South India and her Muhammadan Invaders c8.20

c8.20

Kulaśēkhara meanwhile had obtained the assistance of the Toṇḍamān¹ and others, and he issued from the mountain fastnesses and took the stronghold of Mangalam. Among the number of Mangalams about Madura it is difficult to settle which this is. From the circumstances of the narration it seems to be the Mangalam in Śāttūr Taluk. Fortifying himself near the place he fought against the allies and relations of the Toṇḍamān chief and took the fortress; he followed up his victory by capturing Sivaliputtur (Śrīvilliputtūr) in the Tinnevelly district. Kulaśēkhara then made a supreme effort by collecting the forces from Tirinaveli (Tinnevelly), and sought and obtained the assistance of the two Kongus. Collecting his armies he took his stand at the fortress Santaneri.² The two Ceylon generals, Laṅkāpura and Jagad Vijaya, made a joint attack upon Kulaśēkhara who cut open the bund of a tank to prevent the enemy from making use of it. The generals however repaired the breach and set forward against Kulaśēkhara defeating him in battle and took two villages called Sirimalakka and Kattala (Kuttalam). The former Laṅkāpura ordered to be burnt down as that was the place where Parākrama Pāṇḍya was slain. He marched further forward from there and occupied the village Colakulāntaka (Śolakulāntaka). He now received a large accession of strength from the chieftains of the Chola country. Among those that brought him reinforcements, we find the name Pallava Rāyar of the inscriptions, as also several other Nāḍāḷvārs who were all chieftains of fortresses in what is now the state of Pudu-koṭṭa and its southern frontier. With these allies Kulaśēkhara fixed his camp in Pāṇḍu Naḍukoṭṭa and Ūriyēri. Outmanœuvring Kulaśēkhara’s forces from there the two Ceylon generals marched upon Palamcotta, drove Kulaśēkhara out of it and took the fortress. While there they heard Kulaśēkhara had marched towards Madura. They marched immediately on Madura and Kulaśēkhara again sought refuge in the Chola country.