The Colas c22.17

c22.17

The reign of Kulōttunga appears to have been a period of peace, good government and prosperity. There is no record of any warfare, and in fact, with the exception of the removal of the shrine of Gōvindarāja from its place in Cidambaram indicating the growth of sectarian intolerance, we hear of nothing calculated to disturb the tranquillity of life in the Cōḷa dominions. The extent of the empire was maintained as it was at the close of Vikramacōḷa's reign, and the Cellūr plates show, if anything, that the restoration of Cōḷa suzerainty in the north after its temporary eclipse by the spread of Western Cāḷukya rule was complete and stable. The inscriptions of this reign from the Telugu country are more numerous than those of the preceding one. Some of the best work in Tamil literature was produced in this period, and Oṭṭakkūttan, Śēkkiḻār and others were all patronised by Kulōttunga II and his vassals.