The Colas c23.58

c23.58

Now why did the Pāṇḍya, if he was so successful against Cōḷa as his inscriptions assert, not annex the Cōḷa country to his kingdom? One would expect that after all that they had suffered from the Cōḷas since the days of Rājarāja I, if not earlier, the Pāṇḍyas, when they got the chance, would put a final end to the power of their ancient rivals. But that is not the way of Indian monarchy. In its code, respect for an ancient and established line of royalty was a more abiding sentiment than irritation due to transient political occurrences. Never to disestablish an old line of kings is the rule of honour and principle of policy laid down in the *śāstras*. However drastic their treatment of individual Pāṇḍyan kings might have been, the Cōḷas did not venture to displace the Pāṇḍyan line altogether. Sundara Pāṇḍya could not act differently towards the Cōḷas now. And this no doubt is part of the answer to our question. But there was more. The subsequent course of history shows that the Pāṇḍya did not reap the full benefit of his victory on this occasion and that the Cōḷa kingdom suffered less damage than it might have done.