Kulakkottan Kattalaikal (orders of Kulakkottan)

Kulakkottan Kattalaikal (orders of Kulakkottan) Undated; 25.4 x 3 cm; 52 ff (ff 49-52 blank); some leaves have been fragmented; for the most part inscribed on both sides; legible; incomplete. Kulakkottan Kattalaikal (orders of Kulakkottan): Kulakkottan was a Saiva prince originally from the Chola country in South India who played an important role in establishing the vanni chieftaincies in eastern Sri Lanka (Trincomalee District), after renovating the local historical Hindu temple Koneswaram. Though a precise view of the identity and chronology of Kulakkottan is not possible, his activities can be ascribed to a period somewhere between the end of the Chola rule in Sri Lanka (the second half of the eleventh century) and the emergence of a Tamil Kingdom in northern Sri Lanka (thirteenth century A.D.).

The manuscript relates various arrangements made by Kulakkottan with different chieftains and temple servants to maintain the religious services at the Koneswaram temple. The text also refers to some administrative titles such as vannipam, mutali, pararasasekaram, sekarasasekaram, etc. This manuscript is a useful addition to the already available sources on Kulakkottan and his activities in relation to the Koneswaram temple.