The Colas c19.20

c19.20

with Khidrāpūr on the right bank of the river about thirty miles east by south from Kolhāpūr.⁷² That the Kṛṣṇā is the Great River *par excellence* and that Rājēndradēva advanced to Kolhapūr soon after the battle are factors in favour of this identification. But Kopbaḷ on the Hire-haḷḷa (great river) near Maski is now considered the more likely scene of the battle,⁷³ which was long and fiercely fought on either side. For determining its exact course we have to combine information furnished by some of Rājēndradēva's later inscriptions⁷⁴ with that of the Maṇimangalam record mentioned above. In the early stages of the battle, Rājādhirāja himself led the fight, Rājēndradēva apparently holding himself in reserve. At this stage, the Cāḷukya forces concentrated on the elephant on which the Cōḷa king was riding and wounded him mortally, so that he 'went up into the sky and became a sojourner in the country of Indra, where he was welcomed by the women of the sky.' Then the vast ocean-like army of the Kuntalas dashed themselves against the Cōḷa forces which, unable to withstand the onslaught, broke up and began to retreat in disorder. At this stage, Rājēndradēva entered the fray shouting out to his retreating forces: 'Fear not,' and pressed forward on his elephant like very Death against the Karṇāṭaka forces, restored order in his army and won a brilliant success by further fighting.⁷⁵ Once more, the enemy concentrated on the Cōḷa king's elephant, and 'the shower of (Āhavamalla's) straight arrows pierced the forehead of his elephant, his royal thigh, and (his) shoulders which resembled hillocks,' and many warriors who had mounted the elephant with him perished in the action. But Rājēndra was more fortunate than his brother; he succeeded in putting to death several leaders of the Cāḷukyan army including Jayasimha, the brother of the Cāḷukya⁷⁶, Pulakēśin, Daśapanman and Nanni-Nuḷumban. At last, 'the Śaḷukki was defeated,—with Vanníya-Rēvan⁷⁷, Tuttan, (who had) a powerful army, Kuṇḍamayan, whose army spoke (i.e., threatened) death, and other princes,—fled, trembling vehemently, with dishevelled hair, turning (his) back, looking round, and tiring (his) legs, and was forced to plunge into the Western ocean.' The elephants and horses and camels, the victorious banner of the boar and other insignia of royalty, together with the peerless Śattiyavvai, Śāngappai and all the other queens, a crowd of women and many other things abandoned by Āhavamalla on the field, became the booty of the Cōḷa king. Rājēndra then did a thing not known before,⁷⁸ and crowned himself king on