Appendix 1: Three Chieftains mentioned in inscriptions

Three Chieftains mentioned in inscriptions at Arpakkam, Pallavarayanpettai and Palaiyanur-Tiruvalangadu.

1. Edirilisola Sambuvarayan

An inscription at Arapakkam, of the 5th year of Rajadhiraja II (ARE 20 of 1899; S1I, VI, 456), mentions the following: ‘The army of Sri Lanka, having taken possession of the Pandyan country and driven the king, Kulasekhara, out of Madurai, began offensives against the feudatories of the Chola king. The prospect of war spreading to the Tondai and Pasi districts of the Chola country struck terror into the hearts of its people. The Chieftain Edirilisola Sambuvarayan besought ‘Svamidevar’ (Umapatideva alias Jnana Siva, a native of Dakshina Lata in Gauda desa) to offer prayers, oblations and worship (japa_i homa and archana) to Lord Siva to help avert the calamity. Such worship (Aghora-supuja) was conducted for twenty-eight days, and an olai (letter) was received from the General, Pillai Pallavarayan, announcing the flight of the Simhala Generals (dandanayakas) Jayadhrata, Lankapuri and others. In gratitude to the Svami for his intercession with the divine powers, Sambuvarayan gave the village of Alappakkam consisting of 167 velis of land as a tax-free endowment (eka-bhoga iraiyili) to the Svami, who, in turn, distributed the income from the village among his relatives. We have already discussed the great Minister and General Pallavarayan in the account on Pallava-rayanpettai (ARE 433 of 1924; El, XXI, 31)—also see below. This Sambuvarayan was the father of that Pallavarayan.

Venkayya (SII, I, pp. 86 ff.) opined that this Sambuvarayan must have been an ancestor of Alagiya Solan (alias Edirili) of the Poygai inscription of the 22nd year of Rajaraja III (SII, I, p. 59) and interpreted Sambuvarayan’s solicitude for the Chola victory as due to his being a devotee of Siva and of brahmanas and the invaders being enemies of both as evidenced by their removing the sacred door and plundering the treasures of the Ramesvaram temple.

2. Tiruch-chirrambalam-udaiya Peruma(l)nambi(an) alias Pallavarayan

As noted in the text of this Section, a Pallavarayanpettai inscription of the 8th year of Rajadhiraja II (ARE 433 of 1924; El, XXI, 31) records the invaluable services to the Chola royal family rendered by this Chieftain, who hailed from Karigai-kalattur (or -kulattur) in Sirukunra nadu, a sub-division of Amur kottam in the district of Jayan-gondasola mandalam, and served as Chief Minister to both Rajaraja II and Rajadhiraja II till his death in the eighth regnal year of the latter. (For further details about Karigai Kulattur, see Appendixes 2 and 3.)

Rajaraja II had two sons born late in his life and, to ensure a smooth succession, he designated Edirili Perumal, son of Neri Udai Perumal and grandson of Vikrama Chola, as his immediate successor. At the sudden death of Rajaraja II, it fell to Pallavarayan to give effect to the late king’s wish. He removed the two infants, aged two years and one year at the time, to a place of safety in Rajarajapuram from Ayirattali, and with the approval of the royal household and his own adherents (udan»kuttam) and the nadu in general, he installed Edirili Perumal as king. He further invested the new king, in his fourth regnal year, with the dame of Rajadhiraja (II). Thus he came to the rescue of the empire at a crucial time of transition.

Then followed a period of external danger. The king of Sri Lanka invaded the Pandya country and drove out the ruling Kulasekhara into exile. The latter sought the assistance oFtfie Chola king for his restoration to the Madurai throne. Under the guidance of Pal-lavarayan, the Chola army routed and killed the Simhalese Generals and recaptured Matiurai. It was at this supreme hour of triumph that Pallavarayan fell ill and died. The grateful Rajadhiraja ordered that Pallavarayan’s estate of forty velis in Cholendra-singanailur was to be made into a separate unit called Rajadhiraja Kulattur (in Kuruk^ kai nadu, part of Virudarajabhayankara valanadu), rendered tax-free and distributed among the late chiefs widows, sons, their wives, and other relatives. The delicate tash of distribution of the estate was left to Palaiyanur Udaiyan Vedavanam Udaiyan Amman yappan alias Pallavarayan (presumably his namesake’s successor in office). Rajadhiraja i Kulattur came to be known as Pallavarayanpettai in course of time. (Lands were also assigned at this time to the widowed queen, the mother and the sisters of the late Rajaraja II).

The career of Pallavarayan is reminiscent of that of Naralokavira who as Minister and General rendered signal service in the reigns of Kulottunga I and Vikrama Chola. The temple at Pallavarayanpettai as well as the place itself is a symbol of the greatness of an illustrious ‘first servant’ of the Chola empire.

3. Palaiyanur Udaiyan Vedavanam Udaiyan Ammaiyappan alias Pallavarayan

This Chief, who presumably succeeded his namesake alias Tiruch-chirrambalam udaiyan as Chief Minister to Rajadhiraja II, is described as a native of Palaiyanur, east ofTiruvalangadu (Ghittoor district). Inscriptions relating to him are found at Palaiyanur, Tiruvarur and Tirumayanam. Further, he it was who was entrusted by the king with the task of distributing the personal estate of his late predecessor and namesake among the relatives of the latter.

The earliest reference to him is contained in an inscription of the second year of Rajadhiraja II (a.d. 1168) at Tiruvarur (ARE 538 of 1904; SII, XVII, 589). It gives him the alias of Rajaraja Vilupparaiyan of Menmalai Palaiyanur nadu in Jayangonda-sola mandalam. He purchased two pieces of land as^kRajadhirajap-/teraw7az’ and made a gift of them for food offerings to the Tiruvarur temple. The prefix ‘Rajaraja* would indicate his association with the late king as well. An inscription of the 9th year of Rajadhiraja II (a.d. 1175) at Tiruvarur (ARE 542 of 1904; SII, XVII, 585) gives him the alias of Pallavarayan; he purchased some land in Rajaraja Pottur alias Ammaiyappa-nallur (presumably named after him) for 1500 kasus and made a gift of it to the temple of Sri Mulasthanam Udaiyar of Tiruvarur. Again, in the 10th year of the same ruler, the Chief bought as ‘Rajadhirajap-^rumVm * a plot of land in Solakerala-nallur and endowed it as kani to Goddess Paraloka-men-moli-nachchiyar in the shrine of Tirukkamakkottam udaiya periya Nachchiyar in the temple at Tiruvarur. In the 8th year of Kulottunga III (a.d. 1186: ARE 537 of 1904; SII, XVII, 582), he made a gift of land for the maintenance of three lamps at the shrines of Sri Mulasthanam Udaiyar* Vithi-vitankap-Perumal and Tirukkamakkottam Udaiya Nachchiyar. The land was entrusted to two persons who agreed to supply the ghee required for the purpose.

We may mention here that, according to an inscription of the 14th year of Kulot-tunga 111 (a.d. 1192) at the Brahmapurisvara temple in Sirkali, a gift was made by the wife and daughter of this Chief to the shrine of Tiruttonipuram udaiya Nayanar for the merit of their husbands, themselves and their descendants (ARE 124 of 1896).

At Palaiyanur, there are two inscriptions, of the 12th and 13th years of Raj adhiratell. The first (ARE 465 of 1905; El, XXI, pp. 187-8) is historically of great value, it gives us an idea of the role of Vedavanam Udaiyan in the Pandyan war; a copy of this inscription, of the same date, is found at Tirumayanam (ARE 211 of 1925). It narrates how this Chief (given the alias of Annan Pallavarayan) counteracted the continuing machinations of the Simhalese king, Parakramabahu; the latter had mobilised another expedition and collected his forces at Uratturai, Pulaichchcri, Matottam, Vellikamam and Mattival and was making preparations for a naval attack on the mainland. At this, the Chola king sent word to Srivallabha, a nephew of' the Simhalese king and a former claimant to the throne, and placed a large army at his command. The camps of the Simhalese army were destroyed, some elephants captured and the land devastated; some Simhalese chiefs were taken prisoner. The booty was presented to the Chola king by the General Vedavanam Udaiyan Ammaiyappan alias Annan Pallavarayan. Meanwhile the Pandyan king Kulasekhara had played into the hands of the Simhalese king and turned traitor to the Cholas, driving out the Chola general and army unit stationed in the Pandyan country. The Cholas counteracted this by supporting the claims of Vira Pandya, son of Parakrama Pandya (and a former protege of Sri Lanka), to the Pandyan throne. Vedavanam Udaiyan accomplished these tasks smoothly, and in recognition of this, the king honoured the victorious General by granting him ten velis of land in Rajarajan-Palaiyanur. This fact is recorded in an inscription at Palaiyanur-Tiruvalangadu.

The inscription of the 13th year of Rajadhiraja II at Palaiyanur records a gift of three lamps by this Chief to the temple (ARE 474 of 1905).

Vedavanam Udaiyan was thus another great General and Minister of Rajadhiraja II and a worthy successor to Tiruch-chirrambalam udaiyan.