The Colas c19.55

c19.55

The early wars of Vīrarājēndra against the Western Cāḷukyas, which resulted in the battle of Kūḍal-Śaṅgamam so graphically described in the inscription of his second year from Tiruveṇkāḍu,¹⁴⁴ were fought by him, as already observed, perhaps before he came to the throne or was even recognised as the successor to his elder brother Rājēndradēva. The bitterness that characterised the Cāḷukya wars of this period becomes clear from the eagerness of Vīrarājēndra to count up every little victory gained by him or his lieutenants as a personal affront to Sōmēśvara I Āhavamalla. 'In perfect accordance with the longer redaction of the introduction, in which the battle of Kūḍal-Śaṅgamam is stated to have been the third encounter with the Cāḷukyas, the Tirunāmanallūr inscription of the fourth year attributes to Vīrarājēndra I the *biruda* "who saw the back of Āhavamalla three times."'¹⁴⁵ The Kanyākumārī inscription also gives a general description of the battle of Kūḍal-Śaṅgamam, not very different in character.¹⁴⁶ In the Karuvūr inscription of the fourth year,¹⁴⁷ we hear for the first time that Vīrarājēndra killed the king of Pottappi, the Kēraḷa, the younger brother of king Jananātha of Dhārā, and Vīrakēsari, the son of the Pāṇḍya Śrī Vallabha. The Maṇimaṅgalam inscription¹⁴⁸ of the next year adds to this list an expedition against Udagai and the Kēraḷas, from which Vīrarājēndra returned after collecting a large tribute in the form of elephants. Whether these achievements, altogether obscure in their nature and origin, were part of the continuous war with the Cāḷukyas that forms the central feature of this reign, or were minor punitive expeditions which had nothing to do with this war, there is no doubt that the 'hot battle' which is next mentioned as having taken place by previous engagement on the banks of a river, of unknown name, did form part of the Cōḷa-Cāḷukya hostilities. For in this battle seven Cāḷukya generals who are named and the kings of the Gaṅgas, the Noḷumbas, the Kāḍavas and the Vaidumbas are said to have suffered decapitation; and before the Cōḷa king could get their heads nailed to the gates of his capital, Gaṅgaikoṇḍa-cōḷapuram,¹⁴⁹ the Cāḷukya king, stung by the intolerable disgrace that had befallen his troops on this field, was roused to a greater effort against his Cōḷa opponent. Sōmēśvara, we learn, reproached himself saying: 'It is much better to die than to live in disgrace,' and wrote and despatched a letter to the Cōḷa king in which he assigned as the field for the next battle the very spot at Kūḍal whence his sons and himself had fled before in utter rout, and declared that whoever did not come, through fear, to the appointed field, should thenceforth be no kings but outcastes¹⁵⁰ who had incurred disgrace in war. This message from the Cāḷukya, when it was delivered to Vīrarājēndra, greatly pleased him. Accordingly he set out for the fight, and awaited at Kāndai the arrival of the Cāḷukya king for one full month beyond the date fixed by him. The Cāḷukya ran away and hid himself in the Western ocean; and the Cōḷa king subdued all resistance in Iraṭṭapāḍi by putting to flight Dēvanātha, Śitti and Kēśi, each in a separate direction, and by setting fire to towns; he also planted a pillar of victory on the banks of the Tungabhadrā. Then the Cōḷa monarch seems to have made an effigy of Sōmēśvara and subjected it to various indignities,¹⁵¹ before turning his attention to Vēṅgī.