The Colas c18.65

c18.65

In some of the early inscriptions¹⁵¹ of Rājādhirāja, he is said to have invaded Ceylon after the victory at Kāndaḷūr-śālai and to have beheaded 'the king of Laṅkā, the Vallava (wearing) a garland; and the lord of Kannakucci (Kanauj)'. It is quite possible that this campaign of Rājādhirāja was conducted in his father's life-time, and was described with greater elaboration in his later records.¹⁵² But as the dates of the two records of Rājādhirāja cited at the beginning of this paragraph¹⁵³ are not beyond cavil, and as one other record of Rājādhirāja¹⁵⁴ definitely of his twenty-seventh year, does not mention the Ceylon war, it seems best to reserve discussion of this campaign till the reign of Rājādhirāja. We shall see, however, that according to the chronology of the *Mahāvaṁsa*, some of the incidents of Rājādhirāja's Ceylon war, at least those connected with the Sinhalese king Vikramabāhu I, must have taken place before the death of Rājēndra Cōḷa I. The war itself dragged on into the reign of Rājādhirāja and even his brother Rājēndra II apparently took some part in its closing stages.