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THE GANDAGOPALAS
Vijaya-Gaṇḍagopala.
54. From Āvilāla in the Chittoor district comes a record (No.187 ) of
Tribhuvanachakravartin Vijaya-Gaṇḍgōpāladēva dated in the 18th year. It is
highly damaged and some of the inscribed slabs are also missing. The inscription
refers to the Sivaliṅga-chalana, probably the loosening of the liṅga, in the Sanctum of the temple of Kavilīśvaramuḍaiya-Nāyanār at Āvilāli, The nāḍu (district
assembly) brought this fact to the notice of
the Māhēśvaras of the Tirukkāḷatti-udaiya-
Nāyanār temple and got the liṅga reconsecrated after obtaining the necessary śattimugam, tirumugam and sādhanam from the authorities. Since the inscription
is amaged fuller details are not available.
Vijaya-Gaṇḍagōpāla’s initial date is fixed as A. D. 1250 by a record from
Conjeevaram (No. 27 of 1890) which equates his 16th year with Śaka1187, and his
latest regnal year so far known is 32 (No.137 of 1916) . Vijaya-Gaṇḍagōpāla
ruled as an independent chief with the title ‘Tribhuvanachakravartin’ and issued
records in his own name. During this period (i.e., 1250 -1281 A. D.), the Chōḷas
under Rājēndra-Chōḷa III had lost their hold on Toṇḍai-maṇḍalam, as can be
inferred from the absence of his inscriptions in this region. Vijaya-Gaṇḍagōpāla
and Kōpperuñjiṅga shared this territory between themselves the former taking
the northern half and the latter the southern. That Rājēndra-Chōḷa had lost this
region is also inferable from record from Tirukkachchūr (N0.314 of 1909)
in the Chingleput district which refers to Kulōttuṅga-Chōḷa (III), Rājarāja (III),
and Jaṭāvarman Sundara-Pāṇḍya (I) as the successive rulers of the region, leaving out the name of Rājēndra-Chōḷa III.
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