The Colas c19.19

c19.19

Rājādhirāja undertook another expedition against the Cāḷukya in which he was accompanied by his younger brother Rājēndra, whom he had chosen as heir-apparent in preference to his sons who, though not mentioned by name, are said to have occupied fairly high positions in the administration of the empire.⁶⁹ We get a vivid and obviously true description of the occurrences in this campaign from the records of Rājēndra II. The earliest mention of these events is in a record⁷⁰ of his second year A.D. 1054; more details are given in the Maṇimangalam record of his fourth year, A.D. 1055. This inscription records⁷¹ that the Cōḷa king sought an occasion for war, invaded the Raṭṭamaṇḍalam and began ravaging the country; the proud Cāḷukya Āhavamalla became furious when he heard of this, and marching out with his forces he met the Cōḷa in pitched battle at Koppam, a celebrated *tīrtha* on the ‘Great River’. Fleet identified it