The Colas c21.29

c21.29

The success of Vijayabāhu in establishing the independence of Ceylon by putting an end to Cōḷa power in the island rankled in the mind of Kulōttunga who was waiting for a favourable opportunity to renew the war with the Ceylonese ruler.⁶⁵ The Tamil population in Ceylon was quite considerable, and Tamil mercenaries formed a large part of the Sinhalese army at this time.⁶⁶ This was the natural result of the recent change of rulers brought about by Vijayabāhu in the northern half of the island. But as the Tamils were loyal to the memory of the Cōḷa rule, still fresh in their minds, Kulōttunga found favourable conditions for furthering his designs against the Ceylonese ruler in secret. The following account, given by the *Mahāvaṃsa*, of the occurrences about A.D. 1088 sheds a lurid light on the policy of Kulōttunga:⁶⁷