Introduction

The crushing defeat suffered by Kulottunga III in about a.d. 1216 at the hands of Maravarman Sundara Pandya was a turning point in the fortunes of the Chola empire. That marks the beginning of the fall of the empire, that dragged its feet, however, for sixty more years before disappearing without a trace. We have seen how the forces of disintegration cropped up all over the kingdom during the next two decades. This was also the signal to the neighbouring growing power, the Hoysalas, to intervene in the affairs of the southern kingdoms, to restore the balance that had been upset. The Hoysala power had by then been growing for more than a century, since the days of Yishnuvardhana, who had embarked on a policy of quiet consolidation at home and had pushed the Cholas out of the Mysore plateau. In the sad closing years of Kulottunga III, Hoysala power was at the peak of its glory, Pratapachakravartin Vishnuvardhana Vira Ballaladeva II was ruling over Nonambavadi 32,000, Banavase 12,000, Huligere 3,000, the two Beluvolas and Masavadi right upto Heddore, from his capital Hallavura alias Vijayasamudra, and his Queen Padumaladevi is stated to have been ruling at Hose Hadangili (ARE 495 of 1914). Another of his queens was a Chola-mahadevi, probably a Tamil Chola princess, which connection would explain his predilection towards the Cholas in their struggle for survival against the growing might of the Pandyas. Ballala’s contribution to the prolonging of the life of the Chola empire is handsomely conveyed by a description of Ballala as ‘Chola-rajya pratishthacharya’ = the establisher of the Chola empire) and ‘Pandya-gaja-kesari’ (= the lion to the Pandyan elephant). His son Vira Narasimha is said to have marched against Srirangam during the reign of the father (circa a.d. 1217). He too assumes various titles to the same effect, like Chola-kula-eka-rakshaka, Mahadoorvipala-nirmulaka, Chola-sthapana, and Pandyakhandana. From their first interference in the affairs of the southern dynasties in the crucial years a.d. 1216-18, for at least about a quarter of a century, the Hoysalas made a big bid, and almost succeeded in the attempt, to establish their influence and power over the entire peninsula. We hear of the presence of Hoysala troops at Kanchipuram about this time, while their records are found at Tirumalavadi and Tirugokarnam, and even south of Pudukkottai in connection with the efforts to confine the Pandyas to their traditional boundaries. Vira Somesvara, the son and successor of Vira Narasimha II. in fact settled himself down in the heart of the Chola country with his capital at Kannanur-Koppam, eight km. north of Srirangam. to control the strategic and commanding position over the entire southern region. One of his generals Ravi deva captured in a.d. 1245 Kana nadu, which lay south of the Pudukkottai region, the traditional Chola-Pandya boundary. Some semblance of a struggle was maintained even as late as a.d. 1264, when Yira Somesvara made a fresh attempt to challenge the Pandyan ruler, which resulted in his defeat and death in a battle fought near Kannanur, his southern capital. Somesvara was succeeded by Vira Ramanatha, whose powers were soon curtailed by the decisive victory of Jata-varman Sundara Pandya I over the Chola Rajendra III, who was supported by the Hoysalas. Yira Ramanatha and Rajendra III dragged on, and in a final act of destruction. Maravarman Kula-sekhara, the successor of Sundara Pandya, inflicted a deathblow to the Cholas in a battle fought about a.d. 1279, thus formally closing in that year the grand chapter of Chola history. We hear no more of Rajendra III or of the Cholas.

But, in the years between a.d. 1216 and 1279, the Hoysalas under three successive rulers^[1] contributed considerably to the temple-building activity in and around their southern capital of Kannanur Koppam. Their benefactions to the Sri Ranganathasvamin and Jambukesvara temples have been dealt with in the respective sections.

Here we shall deal briefly with the temples and shrines that they erected on their own in this region. They are:

1. Vallalisvaram, Tiruvanaikka
2. Padumalisvaram, Tiruvanaikka
3. Somalisvaram, Purisaikkudi, Pachchil kurram
4. Tyagavinodisvaram (in the third prakara of the Tiruvanaikka temple)
5. Prasannisvaram, Tiruvanaikka
6. Posalisvaram, Kannanur
7. Venugopalasvamin shrine, Srirangam

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

See Hoysala genealogy at Note I, Ch. 11.