Kaundinya funan
Kaundinya I (Khmer: កៅណ្ឌិន្យ, Odia: କୌଣ୍ଡିନ୍ୟ, Sanskrit: कौण्डिन्य), also known as Hùntián (混塡) and Preah Thong (Khmer: ព្រះថោង) was the second monarch of the Funan Kingdom (reigned c. 1st century) which comprises much of Cambodia located in mainland Southeast Asia centered on the Mekong Delta.
Kaundinya's Indian Origins
Since most sources are vague on the exact origins of Kaundinya I from India, delving into history especially through the lens of maritime history and ancient trade links as well as inscriptions analysis and customs from India is important in providing insights into the origins of Kaundinya. Sanjeev Sanyal's book The Ocean of Churn: How the Indian Ocean Shaped Human History further looks into the origin of the name Kaundinya, which points out that it is not usually a common first name in India but a gotra (i.e. the patrilineal lineage) of a group of Brahmins who lived on the eastern coastline of India especially along the Odisha-Northern Andhra coastline. Thus this region corresponds to the ancient Kalinga region (now modern Odisha), which is important considering the early Indian mariners were trading from this region as evident from their ancient maritime history around the 3rd century BCE. The port of Palur (near Ganjam) was referred to by Ptolemy as a prominent international port during the 2nd century CE, thus referring to its important role played in maritime trading history. The strong links with Kalinga are also noted from the copper plate land grants given by the rulers of Kalinga to Kaundinya Brahmins who lived in the Mahendragiri region of Ganjam, especially the Ragolu inscription copper plate grant of the Pitrbhakta dynasty, the prominence of Shaivite customs mentioned in the Chinese work History of the Southern Dynasties during the reign of Jayavarman Kaundinya with regards to Mount Mo-tan in Funan, bearing close affinity with the early Saivite customs and its relation to Mahendragiri mountain which was the prevalent religion during the reign of different Kalinga dynasties.The diplomatic relations maintained between Funan and the Murunda dynasty of northern Kalinga during the 3rd century CE also play an important role in the relations between the two regions.[1]
To strengthen this ancient Funan-Kalinga contact and migration of Kaundinya from Kalinga, there is also another evidence that the river Mekong (Me-Khong according to Ptolemy) flows through the kingdom of Funan was called by the name‘Mahanadi’, the principal river of Odisha. The Devaraja cult which traces its origin to India was a very popular religious cult in Cambodia. Scholars20 identified devaraja as a chalanti Pratima(movable image) of the god Siva. The Devaraja cult of Cambodia has many similarities with that of the early medieval Orissan Saivite cult. [2]
They named a local mountain in Funan is Mahendra Mountain. In the Banteay Srei and Prah Khan temples of Cambodia, the mullioned openings are very splendid and in their ‘pattern and intention are akin to the contemporary temples of Bhubaneswar in Orissa. In Angkorian sculptures, the round eyebrows and deep plump lips are of Orissan variety. In the open part of the terrace on each side of the entrance of Angkor Wat, small shrines were there, which were similar to Pancha Ratha (a division of shrine tower into five vertical segments) pattern of Orissan temples. From the above analysis, it is evident that there was a close cultural affinity between Kalinga and Funan in ancient times.
(Reference- Benudhar Patra (November 2011), Kalinga and Funan: A Study in Ancient Relations (PDF), Odisha Review).
Like the kings of Kalinga are called lord of Mahendragiri, the kings there are also called by the name of Monarch of Mahendra Parvat.Reference-(Concise Encyclopedia Of World Historyhttps://books.google.co.in › books ,Carlos Ramirez-Faria · 2007).
Kaundinya is a family name [surname] from the Odisha-Andhra Coastal region. The Kaundinya Brahmins still continue to live near the Mahendra Mountain range of Odisha.
(Reference-The Mountain Mahendragiri -An Eco-Heritage Tourist Destination, Dr. Sunil Kumar Patnaik & Sarita Nayak).