History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v3.c35.s1.20

v3.c35.s1.20

In this old Dravida country and in this old Chola family, Rājarāja I came to the throne in 985 A. D. Like all ambitious kings he first paid attention to the raising and maintaining of an efficient army and then expanding his territory by the aid of that force. He trained up the Vellakurais or local bowmen as Shivaji trained up the Mawlas and he had several regiments of these named after his own titles ( Aiyar’s Historical Sketch of Ancient Deccan p. 245 ). He also had an elephant corps and infantry ( in which Telugu people were chiefly enrolled ). He kept also select body-guards like Mahmud. He ruled in Tanjore and from thence extended his dominion south, west and north, by conquering Pāndya, Kerala and Pallava kings. He even destroyed the Chera fleet on the west coast. From these conquests he got immense booty in gold, silver and pearls which is not incredible. He also conquered Gangavāḍi, Kudamalai (Coorg), Nolambavāḍi (Bellary) and Vengi of the Eastern Chālukyas and even Kalinga. These conquests meant, in our view, not annexation but mere subjugation of the territories. For in Vengi he established Saktivarman an Eastern Chālukya king as his feudatory. He gave his daughter to the next successor Vimalāditya (See Vol. I p. 310); and this relationship was continued as Vimala's son and also grandson married Chola princesses. This sort of marriage is peculiar to the southerners who like to marry a daughter of the maternal uncle (a marriage prohibited by the Smṛitis) even from the days of Śrīkṛishna and Rukmiṇī, of Arjuna and Subhadrā. Rājarāja also conquered Ceylon and assigned a part of its revenues to the maintenance of the Rājarājeśvara (Śiva) temple he hereafter built at Tanjore, a temple which has perpetuated his name in South India (Aiyar p. 248). He finally attacked Satyāśraya, Western Chālukya king and defeated him signally with a force the number of which is exaggerated to 9 lakhs of men and a cruelty which extended to the slaughtering of women, children and Brahmins, a thing unheard of in Hindu conflicts. This conquest certainly added to his renown, power and wealth and enabled him to build the superb and stupendous Rājarājeśvara temple at Tanjore and also other structures elsewhere which testify to the high skill in sculpture and architecture of South Indian workmen and builders.