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EPIGRAPHIA INDICA
[Vol. XXXII
ruling over Vēngi 14000 as a subordinate of Vikramaditya when a certain Nayaka made some gift to god Agastyēsvaradēva at Kommūru, in the Bapatla Taluk of the same District. About 1120 A.D., Anantapāla's wife made a gift to the celebrated shrine of Blīmēśvara at Drākshārāma." The gifts made by Velanāņti Rājēndra in the same year and by Mayilamma, the wife of a TeluguChoda chief, in the year after that, at Drāks bārāma are recorded in inscriptions dated in the Chalukya-Vikrama era.' Another inscription from Tripurantakan in the Markapuram Taluk of the Kurnool District, dated in the Chalukya-Vikrama year 51, Parūbhava (corresponding to Tuesday, June 22, 1126 A.D., a solar eclipse occurring on this date), states that Anantapālarasa, the Dandanayaka, was ruling over Vengi 12,000 and Emmedale 6,000 as a subordinate of Vikramditya. This record states that Ananta pala had the pleasure of seeing his nephew and son-in-law Govindarasa who was ruling over Kondapalli 300, pursue the Chola, conquer the Chõļa country and carry away as booty a large number of elephants, soldiers, treasures and all the belongings of the Chõla king. Govindarasa also attacked Jananātharājapura, another name of Dräkshārāma, then the provincial capital of Vēngi, and brought from it everything of Kumāra, captured Docheya and Gonka (probably the ankakāras of the Chola viceroy)-a feat which was considered as amounting to the capture of the person of the king himself, and burnt Vongipura. Anantapula is said to have earned, as a consequence, the title Chola-kataka churakāra. "The same victory is also claimed by Echapa, a subordinate of Anantapāla, who is said to have pursued the Chöļa foroes from the village Uppinakatte in Vangi to Kāñchi and gained for himself the title Chola-räjyanirmūlana." It will thus be seen that Vēngi was completely conquered by Vikramaditya VI who carried his arms even as far as Kāñchi. This eclipse of the Chola-Chūlukya power in Vengi continued till the death of Vikramaditya VI in 1126 A.D. Thus Vikramaditya VI and his Hoysala subordinate Vishnuvardhana, together overran the entire Chöļa enpire in the west and north. It was at this time when the whole dominion of the Cholas was overrun by foreign invasion resulting in muoh loss of territory that Vikrama-chõla began to assert his right to the Chola throne and wage the civil war with his brother or half-brother Parāntakadova. It may even be supposed that these troubles started after he proclaimed himself as the rightful heir to the Chola throne. An inscription on a pillar in front of the Chölēsvara temple at Nidubrölu in the Guntur District registering the gift of land and lamps to the temple of Gońkośvara at Cherakui balli or Ikshupalli by Müraya Panda, the general of Velanānți Gonka, is dated in Saka 1054 and the 17th reynal year of Tribhuvanachakravartin Vikrama-chōļa yielding Saka 1038 (1115-16 A.D.) as the date of his accession, three years earlier than the date usually assigned to him. And Kulõttunga I was alive when these two sons of his were fighting one another for the throne. We do not know what his attitude towards them was or whom he supported. But it is natural to presume that having already chosen Parantaka as heir-apparent and associated him with the government, he would have espoused the cause of that son as against Vikrama-chōļa unless it be that Parāntaka had in the meanwhile turned a traitor ; there is indeed no ground to suppose such a situation. On the other hand, the inscriptions of Parāntaka show in unmistakble terms that his administration had the entire approval of his father and the reigning monarch, Kulõttunga I.
Then Vikrama-chöļa would have had to contend against both his brother Parāntakadēva and his father Kulottunga I to achieve his object. His ultimate success, even during the lifetime of his father, clearly implies that he must have had the active support not only of some strong
1 Sii, Vol. IX, No. 196. *Ibid., Vol. IV, No. 1211. • Ibid., Nos. 1216, 1228. Ibid., Vol. IX, No. 213. Ibid., No. 213. • JAHRS, Vol. XVIII. p. 50; Proc. AIOC', Sorrion X, p. 421. 1811, Vol. VI, No 123.
