History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v3.c35.s1.31

v3.c35.s1.31

Mr. Aiyar's account ends with the reign of this king but we have to continue the account until the end of the 12th century. It is strange that Aiyar does not mention the fact recorded by Bilhana that Vīrarājendra gave his daughter to Vikramānka Chālukya. It seems certain that after Vīrarājendra's death in 1070, the succession was disputed and Vikramānka went and placed on the throne of Kanchi (not Tanjore?) his wife's brother named Adhirājendra. He was, however, after Vikrama's departure soon murdered and eventually the succession went to Rājendra Chola II a son of a daughter of Rājendra I married to an Eastern Chālukya prince. This Rājendra had lived from his childhood at the Chola court and had even given up his paternal kingdom of Vengi on the death of his father in 1062 to his uncle. He, it is alleged, was adopted by Rājendra Gangai-Konda, (adoption among Kshatriyas of a daughter's son could not be valid). Whatever his claim, he may be said to have duly come to the throne and started a new Chola line called Chālukya-Chola by Smith. He came to the throne in 1074 A. D. (Smith assigns the four years from 1070 to 1074 to Adhirājendra the brother-in-law of Vikrama murdered); and he ruled vigorously for 48 years counting his reign from 1070, and his capital was Gangai-Konda-Cholapura. He is said to have defeated Anantavarman Chodaganga; but this defeat must have been an insignificant one, as we have seen that Chodaganga of Kalinga was a powerful king. This war is described in a Tamil poem Kalingatupparani (Gaurishankar's Tod p. 428 and I. A. XIX). The revenue settlement of Tamil country mentioned by Smith was carried out in his reign. His reign is also important for the fact that Rāmānuja the founder of the Śrivaishnava philosophy flourished during his time. Of this and the death of Adhirājendra his predecessor which is attributed to a curse of this great saint we will speak at length in the chapter on religious survey. Here it will suffice to remark that here began the great feud between Śaivism and Vaishnavism which has distracted Hinduism since that time and which for ever destroyed the unity of the Hindu religion which fortunately had subsisted through three centuries.