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EPIGRAPHIA INDICA
[VOL. XXX assumed, or were given, names and surnames of ruling Chola kings, and from the names alone one could say whose officials or subordinates they were. Such a practice is impossible in the case of the kings called Kongu-Chōlas. Secondly, the term Kongu-Chōla might very naturally indicate that the members were of the Kongu country, and it will be shown presently that though these kings ruled over the Kongu country, they were not of that country but came from outside. It is worth noting that the two earliest kings had the name, surname or title Kalimurkka and the other called himself Kōnāṭṭan. The earliest use of the title Kalimurkka is found in a record of the 5th year of Pallava Dantivarman found at Kunpändarkōyil in the Kulattür Taluk (Pudukkottai). In it, it is stated that a tank called Vali-eri was constructed by a chief named Vali-Vaḍugan alias KalimurkkaIlavaraiyan, who calls himself a servant of Marppiduvanär alias Peradiyaraiyan evidently of the Muttaraiyan family. From this inscription it is clear that Väli-Vadugan was of a family of local chiefs as indicated by the titular surname Kalimürkka Ilavaraiyan, and that he was the subordinate of one of the principal chiefs of the Pallava king Dantivarman. We note the distinction which the inscription makes between Ilavaraiyan and Pêradiyaraiyan. It is needless to say that almost the whole of the Kulattür taluk was included in one or the other of the divisions of Kōnādu. We know that, after the revival of the Chōlas, the Kōnādu chiefs, among others, transferred their allegiance to the Chōlas, when Aditya I acquired the whole of the Pallava dominion, and adopted the titles and surnames of their new overlords. This surbordinate family of Kōnādu, just like the main line of Irungōvēls or Irukkuvējs, must be regarded as belonging to the Yadava stock. It will be better and more appropriate to call this family of rulers of Kongu by the name Kongu Könäṭṭār than by any other.
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There is no need for examining the palaeography of the inscriptions to arrive at the time of the records, as we know for certain the date of Vikrama-Chōla of these epigraphs from his Tingalur inscription which combines his 40th regnal year with Saka 967. It is enough to say that the characters in which the inscription of Virasola-Kalimürkka-Perumal are engraved are almost similar to those of Kalimürkka-Vikrama-Chōla's epigraphs and therefore Virasōla-Kalimurkka must be either a predecessor or a successor of the other. And, though it is not quite easy to trace any marked differences in the characters of the epigraphs of the two kings, yet a close examination of the palaeography of the inscriptions of the former (Nos. II and III below) found at Piramiyam as compared with that of the latter (Nos. IV to VII) discovered in the same place seems to me to show that the former must be slightly earlier than the latter. Besides, the engraving on separate slabs, door posts, etc., of Virasola-Kalimurkka's inscriptions also point to the same fact. Tentatively therefore we may assign Virasōla-Kalimurkka to the end of the tenth century A. D. and consider him to be the immediate predecessor of Kalimurkka-Vikrama-Chōla whose accession took place in 1005 A.D., and who reigned for at least 42 years, i.e., till 1047 A.D. At worst, VirasōlaKalimurkka may be regarded as the immediate successor of Kalimurkka-Vikrama-Chōla. He is decidedly not later. This, it may be noted, is a positive proof afforded by the Vaṭṭeluttu and Tamil inscriptions occurring at Piramiyam which has happily preserved the records of five of their successors. We have also to take note of the fact that 'Kalimurkka' occurring in the double names
1 See for instance No. IV below which is a proclamation by the king himself and which commences with the words "Hail ! I am Vikrama-Chōla, the Könättäp. This is the 20th year of my reign".
ARSIE, 1905, No. 614.
3 (1) One of Abhimana-Chōla Rājādhirāja dated in the 10th year of reign (No. 202), (2) two of Rājādhirāja Uttama-Chōla dated in the 8th and 17+ 1st years (Nos. 198 and 205), (3) one of Räjädhiraja Vira-Chōla dated in the 5+ 1st year (No. 192), (4) two of Kulottunga-Chōla dated in the 9th and 11th years of reign (Nos. 201 and 194), (5) twelve of Virarājēndra ranging in date between the 3rd and 19th years (Nos. 184/3rd, 186/5th, 197/6th, 193/7th, 188 and 199/8th, 200/13th, 182/14th, 191 and 206/19th, 195 and 205 date lost), and one of Parakesarivarman Tiruchchirrambalam-udaiyan Vikrama-Chōla dated in the 13th year (ARSIE, 1920, No. 196).
