The Mahavamsa saya that the first revolt against Chola rule occurred twelve years after the defeat of Mahinda V and this revolt was organised by Kassapa his son. For some time Kassapa succeeded in resisting the Cholas.
Then he was obliged to retreat to the southeastern part of the island known as Rohana. He ruled from there under the title Vikramabahu. This Vikramabahu passed away after ruling for twelve years. If this account found in the Mahavamsa if true, the subjection of the whole of Ceylon to Chola rule was substantial only for a decade or so and that too in the fag end of Rajendra’s reign.
The Ceylonese resistance to the Cholas became very acute in the days of Rajadhiraja I. Vikramabahu was succeeded in Ceylon by one Mahalanakitti who died fighting the Cholas. He had a son who fled from Ceylon fearing a Chola attack but later returned only to be killed. The Mahavamsa speaks of one Vikramapandu who is the same as the Vikrama Pandya of the Chola inscriptions.
This Pandya was connected with the Ceylonese royal family by marriage. Nilakanta Sastri is of the opinion that Vikrama Pandya was born of a Sinhalese father and a Pandya mother. This Pandya also fell a victim of Chola aggression; the aggressor appropriated the wife and daughter of the fallen Pandya. We hear of two kings Virasalamegam and Srivallabamadanaraja who are however not to be found in the Ceylonese accounts. The sister, mother and wife of the former were very badly treated by the Cholas. He himself fell when Rajendra II invaded Ceylon.
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This shows that the situation in Ceylon was such as to require frequent Chola invasion and constant reassertions of their power. It was only after the accession of Kulottunga I (AD 1071) that the Ceylonese resistance under Vijayabahu I could succeed. Between 1044 and 1046 a great war between Rajadhiraja and Somesvara was fought. The Manimangalam inscription of 1046 mentions great Chola victories, the sack of Kampili and the destruction of the palace there. The city of Pundur was totally destroyed. All this constituted a frightfully destructive and vindictive operation comparable to the destruction of Carthage.
Since Chola as well as Chalukya sources agree in describing the savage nature of the Chola military operation but only either condemns them or warmly praise them, these military operations may be admitted as an indisputable historical fact. The Punishment meted out to enemy chiefs, the provocation offered to those who took refuge in them, his rough treatment of the messengers of Ahavamalla are examples of Chola capacity for studied insult to enemies. The city of Kalyanapuram was sacked.
The royal palace was razed. Having attained these ‘glories’ the Chola emperor styled himself Vijayarajendra and performed Virabhisheka. On this occasion the Chola forces brou from Kalyanapuram a beautiful image of Dvarapalaka (divine gate-keeper) and install- in the Darasuram temple. On this image an inscription reads, ‘the door-keeper brought Udaiya Sri Vijayarajendra Devar after burning Kalyanapuram.’ Battle of Koppam
Rajadhiraja took out another expedition against Chalukyas in which he w accompanied by his younger brother Rajendra who perhaps had become already the h~ apparent. In Rajendra’s inscriptions this campaign is described in detail. The Cholas st” with the invasion of Ratamandalam.
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The king of the Chalukyas met the Cholas at Kopp this battle was fought fiercely and the Chola armies were led by Rajadhiraja him: Rajendra kept himself in reserve behind. The Chalukyas kept the Chola emperor as th~ target and he was quite conspicuous being seated on the back of a tall elephant. A show of arrows hit and mortally wounded him.
The Chola forces started behaving like all Ind: armies deprived of their leaders. They realised defeat and began retreating and it co have become a rout but Rajendra rallied the troops, reestablished order, attacked thj Chalukyas and converted an inevitable defeat into a brilliant victory. In this second atta–‘ Jayasimha, brother of Ahavamalla, was killed. The Cholas captured considerable boo including the Chalukyan queens Sattiyavvai and Sangappai.
Then Rajendra crown’ himself king on the battlefield an almost unprecedented event, though such a coronation was known to Tamil tradition and is sanctioned in the Tolkappiyam. Rajendra then proceed to Kolhapur where he set up a pillar of victory. While all this is clear from Chola reco the Chalukyans speak a language suggestive of victory.
The Chalukya records no doubl mention a Chola invasion and refer to Rajadhiraja as ‘Mahapatahan’ (the great sinner). But of the two accounts the Chola narrative is more credible and the account is more logic Rajadhiraja who like Rajaditya before died on the back of an elephant earned the title ‘Yanaimel Tunjiya’.
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Rajadhiraja was nothing if not a soldier. He died the death of a born general. After the great Rajendra I, it was the misfortune of the Tamils to have been ruled by a mere sergeant- king. This circumstance started sapping the vitals of the kingdom and weakened the sources I of civil government and to some extent at least sacrificed economic prosperty for military j glory. He performed an Asvamedha.
If there had been an elder brother of his and if he had been perferred to him on grounds of valour, Gangaikonda really made a mistake. But those were days when continuously enlarging kingdoms were built not by a self-generating economy but by the loot and booty which successful military exploits provide.
Rajadhiraja J employed his near relatives in important positions in government and gave them viceregal power. He entitled himself Kalyanapuramkonda and Ahavamalla Parantaka. One of his officers was Ulagalanda Chola Brahmamarayan, a Brahmin officer who carried out land revenue survey. Another officer Senapathi Rajendra Chola Mavalivanarya is also heard of.