Though the Tamil country ruled by Chera, Chola and Pandya kings had been a land of great literature, art, culture and temple architecture, it had also witnessed fierce battles among them. One such battle was fought between the Cholas and the Cheras at Udagai, now known as Udayagiri in Kalkulam taluk of Kanniyakumari district, during the reign of Raja Raja I, the greatest of Chola kings. In this bloodiest war, the Cholas plundered Udagai and returned to their headquarters in Thanjavur with tonnes of gold and the best elephants.
The battle between the Cholas and the Cheras began with the conquest of Kanthalur Salai in the Chera Kingdom. There is an unending debate on the words about the Chola period inscription, Kanthalur Salai Kalamartharuliya Sree Raja Raja Devan. While it is certain that it talks about Raja Raja’s victory over the Chera king, there are differences of opinion among the historians over the geographical existence of the place, and the interpretation of the words, Salai and Kalam, still continues. Some opine that Kanthalur Salai existed near the Vizhinjam port in the present day Kerala and Kalam means sailing vessels. Tamil poet Kavimani, who was also an epigraphist, was of the opinion that Salai was a place where people were offered food regularly.
Evidence from epigraphy
“But the discovery of a Chola period epigraphy a few years ago near Chengam proves without doubt that Salai was an army training centre run by the Cheras. The training centre remained a challenge to the Cholas. With the battle began the end of the relationship between the Cholas and the Cheras that had been established through marriages,” says R. Kalaikovan, founder, Rajamanickanar Centre for Historical Research.
In his book, Pazhuvur-Arasarkal, Kovilkal Mattrum Samuthayam (Pazhuvur-Kings, Temples and Society), Dr. Kalaikovan says Adityan Kothai Piratti, wife of Chola King Arinjaya, and Paranthagan Devi Ammal, wife of Sundar Chola, were the Chera princesses.
“The relationship deteriorated fast during the reign of Raja Raja. He decided to launch a battle after one of his messengers was detained by the Chera king at Udagai. A brutal battle followed,” says Dr. Kalaikovan. He reiterates that in this case, Raja Raja was not driven by any expansionist policy, but by the desire to secure his messenger.
“Udagai is the present day Udayagiri, where stands a huge fort constructed in the 18th Century by Eustachius de Lannoy, a Portuguese soldier, who later became the chieftain of the Travancore army after his defeat in the battle of Colachel,” said A.K. Perumal, author of Then Kumariyin Kathai. Historically, Kalkulam used to be the recruitment ground for the Chera army and subsequently for the Travancore army.
“Udagai was a big town, surrounded by huge walls with tall towers. There were palatial houses. The Chola army demolished the buildings, set the town ablaze and secured the messenger locked in prison,” said historian K.K. Pillai in his book Cholar Varalaru (The History of Cholas). K.K. Pillai, a student of historian K.A. Nilakanta Sastri, rejects his teacher’s suggestion that Udagai was a town near Coorg. However, epigraphist Chenthee Natarajan says the town was near Kollam in Kerala.
While K.K. Pillai affirms that the Chola army was led by Raja Raja’s son Rajendra, Dr. Kalaikovan said Raja Raja was present at the battle. “There is strong literary evidence for the battle. Moovar Ula (a poetry collection) talks in detail about the arrest of the Chola messenger and the attack by the Chola army. Kalingathu Parani (a literary work) also makes a reference to Raja Raja’s role in the war and how he returned to his country with a lot of elephants from Udagai,” he says. A copper plate inscription says, Udagai Kozhuvi, meaning the town was burnt.
Village renamed
According to K.K. Pillai, Raja Raja celebrated his birthday in a grand manner when he was camping in the Chera kingdom. “He renamed the village Muttam as Mummudi Chola Nalloor. He gave grants to the temple at Thirunanthikarai for a seven-day celebration of his birthday on the day of Aippasi Sathayam,” he says, quoting from the inscriptions at the temple.
Subsequently, he returned to his country with tonnes of gold and a lot of elephants and cattle. Kamban Manian, one of the generals of the Chola army, brought a Shiva idol made of emerald and kept it at Thirupazhanam near Thanjavur. “But the idol is not found there now,” says K.K. Pillai.
These battles had far-reaching consequences, terminating the relationship between the two countries during the reign of Rajendra Chola. “The battles eclipsed the importance of the Pazhuvettaraiyars, the rulers of Pazhuvur and advisers of the Chola Kings. The Pazhuvettaraiyars had their roots in Kerala. Raja Raja would not have liked the pre-eminent role given to them in the wake of battles with the Chera kingdom,” writes Dr. Kalaikovan.
Contrary to the presence of the Pazhuvettaraiyar brothers in Kalki’s epic novel Ponniyin Selvan, historically there was just one Pazhuvettaraiyar whose name was Kandan Maravan. “After the eighth year of the rule of Rajendra Chola, there is no inscription to prove that the Pazhuvettaraiyars held positions in the Chola Kingdom,” says Dr. Kalaikovan.
