The Colas c20.14

c20.14

We are now in a position to explain the relations among the monarchs interested in Vēngī and the probable reason for Vīrarājēndra bestowing Vēngī on Vijayāditya VII whom he had fought for many years both in Vēngī and in Karnāṭaka. The death of Rājarāja Narendra (1061) starts the trouble which ends soon after the death of Sōmeśvara I (1068) with a veritable diplomatic revolution. When Vijayāditya VII seized the throne of Vēṅgī after Rājarāja's death and bestowed it on his son Śaktivarman II with the aid of Sōmeśvara I, the Cōḷa Vīrarājēndra wanted to re-establish the Cōḷa influence in Vēṅgī which had disappeared in recent years owing to the neglect of his brothers. But though he killed Śaktivarman II in battle, that did not change the political alignment. Vijayāditya, though bereaved, allowed himself to be persuaded to rule in Vēṅgī and was actively supported by Sōmeśvara I and his sons, particularly Vikramāditya. This political set up continued till the death of Sōmeśvara I, after which event the schemes of the ambitious Vikramāditya dominate the political field. Though a younger son of Sōmeśvara I, Vikramāditya was conscious of his superior ability and set about plotting against his elder brother Sōmeśvara II who succeeded his father. He made up his mind to secure the support of the Cōḷa ruler by paying a price; knowing full well how keen Vīrarājēndra was on Vēṅgī, he resolved to satisfy him here provided he got the Cōḷa's aid against his brother and thereby secured a part, if not the whole, of the Cāḷukya kingdom for himself. This brought to an end this phase of the Cōḷa-Cāḷukya war. Vijayāditya consented to receive and hold the Vēṅgī kingdom as a fief of the Cōḷa empire: Vikramāditya got half the Cāḷukya kingdom forced from his brother by Vīrarājēndra who also gave him one of his daughters in marriage and another (Rājasundari) to the Kalinga ruler Rājarāja, the other ally on Vikramāditya's side. And if Vīrarājēndra had lived for some years after this settlement instead of dying very soon after it, the course of history may have been very different from what it turned out to be.