|
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA
assumed, of were given, names and surnames of ruling Chōḷā 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 Koṅgu-Chōḷas. Secondly, the term Kōṅgu-Chōḷa might very naturally indicate that
the members were of the Koṅgu country, and it will be shown presently that though these kings
ruled over the Koṅgu 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 Kalimūrkka and the other called
himself Kōnāṭṭān.[1] The earliest use of the title Kalimūrkka is found in a record of the 5th year
of Pallava Dantivarman found at Kunnāṇḍārkōyil in the Kuḷattūr Taluk (Pudukkōṭṭai). In it, it is
stated that a tank called Vāli-ēri was constructed by a chief named Vali-Vaḍugan alias Kalimūrkka-Iḷavaraiyan, who calls himself a servant of Mārppiḍuvanāṛ alias Pēradiyaraiyan evidently of the
Muttaraiyan family. From this inscription it is clear that Vāli-Vaḍugan was of a family of local
chiefs as indicated by the titular surname Kalimūrkka Iḷavaraiyan, 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 Iḷavaraiyan and Pēraditaraiayn. It is needless to say that almost
the whole of the Kuḷattūr taluk was included in one or the other of the divisions of Kōnāḍu. We
know that, after the revival of the Chōḷas, the Kōnādu chiefs, among others, transferred their
allegiance to the Chōḷas, when Āditya I acquired the whole of the Pallava dominion, and
adopted the titles and surnames of their new overlords. This surbordinate family of Kōnāḍu, just
like the main line of Iruṅgōvēḷs or Irukkuvēḷs, must be regarded as belonging to the Yādava stock.
It will be better and more appropriate to call this family of rulers of Koṅgu by the name Koṅgu
Kōnāṭṭār than by any other.
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-Chōḷa of these epigraphs from his Tiṅgaḷūr
inscription which combines his 40th regnal year with Śaka 967.[2] It is enough to say that the
characters in which the inscription of Vīrāśōla-Kalimūrkka-Perumāḷ are engraved are almost
similar to those of Kalimūrkka-Vikrama-Chōḷa’s epigraphs and therefore Vīraśōla-Kalimūrkka
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 Vīraśōla-Kalimūrkka’s inscriptions also point to the same fact.
Tentatively therefore we may assign Vīraśōla-Kalimūrkka to the end of the tenth century A. D.
and consider him to be the immediate predecessor of Kalimūrkka-Vikama-Chōḷa whose accession
took place in 1005 A.D., and who reigned for at least 42 years, i.e., till 1047 A.D. At worst, Vīraśōla-Kalimūrkka may be regarded as the immediate successor of Kalimūrkka-Vikrama-Chōḷa. 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.[3] We have also to take note of the fact that ‘ Kalimūrkka ’ 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-Chōḷa, the Kōnāṭṭān. This is the 20th year of my reign”.
[2] ARSIE, 1905, No. 614.
[3] (1) One of Abhimāna-Chōḷa Rājādhirāja dated in the 10th year of reign (No. 202), (2) two of Rājādhirāja
Uttama-Chōḷa dated in the 8th and 17 + 1st years (Nos. 198 and 205), (3) one of Rājādhirāja Vīra-Chōḷa dated in
the 5 + 1st year (No. 192), (4) two of Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷa dated in the 9th and 11th years of reign (Nos. 201 and 194),
(5) twelve of Vīrarājēndra 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 Parakēsarivarman
Tiruchchirrambalam-uḍaiyān Vikrama-Chōḷa dated in the 13th year (ARSIE, 1920, No. 196).
|
