Ravivarman Kulaśēkhara
| Ravivarman | |
|---|---|
| Kulasekhara Perumal | |
Kollam in south India | |
| King of Venatu (Quilon) | |
| Reign | 1299 – 1316/7 c. 1299 - 1317 c. 1299 - 1316 |
| Coronation | 1299, 1309 (Quilon) 1312 (Madurai) 1312/3 (Kanchi) |
| Predecessor | Jayasimhadeva |
| Successor | Udaya Marttanda Varma |
| Born | 1266 – 67 |
| Died | 1316/7 |
| House | Kulasekhara (Venatu Chera) dynasty |
| Father | Jayasimhadeva (fl. 1266 – 67) |
| Mother | Umadevi of the Kupaka |
| Religion | Hinduism |
Ravivarman (c. 1266/7 – 1316/7), styled Maharaja Ravivarman, Kulasekhara was the ruler of Venatu, with capital at port Kolambam (Quilon), southern India between 1299 – 1316/7. He – in all likelihood – was a descendant of the ancient Cheras through his father and was the son-in-law of the Pandya ruler of Maravarman Kulasekhara. Ravivarman raided large parts of southern India in a short period (1312 – 1316) by skillfully taking advantage of the weakening of the Pandya kingdom and the confusion prevailed after the Khalji raids (1311).
Coins issued by Ravivarman with the legend "Kulasekhara" were discovered by archaeologists. Probably to commemorate his conquest of the Pandya realm, he issued the coin with his crest elephant (the Chera symbol) on the obverse and the name Kulasekhara over the Pandya crest (the two fishes) on the reverse. In a Telugu record (1317 AD) of the Kakatiya ruler Prataparudra II, he is called "Malayala Tiruvadi Kulasekhara".
Ravivarman was an ardent devotee of Padmanabha (Vishnu) at Trivandrum, Kerala. The term "Padmanabhapadadasa" was apparently first used by Ravivarman Kulasekhara.