Actor Kamal Haasan has come out in support of national award-winning Tamil director Vetrimaaran who recently claimed that Raja Raja Cholan of the Chola dynasty was not a Hindu king, and that there was no concept of ‘Hindu religion’ during the Chola era.
Vetimaaran’s remarks came just a day after the release of the film Ponniyin Selvan: 1, which is based on a fictional novel inspired by Raja Raja Chola.
Vetrimaaran, at an event, had said: "Raja Raja Cholan wasn't Hindu but they (BJP) are trying to steal our identity. They have already tried to saffronise Thiruvalluvar. We should never allow that. "
Haasan made a similar statement, saying, "There was no name called 'Hindu religion' during Raja Raja Cholan's period. There was Vainavam, Shivam, and Samanam, and it was the British who coined the term Hindu since they didn’t know how to refer to it collectively. It is similar to how they changed Thuthukudi into Tuticorin."
Although Vetimaaran did find support from Mr Haasan, BJP leader H Raja slammed the director, stating that Raja Raja Chola was indeed a Hindu king.
"I am not well versed with history like Vetrimafran, but let him point out two churches and mosques built by Raja Raja Chola. He called himself Sivapadha Sekaran. Wasn't he a Hindu then?" H Raja had asked.
In 2019, film director PA Ranjith also sparked controversy after he criticised the king, saying it was a dark age for Dalits during his rule. “Land had been forcibly taken away from them and many forms of caste oppression had begun during Raja Raja Chola’s reign,” he had said.
