#History thread - The Rajagopala temple at Manimangalam (near Tambaram) has detailed inscriptions from the 11th cent. CE, on the conflict between western #Chalukyas & #Cholas.

The conflict starts escalating from Rajaraja Chola I's time,~50 years before the events described here.

Incidentally, Manimangalam is where the Pallava Narasimhavarman I defeated the raiding Badami Chalukyas, ~400 years before all this!

Pics: Two interesting names of Chalukyan generals defeated by Rajadhiraja I & Rajendra II (Rajendra I's sons) respectively, Vikki & Mottaiyan!

As major powers in South India, the #Cholas & #Chalukyas were constantly at loggerheads, particularly from the time of Rajaraja Chola I's time. He won a lot of Chalukyan territories, which the Chalukyas slowly won back. This continued during Rajendra I's reign (1014-1044 CE) too.

From 1046-1048 CE, Rajadhiraja I, Rajendra Chola I's son, advances through Chalukyan territory, burns their palace at Kampili (1st line in pic - கம்பிலி நகருள் சளுக்கியர் மாளிகை), & eventually sacks their capital at Kalyani. By 1050 CE, the Chalukyas win some territory back.

In 1054 CE, the famous battle of Koppam is fought. The Cholas were slowly winning when Rajadhiraja gets killed suddenly. The Chalukyas, in one of their inscriptions, say Rajadhiraja burnt many Jain temples there and got the fruit of his actions!

Rajendra II, Rajadhiraja's brother, says he crowned himself in the battlefield itself and rallied the disarrayed troops (in the Thiruindalur copper plates, the biggest of Chola copper plates yet discovered, now displayed at the Madras Egmore museum).

An inscription at Manimangalam describes his leading the battle from the front, saying that Ahavamalla Someswara's arrows pierced Rajendra's elephant, and also Rajendra's thighs and shoulders. Rajendra kills Someswara's brother Jayasimha, and wins the battle eventually.

The long inscription lists the names of the numerous generals he killed, and the war elephants & Chalukyan queens he captured (Apparently, the society was way more patriarchal back then! Happy to discuss separately). Someswara tries launching an attack again but gets defeated.

By 1063, the third of the brothers, Virarajendra, has taken over the Chola throne. Multiple attacks are launched by Someswara I & his sons, Someswara II & Vikramaditya VI, on the Cholas, but they get thwarted each time. Someswara I commits suicide by drowning himself in a river.

Meanwhile, Someswara II & Vikramaditya feud b/w themselves. Vikramaditya seeks Virarajendra's help to dethrone Someswara. Virarajendra agrees & makes him Chalukyan king (but calls him a liar in his inscription!).Eventually though,Vikramaditya even marries Virarajendra's daughter.

This may have got a bit long, but is only half the story. The Cholas and Chalukyas also both tried to exert their control over Vengi country (ruled by an offshoot of the western Chalukyas with whom both the Cholas and Chalukyas had marital relations).

How a Vengi Chalukya prince who was also Rajendra Chola I's grandson (through his daughter) married his uncle Rajendra Chola II's daughter, entered into a pact with the above Someswara II (against Vikramaditya) & eventually captured the Chola throne is another story by itself!