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The Indian Analyst
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South Indian Inscriptions |
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA of the Koṅgu ruler. We find this title borne by a Koḍuṁbāḷūr chief also. An inscription from Kunnāṇḍārkōyil of the former Pudukkōṭṭai State dated in the 5th regnal year of the Pallava king Dantivarman registers the construction of a tank by Vāli Vaḍugan alias Kalimūrkka Iḷavaraiyan, a subordinate of Mārpiḍugu alias Pēradi Araiyar.[1] In consideration of above we may not be quite wrong in assuming Kō-nāttān Vikramachōḷa as a member of the Irukkuvēḷ family of Koḍumbāḷūr. An inscription from Kīlappaluvūr[2] in the Tiruchirāpalli District, dated in the 3rd regnal year of Rājakēsarivarman, who is identifiable with Rājarāja I, mentions Paluvēṭṭaraiyar magaḷār Vikkiramaśōla Iḷaṅgōvēḷār dēviyār naṁbirāṭṭigaḷār, the queen of Vikramachōḷa Iḷaṅgōvēḷūr, who was the daughter of Paluvēṭṭaraiyar. The surname Iḷaṅgōvēḷār applied to Vikramachōḷa would imply that he belonged to the Irukkuvēḷ family of Koḍuṁbāḷūr while the first part of his name, viz. Vikramachōḷa, would denote that he rose to prominence during the days of Madhurāntaka Uttamachōḷa who appears to have had the surname of Vikramachōḷa.[3] The Paluvēṭṭaraiyar family, from which he took his wife, had marriage alliances with the Chōḷas of Tañjāvūr. The Anbil plates of Sundarachōḷa state that Parāntaka I married the daughter ‘ of the Kēraḷa king who was also called Paluvēṭṭaraiyar.’[4] This family also like that of the Irukkuvēḷs played a prominent part in the early days of consolidation of the Chōḷa power. It is very likely that Kōnāṭṭān Vikramachōḷa who was raised to the position of a ruler of the Koṅgu country in the 22nd year of Rājarāja’s reign was the same as Vikkiramaśōla Iḷaṅgōvēḷār figuring in the inscription of the 3rd year of his reign.
For a better understanding of the circumstances under which a Koḍuṁbāḷūr Vēḷir chief was installed as a ruler of Koṅgu, it is necessary to know how and when the Koṅgu country came under the rule of the Chōḷas of Tañjāvūr. Rājarāja’s conquests included Gaṅgavāḍi, Noḷaṁbavāḍi and Taḍigaipāḍi all of them in the Mysore country, as well as Malai-nāḍu or Kuḍa-madai-nāḍu (the Western hill country) which may be identified with Coorg.[5] The campaign against the Gaṅgas and the Naḷaṁbas appears to have taken place very early in his reign, within five or six years of his accession, as we find inscriptions of Chōḷa-Nārāyaṇa, obviously a name of Rājarāja I, dated in Śaka 913 (991-92 A.D.) in the Mysore country.[6] He also claims to have conquered the Pāṇḍyas and the southern portion of the west coast. But no mention is made in his inscriptions of his having waged war with or captured Koṅgu which lies between Chōḷa-nāḍu and the countries beyond it conquered by him and seems to have served as the spring-board for the Chōḷas in their conquests. In fact no Chōḷa king even prior to the time of Rājarāja claims to have conquered Koṅgu ; but Chōḷa inscriptions are found there from the days of Parāntaka I. We find an officer of this king supervising temple affairs in Koṅgu as early as the 10th year of his reign, mentioned in an inscription[7] from Tiruviaimaurdūr in the Tañjāvūr District. There is also a stone record[8] of the 15th regnal year of Madiraikoṇḍa-Parakēsari (i.e. Parantaka I) at Erode in the Coimbatore District. _____________________________________________________________ [1] Inscriptions of the Pudukkottai State, No. 17.
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