivism and its relation to Mahendragiri mountain which was the prevalent religion during the reign of different dynasties of Kalinga[14] and the diplomatic relations between Funan and the Murunda dynasty of northern Kalinga during 3rd cen CE, when King Dhamadamadhara (Dharmatamadharasya) of Murunda received envoy Su-Wu representing King Fan Chan of Funan (225-250 CE).[15][16][14]

As per other legends, he was the son of king Adityavamsa “Intapah” who was banished from Indraprastha, located about 20 miles south of Delhi, India.[17]

Foundation of Funan and establishing the House of Kaundinya

As per the legends, an Indian merchant ship was attacked by the pirates led by Soma, daughter of the chieftain of the local Nāga clan. The merchants led by Kaundinya fought back and fended off the attackers but the ship had been damaged and was beached for repairs. The Indians were wary of a second attack but Princess Soma was impressed by Kaundinya's bravery and proposed marriage which was accepted. The union led to the foundation of the House which would rule Funan for many generations and the royal legitimacy of the dynasty was acquired through the female line (i.e. the matrilineal lineage) in the kingdom. The founding myth also explains the reason why the serpent(naga) became an important part of Khmer iconography as is seen thousand years later when this mystical union remained an important part of the court ceremonies at Angkor during the era of the Khmer empire.[7][18][19]

References

  1. ↑ "SEAlang Dictionary". www.sealang.net. Retrieved 2023-10-14.
  2. ↑ "The women who made Cambodia". The Phnom Penh Post. 19 May 2010.
  3. ↑ Coedès, George (1968). Walter F. Vella (ed.). The Indianized States of Southeast Asia. trans.Susan Brown Cowing. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-0368-1.
  4. ↑ Rudiger Gaudes, Kaundinya, Preah Thong, and the Nagi Soma: Some Aspects of a Cambodian Legend
  5. ↑ Chad Raymond (2005), "Regional Geographic Influence on Two Khmer Polities", Journal of Third World Studies, University Press of Florida, 22 (1): 135–150, JSTOR 45194224, retrieved 31 March 2021
  6. ↑ Changmai, Piya; Pinhasi, Ron; Pietrusewsky, Michael; Stark, Miriam T.; Ikehara-Quebral, Rona Michi; Reich, David; Flegontov, Pavel (2022-12-29). "Ancient DNA from Protohistoric Period Cambodia indicates that South Asians admixed with local populations as early as 1st–3rd centuries CE". Scientific Reports. 12 (1): 22507. doi:10.1038/s41598-022-26799-3. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 9800559.
  7. 1 2 Sanyal, Sanjeev (2016-08-10). The Ocean of Churn: How the Indian Ocean Shaped Human History. Penguin UK. pp. 82–84. ISBN 978-93-86057-61-7.
  8. ↑ Sila Tripati (2002), Early Maritime Activities of Orissa on the East Coast of India: Linkages in Trade and Cultural Developments (PDF), Marine Archaeology Centre, National Institute of Oceanography, Dona Paula, Goa, retrieved 19 February 2021
  9. ↑ Patra, Benudhar (2013), "Ports and Port Towns of Early Odisha: Text, Archaeology and Identification", Proceedings of the Indian History Congress, Indian History Congress, 74: 54–63, JSTOR 44158798
  10. ↑ Sunil Kumar Patnaik, Sarita Nayak (November 2020), The Mountain Mahendragiri (PDF), Odisha Review, p. 20, retrieved 14 March 2021
  11. ↑ Snigdha Tripathy (1997). Inscriptions of Orissa. Vol. I - Circa 5th-8th centuries A.D. Indian Council of Historical Research and Motilal Banarsidass. p. 13. ISBN 978-81-208-1077-8.
  12. ↑ Coedès, George (1968). The Indianized States of Southeast Asia. University of Hawaii Press. p. 61. ISBN 9780824803681.
  13. ↑ Le, Hien (22 September 2016), Indian Values in Oc Eo Culture Case Study – Go Thap, Dong Thap Province, American Scientific Research Journal for Engineering, Technology, and Sciences (ASRJETS), p. 174
  14. 1 2 Benudhar Patra (November 2011), Kalinga and Funan : A Study in Ancient Relations (PDF), Orissa Review, retrieved 4 April 2021
  15. ↑ Pelliot, Paul (1903). "Le Fou-nan". Bulletin de l'École française d'Extrême-Orient (in French). 3: 292. doi:10.3406/befeo.1903.1216. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  16. ↑ Coedès, George (1968). Walter F. Vella (ed.). The Indianized States of Southeast Asia (PDF). trans.Susan Brown Cowing. University of Hawaii Press. pp. 46–47. ISBN 978-0-8248-0368-1.
  17. ↑ Kenneth T. So. "Preah Khan Reach and The Genealogy of Khmer Kings" (PDF). Cambosastra. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-07-08. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
  18. ↑ Tarling, Nicholas (March 2008). The Cambridge History of Southeast Asia. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781139055482.
  19. ↑ Hall, DGE (14 May 1981). History of South East Asia. Macmillan Education UK. ISBN 9780333241646.
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