Virarajendra Chola

Virarajendra
Family name :	Chola
First name :	Virarajendra
Title:	Rajakesari
Predecessor:	Rajendra II.
Successor:	Athirajendra Chola
Reign:	1063 to 1070
Queen:	Arulmolinangai
Children:	Madhurantaka, Gangaikondachola, Rajasundari
Father:	Rajendra I.
Born on the:	unknown
Deceased on:	1070

Virarajendra Chola , Tamil வீரராஜேந்திர சோழன் - Vīrarājēntira Cōḻaṉ, was a ruler of the Chola dynasty who ruled southern India in the 11th century .

etymology

The Chola kings often used Sanskrit for their ruler's names. So also Virarajendra, which is a combination of the Sanskrit words vīra ( वीरा ) - man, hero, rājan ( राजन् ) - king, ruler and the king of the gods Indra ( ist ) and can be roughly translated as heroic king Indra .

Life

Virarajendra was one of the most underrated kings of the Chola, as he spent a large part of his life in the shadow of his two older brothers, Rajadhiraja Chola I and Rajendra II , and the latter also served as co-regent. At a young age he was installed as viceroy by Rajadhiraja Chola in Sri Lanka. Under his brother Rajendra II he was ruler of Uraiyur .

Like his two older brothers, Virarajendra was a descendant of Chakravarti Rajendra I. Virarajendra was married to Aru (l) molinangai and had three children with her, Madhurantaka, Gangaikondachola and Rajasundari. His daughter Rajasundari was married to a prince of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty . His son Mad (h) urantaka became viceroy of Tondaimandalam and the other son Gangaikondachola became viceroy of the Pandya territories. Virarajendra died in 1070 and he was followed by his son Athirajendra, although it is not clear which of the two sons is meant.

Despite his relatively short reign of 7 years, he was able to record significant successes and defeat all adversaries. Not only did he manage to preserve the territory of the Chola Empire, but he even made overseas conquests such as in Indonesia , Malaysia , Sri Lanka and the Nicobar Islands . He was also able to gain Sakkarakottam ( Chhattisgarh ).

Military clashes

Virarajendra fought several battles against the Western Chalukya because the Chola had a conflict of interest with the Chalukya because of Vengi . He fought against the Western Chalukya at Visayavadai (today's Vijayawada ) and put their army to flight on the banks of the Krishna . He was able to establish supremacy of the Chola over the possessions of the Eastern Chalukya. Virarajendra also crossed over to Sri Lanka (Singhala Nadu) and fought with an iron hand the aspirations for freedom of the Sinhala kings.

Early arguments

At the very beginning of his reign there was an argument with the King of Pottapi in Kerala , whom he killed in a battle. After that, he had to turn to the Pandya area as the Panya princes rebelled. But the Western Chalukya took advantage of his absence and marched into the territory of the Chola. Virarajendra was therefore forced to rush back to Gangaikondacholapuram to defend his capital.

Fight with the Chalukya

Even before Virarajendra ascended the throne, he had already been involved in fighting with the Western Chalukya. For example, under the command of his older brother Rajendra Chola II, he fought in the Battle of Mudakaru. During his own reign he fought a total of five battles with the Western Chalukya, all of which ended victorious for him - for example at Kudalasangamam (or Kudal Sangamam), Gangaikondacholapuram, Karur, Kampili and Vengi. On September 10, 1067 there was to be a decisive battle - ironically again at Kudalasangamam - from which the ruler of the Western Chalukya Someshvara I stayed away. Virarajendra's troops waited more than a month for the enemy before marauding the surrounding countryside and erecting a victory column on the banks of the Tungabhadra .

Alliance with Vikramaditya

After the ruler of the Western Chalukya is Someshvara I in April 1068 had taken his own life after five ignominiously lost battles, succeeded by his son Someshvara II to the throne. However, he and his younger brother Vikramaditya VI soon broke into disputes over the throne and finally into a civil war. Vikramaditya fled to the court of Virarajendra Chola and implored him for help in the dispute over the throne. Virarajendra showed himself gracious and made him heir to the throne of the Western Chalukya Empire in return for tribute payments. He also became involved with him by marrying him to his daughter.

Sri Lanka

The Sinhalese king Vijayabahu , who ruled only in the southern district of Rohana (or Ruhana) over a small part of the island of Sri Lanka, sought to expand his sphere of influence and drive out the occupying power of the Cholas. Mahavamsa's records indicate that Virarajendra had his troops stationed on the island march towards Rohana. Vijayabahu then asked the King of Burma for help. He actually sent ships and soldiers to support Vijayabahu. So strengthened, Vijayabahu was able to initiate revolts against the Chola in the northern provinces of Sri Lanka. However, the Chola troops stationed on the island, together with units requested from the mainland, mastered the uprisings. Nonetheless, Vijayabahu should incite further unrest in the Chola-occupied areas in the years to come.

Expedition to Kadaram

In 1068 Virarajendra conquered Kadaram (Kedah in Malaysia), the occasion was a cry for help from a king of the Srivijaya . This was preceded by a division of the Srivijaya Empire in 1045 under Airlangga . Not much more is known about this expedition. For the next 20 years, the Chola continued their incursions in Indonesia and Malaysia. This opened up free trade between South India and Sri Lanka and the Far East, which would last until the end of the Chola dynasty (at least until 1215).

Cultural work

During his early reign, Virarajendra ran a school for studying the Vedas , Shastra, and grammar. A dormitory was made available for the students. During this time the famous Tamil grammar Virasoliyam was written by Buddhamitra .

Sick people were placed in a hospital called Virasolan .

Virarajendra was a follower of Shiva who, like his predecessors, took care of the maintenance of the temple complex and showed tolerance towards the worshipers of Vishnu .

Conclusion

The reign of Virarajendra coincided with a time when the medieval Chola Empire sought to preserve its territories while at the same time expanding its borders. The expansion had stalled, however, as Rajadhiraja Chola I had fallen at its zenith and Rajendra II had only ruled for a short time. All three brothers ruled a total of only 23 years. Traditional enemies of the Chola such as the Sinhalese in Sri Lanka, the Western Chalukya, the Pandya and even the Chera saw the frequent changes of government as an opportunity to shake off the Chola yoke or to declare war. Virarajendra was a able and brave ruler who defied his enemies, especially the Chalukya and the Pandya, but protected and treated his own subjects kindly.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Eugen Hultzsch, Hosakote Krishna Sastri and V. Venkayya: South Indian Inscriptions: Miscellaneous inscriptions in Tamil (4 pts in. 2). Archaeological Survey of India.
2. ↑ Nilakanta Sastri, KA: The CōĻas (new edition 1984) . University of Madras, Madras 1935.
3. ↑ Sakkottai Krishnaswami Aiyangar: History of Ancient India, p. 127
4. ^ Nilakanta Sastri, KA: A History of South India - From Prehistoric Times to the Fall of Vijayanagar (new edition 2003) . 1955.