South India and her Muhammadan Invaders c8.6

Language: English

c8.6.1

The chief command of the army was given, as was already noted, to the greatest Ceylon general of the time Laṅkāpura Daṇḍanātha. He attacked Rāmēśvaram and, after a number of battles, took possession of the place. He marched further forward to almost where Pamban is at present and took possession of a very convenient haven called Kundukāla² ‘midway between the two seas and four leagues distant from Ramissaram.’ Passing over minor details, Laṅkāpura defeated the Pāṇḍyan forces in a number of villages and towns. On his way back to his camp, he attacked the chieftain Āḷavanda Perumāḷ who was encamped at the ‘village Vadali,’¹ and killed him. It was after this that Kulaśēkhara made a great effort by leading his forces personally. He is said to have collected his armies from all over the Pāṇḍyan kingdom, including auxiliaries from the two Kongus and Tinnevelly. From his headquarters at the fortified villages of Erukoṭṭa and Iḍagalissara (which places I am not able to identify yet) he sent ‘a great army by land’² and many soldiers by sea and ships, to assault the fortress of Parākramapura.’ There was a hotly contested battle, Kulaśēkhara having his horse shot under him, and the Ceylon General got so much the better of his enemy that the very camp of the Pāṇḍya was burnt down. The Ceylonese then marched and occupied Vadali (Vēdāḷai).

c8.6.2

He made a further dash northwards from Vēdāḷai as the base, surprised Dēviyāpaṭṭaṇam (Dēvipaṭṭaṇam, as it is now called) and marched further forwards to Śiriyavala.³ He returned therefrom apparently by way of Kāḷaiyārkoil-Paramaguḍi road and took the two places Aṇivalakkoṭṭa (sometimes called Aṇivalakki in the narrative) and the fortress of Neṭṭūr.⁴ These became afterwards the headquarters of the Ceylon army. While here, information reached the general that one of the sons of Parākrama Pāṇḍya was a fugitive in the Malayāḷam country. This was Vīra Pāṇḍya. Laṅkāpura sent him a message asking him to come over and join him. Sending intimation of this discovery to his master, he marched across, apparently at the instance of Vīra Pāṇḍya to Periyakuḷam in the ghats, and gained possession of Mēlamaṅgalam and Kīḷamaṅgalam. He thought it better to hand these over on terms to the chieftain from whom he took them, and returned to his head-quarters at Aṇivaḷakkoṭṭa. Proceeding from there to Neṭṭūr he made a dash against another place not very far, which is called Mānavīramadura, apparently Manamadura, now a railway station. He defeated the chieftains who held the place, and brought the place under his authority. He then found a number of chieftains collected together at Pātapathā (a place I am not yet able to identify), assaulted the place and took it. He found it necessary now to march north-eastwards to Anjukoṭṭai near Tiruvāḍānai.

c8.6.3

He took the place and the two ports in the vicinity of Toṇḍi and Pāśa (Pāśipaṭṭaṇa, as it is now called), marched further forwards to Kurundaṅguḍi first, and thence to Tiruvēkambama, probably the place now called Tiruvēganpaṭṭu. As the chieftain, apparently of that locality, Māḷava Chakravarti, would not submit and retired to a place called Śemponmāri (on the borders of the Pudukoṭṭa State) in the Tiruppattūr Taluk, the Ceylon general advanced upon the place. The place was considered a great stronghold and the Cholas are said to have failed to take the place after a two years' siege. The Ceylonese are said to have taken it in less than half a day.¹ The Ceylonese in their turn were besieged in the fortress and the siege of the famous stronghold was raised by the heroic deeds of Laṅkāpura and his lieutenants. Apart from this fortress the Pāṇḍyan territory up to the boundary of the Chola country came under the control of the Ceylonese. What is perhaps of greater importance the Vaiśyas (Vessas) and the Muhammadans (Yavanas) of this locality brought presents to him. He restored Śemponmāri however to Māḷava Cakravarti, and retired to Aṇivaḷakki, by way of Tiruvēgambama and Kurundanguḍi. While here he heard that another Tamil chieftain had taken Śiriyavala (Śiruvayal) having defeated Māḷava Cakravarti, whose head-quarters of Śemponmāri also fell into his hands.

c8.6.4

Laṅkāpura intervened between Māḷava Cakravarti and this new chieftain his enemy, and after effecting a reconciliation between the two, retired to Neṭṭūr. He then set about restoring the two tanks that were destroyed at Rājasīha Mahala (Rājasingamangalam) and Vālugama (Vālugrāma, Vālandaravaiḷ).