The Colas c18.24

c18.24

The assertion that the whole of Raṭṭapāḍi fell into the hands of Rājēndra is, of course, a gross exaggeration. In fact, in the Cōḷa inscriptions of this period, this is no more than a conventional way of recording some temporary advantage gained in the field against the Cāḷukyas. The rest of the statements in the *praśasti* seem to be true. There was an engagement at Muśangi or Muyangi, as it is spelt variously in the inscriptions, and Jayasimha certainly did not get the best of it. Muśangi has been identified with Uccangidrug in the Bellary district; but more likely it was Maski.⁴¹ To a description of this campaign the Tiruvālaṅgāḍu plates devote a considerable number of well-turned verses in the best Kāvya style, and though there are ten such verses,⁴² we learn on the whole less about the actual occurrences in the war from these than from the few lines of the Tamil *praśasti* translated above. The king started from Kāñcīpuram on his march against the Raṭṭa country, there was fierce battle between the forces of the Cōḷa king and those of Jayasimha, the latter fled to the forests and Rājēndra returned to his capital with much booty. Typical of the turns of thought of the composer and suggestive of the date of composition is the verse:⁴³