Modi Tamil Nadu visit: How PM’s Chola legacy trip boosts BJP's Tamil aspirations

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to arrive in Tamil Nadu on July 26 to attend the birth anniversary celebrations of Chola Emperor Rajendra Chola I, who established the city of Gangaikonda Cholapuram and constructed the Brihadeeswara Temple. Scheduled to be held in Ariyalur district near Thanjavur in south Tamil Nadu, the event commemorates the 1,000th anniversary of Rajendra Chola’s legendary maritime expedition to Southeast Asia and the conquest of the Gangetic plains by King Rajendra Chola I.

The Union Ministry of Culture is organising the Aadi Thiruvathira festival from July 23 to July 27 to celebrate Tamil Nadu’s ancient Shaivaite and cultural legacy. Rajendra Chola I is celebrated in Tamil Nadu and by Tamils across the globe for his military prowess and temple architectural skills.

Rajendra Chola, whose reign marked the zenith of the Chola empire, is regarded as a powerful figure in South Tamil Nadu for his victorious Gangetic expedition. Considered to be the capital of the Cholas, Gangaikonda Cholapuram near Thanjavur is located on the banks of Kollidam River, a tributary of the perennial Cauvery. Though Gangaikonda Cholapuram lost its glory after the fall of the Chola dynasty, it is still compared to Babylon, the ancient city in Mesopotamia.

Based on a request made by R. Komagan, Chairman of the Gangaikondacholapuram Development Council Trust, Modi will release a commemorative coin on the occasion. The event also coordinates with Aadi Thiruvathirai naal, the birth star of the legendary Chola king. Legendary music composer Ilaiyaraaja will perform a 20-minute concert in the presence of Modi.

During the event, the heads of about 25 Shaivaite adheenams across Tamil Nadu will share the dias with the prime minister, second time in a row in the past two years. During the new Parliament building inauguration, the Shaivaite adheenam pontiffs went all the way from Tamil Nadu to install a Sengol (sceptre). At least 19 of the 33 pontiffs from Tamil Nadu took part in the Sengol installation in 2023. The Union Cultural Secretary Vivek Agarwal had apparently written to all the 33 Shaivaite adheenams in Tamil Nadu, requesting them to be present on the dias when Modi attends the Thiruvathirai naal festival in a bid to honour Shaiva Siddantha and the Bakthi movements in Tamil Nadu.

According to insiders in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Modi is fascinated by Rajendra Chola, the Chola dynasty and its naval supremacy, maritime trade during the Chola regime, and the seafaring activities then. However, Modi’s fascination and love for the Chola dynasty comes afresh as the Tamil identity, culture, the Cholas, and the Shaivaite movement command a huge voter base in Tamil Nadu.

Though the Shaivaite adheenam heads in Tamil Nadu do not command popularity like the monasteries in the neighbouring states like Karnataka, the adheenams have followers from the upper-caste communities, which contribute to a major voter base across the state. The pontiffs of the adheenams come from the Other Backward Class (OBC) Vellalar community, which is popular in the south. On the other side, the leaders of the adheenams who have always chosen to stay away from the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) due to their Brahminical image, have now started cozying up with the Union government, after the Sengol installation in the parliament.

The adheenams, sources say, off late believe that the BJP and the Union government will help them retrieve their past glory as monasteries, like in the other southern states.

Each adheenam in Tamil Nadu is apparently a kingdom by themselves and hold a large chunk of land parcels, properties, temples, education institutions and many. Though the Madurai aadheenam is the oldest of all, revived by the famous Thirugnana Sambhandar, one of the 63 Nayanmars (disciples of Lord Shiva), the Perur aadheenam commands a stronghold among the people in West Tamil Nadu. Recently, the Perur aadheenam’s birth anniversary was celebrated alongside the RSS centenary celebrations.

With elections around the corner, Modi’s visit assumes political significance, as the BJP wants to tap a chunk of votes from South Tamil Nadu, particularly the OBC votes. Modi’s visit to Gangaikonda Cholapuram, Ilaiyaraja’s music concert, the presence of the pontiffs, and the hymns sung in praise of Lord Shiva at the event is nothing but an extension of the BJP’s outreach to the Tamils, who are largely Dravidian.

India