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CÕLAS
189
by name, came to Ceylon from the Cõla country (Coļarattha) overpowered Asela, the then king of the island, and himself reigned as king for forty-four years with even justice towards friends and foes on occasions of disputes at law. He sentenced his only son to death for unwittingly causing the death of a young calf. In Tamil literature also we find the story of the prince and the calf which is placed in the reign of Manu.
The early history of the Cõļa country is obscure. About the beginning of the Christian era the Coļa king was Peru-nar-Killi. His son was Iļanjet-Senni whose son was Karikāl, a vigorous ruler, under whom the Cõļas became the leading power of the south. He defeated an allied army of the Cheras and Pāņdyas and made an expedition to the north. At home he suppressed the turbulent Ayar, Aravāļar, Kurumbar and Oliyar. He made his capital at Kāveri-pattinam on the Kāverī and he secured it from flood by raising the banks of the river as well as by making canals. From the Cēļas the hegemony of the south passed to the Cheras and later still to the Pāņdyas who were ousted by the Pallavas who later on became the suzerain power of Southern India.
1 Mahāvamsa (Geiger), p. 166.
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