South India and her Muhammadan Invaders c14.s1.40.5

c14.s1.40.5

Not agreeing to their proposal for cession of territory, he imposed his own terms under penalty of death in case they should not be accepted, and dismissed them (to their kingdoms). Without considering that the right course was for him to continue to worship the feet of him that bestowed the crown on him the Chola, on a later occasion, declined to render the duty and the tribute due to his suzerain, under the delusion that his own fertile country was his security. The smaller and the larger divisions of the army sent by the Chola were rolled back upon themselves, the horses, elephants and chariots, and their complement of men were cut down till, overcome with fear, the Chola monarch rolled on the sea-girt earth shaking with fear. In that field of battle filled with warriors whose broad chests carried the arrows shot into them, the warriors of the Pāṇḍya ruler cut off the tusks and trunks of war-elephants to make tributes of them to their sovereign; the tuncated bodies of warriors who fell in battle danced under the canopy formed by crows (hovering over the field) which was high enough to reach the sky and seemed designed to shelter the field from rain; and all over the field was heard the ‘song’ of vultures; pleased with the sight and sound thus presented he caused the praise of the goddess of the golden trident (Durga in her aspect as the goddess of the battlefield) with sweet-scented hair and red lips to be sung to invoke acceptance of the offering.