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EPIGRAPHIA INDICA.
[VOL. XI. Vijayadittan-Vikki-annan. The terms Salukki and Vishnuvardhana-Mahārāja, occurring in the name of the donor, suggest that he must have been a member of the Eastern Chalukya family.1
According to the Tiruvalangaḍu grant, the Pandyas were first attacked by Rajendra-Chola I., with the result that their king deserted his country from fear. Establishing his son CholaPandya as the protector of the Pandya territory, Rajendra-Chola proceeded westwards, conquered the forces of the Kerala ruler in a fearful battle and returned to his capital leaving that country also in charge of the same prince. That the Chola-Pandya here referred to is none other than Jatavarman Sundara-Chōla-Pandya of our record has already been noticed. It may be pointed out now that while the stone inscriptions of the 5th and 6th years of Rajendra-Chola I. mention his conquest of the Keralas, the invasion of the Pandya country is practically omitted in the historical introduction of all his records. If, as stated in the Tiruvalangāḍu grant, the Chola king conquered the Keralas immediately after he had overcome the Pandyas, the latter event would have taken place before A.D. 1016-7, which corresponds to his 5th year. It would thus appear that Sundara-Chola-Pandya was in charge of the two conquered countries from or prior to A.D. 1016-7, i.e. four years before his accession.3 That he actually ruled over the Keralas is borne out by some of the inscriptions at Mannarkōyil, where mention is made of two of his Chera feudatories named Rajasimha and Rajaraja. In one of his inscriptions, it is stated that the Chera king (Šēramanar) Rājasimha built the Vishnu temple called Rajendrasōla-Vinnagar, i.e. the modern Gopalakrishnasvamin temple at Mannarkōyil. The name of the Chera king conquered by Rajendra-Chola is not given. Nor do we know if it was Rajaraja or Rajasimha.
Among the geographical names that occur in this inscription, Manṇārkōyil does not find a place. It seems to be a shortened form of Mannanarköyil and probably denotes the modern Gopalakrishnasvamin temple. The village in which the temple was situated, was called Rajaraja-chaturvedimangalam in ancient times. It was a brahmadēja in Mulli-nāḍu, a district of Mudigonḍaśōla-valanaḍu which was a subdivision of Rājarāja-Päṇḍināḍu. A number of hamlets appear to have been attached to this village in early days. The modern villages of Ambasamudram and Kallaḍaikkurichchi were its southern hamlets, while Päpängulam (Vélárkurichchi) and Alvärkurichchilo (Kädern; text 1. 2) situated at a distance of about 8 miles from Ambasamudram, formed its hamlets on
1 We do not know of any Eastern Chalukya prince with this name at the time. About A.D. 1030 the approximate date of the Cholapuram inscription, the ruler of Vengi was Rajaraja I. (A.D. 1022-1063).
2 It cannot, however, be inferred from this that the Pandyas remained independent even until this date, because earlier inscriptions of Rajendra-Chola I. have been found in the Tinnevelly and Madura districts. The existence of these records in that part of the country might be taken to show that the Pandyas acknowledged the overlordship of the Chola sovereign even before the invasion, conquered as the Pandya country was by Parantska I. and Rajaraja I. It was perhaps the Pandya king's attempt to assert his independence that caused the invasion in the present instance.
Perhaps he was not formally installed in the Viceroyalty but allowed to issue orders in his own name as soon as he was placed in charge of the Pandya territory. This privilege was probably granted some time after he had been actually governing the subjugated province.
Nos. 111, 113 and 114 of the Madras Epigraphical collection for 1905.
No. 112 of the same.
• Mannanär means Vishnu.
7 No. 102 of the Madras Epigraphical collection for 1905. The ancient name of Ambasamudram was Ilangöykkuḍi.
No. 90 of the same collection for 1907.
The Vishnu temple of Ramasvamin at Päpängulam is called in its inscriptions Bagavadi-Vinnagar-Alvår at Vēlārkurichchi, the north-western hamlet of Rajaraja-chaturvedimangalam (No. 124 of the Madras Epigraphical collection for 1907).
10 The Vanniyappar temple at Alvärkurichchi was called in ancient times Tiruvannichchuramuḍaiyår at Kādēru, the north-western hamlet of Rajaraja-chaturvedimangalam (No. 121 of the Madras Epigraphical collection for 1907).
