________________
146
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[JUNE, 1912
between Killi and Kochchengannan, while the Leyden plater mention him prior to Küchchengannan and Killi. Both the Eastern Châlakyas and Telugu Chôļas, whose copperplate charters are not few, claim descent from Karikala and the importance of these will be discussed later on. Though the materials furnished by inscriptions regarding his reign are senty, yet there is no room for complete disappointment, for the literature of the early Tamils has on record many a reference, which could be of use to the students of history.
The exact time when this king flourished is not given either in the copper-plates which mention him or in the Tamil works wlich describe bis times. Scanty as the materials are for setting the question of his date, the approximate period to which this king should be ascribed can fairly be made out by a consideration of certain facts and events connected with his reign. These are :
(1) The battle at Vennil, where Karikala defeated the Chêra and the Pandya kings. (2) Karikala ruled from Kanchi, which he made new with gold. (3) The fight with Trilochana-Pallava, whom he is said to have defeated.
(4) He brought a number of families from the Gadgetic valley and settled them in the several districts of Tondai-mandalam.
(5) Karikala was an ally of Avanti and an overlord of Vajra and Maghada. (6) He figures among the early ancestors of the Telugu-Choda chiefs and the Cholas.
Copper-plate charters of the Telugu-Chöda chiefs attribute to Karikala the building of high banks to the Kaveri river and the conquest of Trilochana-Pallava. It may be stated that the former of these events is mentioned in the Tiruvâlangadu grant.' The statement that Karikala ruled from Kanchi making it Dew with gold might be taken to show either that the Pallaras had not settled themselves yet at Kanchi, or that the Chola king's conquest of them gave him its possession. The conquest of Trilôchana-Pallara attributed to Karikala suggests that the latter is more probable. It is not known, however, which king among the Pallavas bore the surname Trilochana. Whoever he was, he is also said to have been defeated by the Western Châlukya Vijayaditya, who, in spite of the victory, is reported to have lost his life in the encounter. As Vijnyâditya, with whom the Pallava contemporary of Karikala had to fight, is considered to be the immediate predecessor of Pulakésin I, and as the initial date of Pulakesin is fixed at A. D. 550, Vijayaditya has to be assigned to the earlier half of the 6th century A. D. And this must also be the time, when the Chôļa king Karikâla flourished. It may be noted that Vijayaditya was a king of northern India and came from Ayodhyâ in quest of a dominion in the sonth. We are not informed if Trilôchana-Pallava met his two opponents in the same battle or in different encounters. If the Tamil work Tondamandalasadagam can be relied upon, we may perhaps infer that Karikala had something to do with the kings of northern India, whence Vijayaditya also camo. Here we find that Karikala brought a number of Sadra families from the Gangetic valley (and on that acconnt said to belong to the Gangakula), settled them in the 24 districts (lóttam) of Tondai-mandalam, and bestowed on them rich gifts.' This fact and the sabsequent settlement of the Western Châlokyas in southern India on a more or less firm footing might perhaps be adduced to show that Trilocbana-Pellava had to meet the combined forces of Karikala and Vijayaditya, and that the two last were on some terms of alliance, which are not quite plain. It is not unlikely, that some of the northern powers joined one side or the other. In this connection it is worthy of note that Karikála is represented in the Tamil work Silappadigáram as an ally of Avanti, which is Ujjain in Malwa, 10 and as the overlord of Vajra and Maghadha." It looks as if Karikala was
Annual Report on Epigraphy for 1906-07, p. 67.
Stanza 97, p. 39.
• P, 17 of the Annual Report on Epigraphy for 1900. • Bombay Gazetteer, Vol. I, Part II. p. 340. 10 Epigraphia Indica, Vol. IV. p. 246 and Vol. VI. p. 195. 11 Magadba denotes Southern Bihar in Lower Bengal.
