Netunceliyan I

First Pandyan ruler

Netunceliyan I

Pandyan Ruler

Reign

c. 270 BCE

Predecessor

Unknown

Successor

Pudappandiyan

Spouse

Kopperundevi

Issue

Pudappandiyan

Names
Netunceliyan

House

Pandyan

Religion

Saivism ^{[citation needed ]}

Pandya dynasty
Early Pandya polity
Koon Pandiyan Nedunjeliyan I Nedunjeliyan II
Early Medieval Pandyas
Kadungon (c. 590–620)/(c. 560–590) Maravarman Avanichulamani (c. 620–645)/(c. 590–620) Cheliyan Chendan (c. 654–670)/(c. 620–650) Arikesari Maravarman (Parankusan) (c. 670–700)/(c. 650–700) Ko Chadaiyan Ranadhira (c. 700–730) Maravarman Rajasimha I (c. 730–765)/(c. 730–768) Srimara Srivallabha (c. 815–862) Varaguna II (c. 862–880)/(c. 862–885) Maravarman Rajasimha III (c. 900–915)

Netunceliyan I^[a] (Tamil: நெடுஞ்செழியன், r. c. 270 BCE)) was an early Pandyan king. He was titled the Āriyappaṭai-kaṭanta Neṭuñceḻiyaṉ, signifying his defeat of the "northern Aryans".^[1]

Archaeological evidence

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His name is present in the Mangulam inscriptions of the 3rd century BCE. The inscriptions mentions that workers of Neṭuñceḻiyaṉ I, a Pandyan king of the Sangam era, (c. 270 BCE) made stone beds for Jain monks.^[2]

In popular culture

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Neṭuñceḻiyaṉ was also the king of the Cilappatikaram , the epic authored by the poet Ilango Adigal, who later died of a broken heart along with his queen-consort Kopperundevi.^[3]^[4]

He is portrayed by O. A. K. Thevar in the film Poompuhar (1964).