An identity crisis from a thousand years ago

A new week, a new controversy centred on Hinduism. The latest victim of heated debates on primetime television is Mani Ratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan - 1, the film adaptation of Kalki’s revered historical fiction novel. The film itself has put a smile on the faces of everyone associated with it, on account of its remarkable success, having collected almost Rs 350 crore globally. It has been appreciated for its economical writing, striking performances, and above all, for achieving the impossible task of condensing Kalki’s novel of five volumes—which, marrying history and fiction, presents a compelling story about the rise of Raja Raja Cholan/Arunmozhi Varman (played by Jayam Ravi).

Considered South India’s most powerful king, Raja Raja Cholan is revered for his able administration, striking territorial expansions, and the creation of timeless temple architecture—including the famous Brihadheeswara Temple in Thanjavur. It’s the identity of this king that has now come into question a thousand years after his lifetime -- his 29-year reign having ended with his demise in 1014 AD, coincidentally, exactly one millennium before political colours changed in contemporary India. That seeps into the way primetime anchors, political personalities and social media influencers are setting up a heated discourse around him centering on one question: whether Raja Raja Cholan was a Hindu. Those on the right are celebrating him for being a 'Hindu' king—no doubt, ascribing to him present definitions of 'Hinduness'. And notable personalities from Tamil Nadu, including Kamal Haasan and Vetrimaaran, have weighed in on the side of a historically more nuanced argument: that the notion of ‘Hinduism’, as defined today in an all-pervading sense, did not exist during the king’s time and that those who are projecting that idea backwards are falling prey to the fallacy of presentism. A more accurate label, they say, would be Shaivism -- the worship of Shiva -- which has an ancient and robust non-Vedic lineage in Tamil lands.

With the resistance to the ‘Hinduism’ label seeming to be a response to perceived ‘saffronisation’, it is a difficult debate to settle -- and an unfortunate one to envelop a film in. But there is a history to this: a few years ago, a furore erupted over the religious identity of Tamil poet-philosopher Thiruvalluvar after he was depicted in saffron robes in a tweet by the BJP state unit. Some see a systematic politicisation here. Others are offended by the resistance to it. Everything, it seems, depends on where you stand in the political spectrum. In this post-truth era, there are no facts—only beliefs that strengthen your worldview and solidify your identity.

Ponniyin Selvan – 1 is a loving documentation of a fabled time when the rivers in our land ran full, when the earth had not been plundered. There are lessons to be learned from how life was lived then, and yet, it is a marker of our times that a film intended to celebrate a glorious period in our history has instead resulted in squabbles over an identity nuance the film doesn’t exactly concern itself with. Was Raja Raja Chola a Hindu? Was he a Shaivite? Will they even care after the next big release?