The Colas c23.25

c23.25

We have seen that Kulaśēkhara, on whose account Rājādhirāja II fought the powerful ruler of Ceylon, Parākramabāhu I, and his *protégé* Vīra Pāṇḍya, the son of Parākrama Pāṇḍya, ultimately made his peace with the Ceylonese king, turned against his Cōḷa benefactor, and paid for his treachery by being driven out of Madura by Aṇṇan Pallavarāyan who sought out Vīra Pāṇḍya and restored him to the throne of Madura. A solitary inscription of Vīra Pāṇḍya comes from Sucīndram;⁵³ it begins *pūmaḍandaiyum jayamaḍandaiyum* and records a gift of seven *vēlis* of land to the local temple on the occasion of the king's coronation; it seems more likely that this grant was made by Vīra Pāṇḍya when he was installed by Aṇṇan Pallavarāyan, rather than on the earlier occasion when the Ceylonese generals secured for him a temporary hold on Madura. How long Vīra Pāṇḍya occupied the throne can only be surmised; there is no doubt, however, that in a short time he too succumbed to the blandishments of the king of Ceylon and went over to his side. The fact was that the traditional alliance among the southern powers—Vēṇāḍ, Pāṇḍya and Ceylon—against the Cōḷa monarchy was too firmly established to be shaken by considerations of gratitude for help received at a critical juncture. We shall see that Vīra Pāṇḍya at a later stage sought refuge in Kollam when he was driven out of Madura. It will be recollected that when Parāntaka I extended the Cōḷa dominion to the south, the conquered ruler of the Pāṇḍya country, Rājasiṁha, found sympathy and support in Ceylon and Kēraḷa. That the general relations of these powers among themselves and towards the Cōḷas remained constant in the long interval that had elapsed up to the accession of Kulōttunga III must have become clear from the account that has been given in the preceding pages. Hence it was that both Kulaśēkhara and Vīra Pāṇḍya, though they were ready to seek Cōḷa assistance against each other, could not maintain that friendship after their object was attained, and drifted into the diplomatic situation normal to the ruler of the Pāṇḍyan kingdom.