In A.D. 1229, Narasimha is said to have been ruling from Kanchipuram[29] which was the eastern limit of his possessions.[30] Further, in a record from Kundur in the Mysore State, he calls himself Kanchi-Kanchana and Kadavakula-kalantaka[31] and some of his troops are said to have been stationed in this town.[32] By A.D. 1232,[33] he claims to have established the Chola king more than once on his throne as can be seen by the wording in the Tiruvendipuram record, viz., ‘unless (I shall) have maintained (my) reputation of being the Establisher of the Chola country’. In an inscription of the next year (i.e. A.D. 1233) he is stated to have been in residence at Panchala[34] in the Chola country. Kopperunjinga’s ambition should thus have received a check, but he was able to defeat the Chola king Rajaraja III in a battle at Tellaru in the North Arcot district and to imprison him with his ministers at Sendamangalam in A.D. 1231-32. The Kadava version of this conquest is found in No. 128, while the Chola account of the same event is recorded in an inscription at Tiruvendipuram[35] in the South Arcot district, wherein the rebel Perunjinga is said to have been helped by Parakrama-Bahu of Ilam (Ceylon). The battle at Tellaru may be considered as a turning point in the fortunes of Kopperunjingadeva s it exposed the weakness of the Chola power while it brought prestige to the small principality set up by him in open defiance of the Chola crown. The Kadava chief evidently signalized this victory by assuming the title Sakalabhuvanachakravartin, perhaps as a set-off against the biruda Tribhuvanachakravartin of Rajaraja III and the distinctive epithet ‘Solanai-sirai-yittu-vaittu Sonadu-konda Alagiyasiyan’, and by issuing records quoting his own regnal years. In the next stage of his career Kopperunjinga should have been engaged in consolidating his principality against great odds. A number of Hoysala generals are mentioned in the inscriptions from Conjeeveram between the 14^th and 24^th years of Rajaraja III, i.e., till about A.D. 1240.[36] Machaladevi, the daughter of Bhutaya-Nayaka of Dorasamudra was a donor to the temple of Attiyur-Alvar at Kanchi.[37] Vallaya, the pradhani of Somesvara, was also a donor at Kanchi[38] in A.D. 1238. There were also Hoysala generals at Tirumalavadi[39] and at Karuvur[40] in another portion of the Chola territory. Vira-Somesvara himself is stated to have been camping at sendamangalam[41] in the course of his campaign against the Kadava in the year Durmukhi corresponding to A.D. 1236.

The march of Hoysala generals into the Chola country was evidently intended to check the aggression of Kopperunjinga, but the latter, however, soon rose against the ‘warlike Kannadar who knew no retreat’[42] and fought a sanguinary battle at Perambalur in the Trichinopoly district, where he is stated to have killed the Hoysala generals Kesava, Harihara-Dandanayaka and others and to have seized their women and property. This battle is mentioned in No. 124 from Vriddhachalam which is dated in the 10^th year corresponding to A.D. 1241-42 and states that Perunjinga presented to the temple an ornament for the god in expiation of his sins. Closely connected with this fight was perhaps the imprisonment of the Hoysalas – evidently generals – claimed by this chief in No. 129[43] from Akkur. This inscription recounts his several deeds of munificence during his pilgrimage to various sacred places on the southern bank of the river Kaveri in Solamandalam. He also raised a fortification near Tiruvenkadu[44] on the north bank of this river as a check against the Hoysala aggression. This precaution was probably necessitated by the invasion of this region in A.D. 1241 by the Hoysala general Singana-Dandanayaka.[45]

Inscriptions of Kopperunjinga I are not many since his principality was only in the making during the major part of his life, when he was actively engaged in conflict with other powers. The provenance of his records indicates the extent of his territory. Such titles as Kachchip-Pallavan (No. 125), Kanchipuri-kanta (No. 120), Mallai-vendan (No. 128) and Mallapuri-Vallabha (No. 120) assumed by him seem to reveal his ambition to establish connection with the ancient Pallava cities. He was a patron of Taml literature and a great devotee of god Nataraja at Chidambaram where he constructed the southern gopura[46] of the temple (No. 119).

His son and successor Kopperunjinga II [47] is represented by a large number of inscriptions (Nos. 131 – 260) which are included in the present volume. The political situation in the country seems to have been favorable for the rapid expansion of his power. His contemporary on the Hoysala throne was Somesvara whose inscriptions[48] between A.D. 1242 and 1256 are conspicuously absent in the Tamil country, thus indicating the withdrawal of one obstacle which stood in the way of Kadava power. Rajendra-Chola III ascended the Chola throne in A.D. 1246, probably with Kadava support as suggested in No. 247, and the Pandyas under Maravarman Sundara-Pandya II (A.D. 1238 – 1255) were too weak to follow any aggressive policy.

The initial date[49] of this chief has been fixed between 11^th February and 30^th July, 1243 A.D. His latest inscription dated in the 36^th regnal year would carry his rule to A.D. 1279. Sendamangalam continued to be the seat of the new Kadava principality. The title Sakalabhuvanachakravartin assumed by the elder Perunjinga, was also adopted by the younger chief along with other surnames such as Maharajasimha, Khadgamalla, Kadava, Pallava, Alappirandan and Avaniyalappirandan.

His inscriptions are found mostly in the South Arcot and Chingleput districts and the northern portion of Tanjore, and a few have also been secured from the North Arcot and Chittoor districts. There is a record of his at Tripurantakam in the Kurnool district and three others at Draksharama in the Godavari district. Roughly his dominion may be said to have extended from Conjeeveram in the north to Tiruvidaimarudur near Kumbakonam in the South. The territory to the north of Conjeeveram was in the possession of Vijaya-Gandagopala (accn. A.D. 1250). Curiously enough we find inscriptions[50] of both these chiefs in the same region in the years A.D. 1254, 1258, 1263, etc., which would show that the boundary line between their respective territories was not clearly defined. The political relationship of Kopperunjinga II with the contemporary Chola king Rajendra-Chola III deserves study in view of the fact that their immediate predecessors were bitter opponents of each other. Their inscriptions do not reveal any continuity of hostilities, but on the other hand, in No. 247 from Tripurantakam, Kopperunjinga claims to have helped to the throne a Chola prince ‘who was shuddering with fear’. The Chola king was a devotee of the god at Chidambaram[51] situated in the territory of Kopperunjinga, while the latter styles himself ‘the sun to the lotus tank, viz., the Chola family’.[52] Further, inscriptions of both Rajendra-Chola III and Kopperunjinga belonging to the same years are found at Tiruvannamalai[53] and Tiruvennainallur.[54] Rajendra-Chola’s territory was apparently confined to the present Tanjore district and portions of Trichinopoly while that of Kopperunjinga, comprised the South Arcot, Chingleput and North Arcot districts. Stray inscriptions of Rajendra-Chola are, however, found at Udayagiri[55] and Gudur[56] (Nellore district), Lepaka[57] (Cuddapah district) and Tripurantakam[58] (Kurnool district), in the last of which is also found Perunjinga’s record noted above. It would not have been possible for the Chola king to assert his sovereignty so far north with a hostile Kopperunjinga in the south, and hence it may be presumed that they acted together as allies probably against a common enemy the Kakatiya king.

Kopperunjinga’s inscriptions are found at Draksharama[59] and Tripurantakam, both o which lay in the Kakatiya territory. The Draksharama inscription is dated in saka 1184 (A.D. 1261 – 62) and the Kadava chief called therein Maharajasimha is stated to have instituted a Kathaka-mahotsava for the god Bhimanatha in honour of the Kakatipati and also to have presented to the same deity a kalpavitapa, a simhasana, a swing, a makara-torana, etc., all made of gold. The ovrlordship of Ganapati is signified in this record by Kopperunjinga[60] calling himself ‘the executor of the commands of Ganapati-Maharaja’ (Ganapati-Maharajasyajnam pravartayata), while it is ignored in the inscription at Tripurantakam (No. 247) which may probably be ascribed to the weakness of the Kakatiya power[61] subsequent to the death of Ganapati in A.D. 1261.

The Tripurantakam inscription mentioned above, which is engraved in Grantha characters deserves special study as it is found outside the Kadava territory. It records no donation to the local temple and its purely eulogistic character is emphasized by two other versions of the same inscription being incised in the temple, one in Telugu and the other in Nagari. Kopperunjinga who is herein called the son of Jiya-Mahipati by Silvati, claims to have celebrated the tularohana ceremony and to have constructed the eastern gopura of the Nataraja temple at Chidambaram with the booty obtained by conquering his enemy kings. The record also mentions the benefactions of the chief to the temples at Draksharama, Madura and Kalahasti and to those of Ekamranatha at Conjeeveram and Svetajambu at Jambukesvara. To important statements made in this record explain Kopperunjinga’s relationship with the Cholas and the Pandyas. He claims, as stated already, to have raised a Chola prince to the throne in the south, meaning evidently Rajendra-Chola III and also to have acted as a sutradhara in the installation of Pandyaraya, thus indicating his role as a supporter of the Pandya ruler also, who at this period was Jatavarman Sundara-Pandya I.

Kopperunjinga’s original hostility to the Pandya king is indicated by the titles Kathakakarikula-Pakala [62] and Kathaka-nripa-pradhavamsi[63] assumed by Jatavarman Sundara-Pandya I. In his prasasti beginning with the words ‘ Pumalar valar,’ this Pandya king claims to have declined the tribute sent by the Pallava chieftain, but after capturing him and besieging the flourishing city of Sendamangalam,[64] to have restored him to his kingdom. A necklace of emeralds seized from the Kadava chief is said to have been presented by Sundara-Pandya to the Ranganatha temple at Srirangam.[65] A verse inscription also states that Kadavar-kon with his huge army ‘melted away’ before Sundara-Pandya.[66] Kopperunjinga thus seems to have submitted to the Pandya after a hard struggle, but his subordination probably consisted only in the payment to tribute to the victor, since he continued to issue records in his own name independently of the Pandya king. As Maravarman Vikrama-Pandya also claims in his prasasti beginning with the words ‘Samastabhuvanaikavira,’ etc., the titles Kathaka-vamsa-vaisvanara, Jayantamangala-puravaradhisvara, etc., he should have assisted Sundara-Pandya in subduing Kopperunjinga. The vassalage of the latter chief to the Pandyas is further indicated by his payment of tribute to Jatavarman Vira-Pandya while the latter was camping at Chidambaram.[67]

Finally, Kopperunjinga’s relationship with other powers deserves notice. The Hoysalas, as pointed out above, were not powerful. On the other hand, the Kadava chief styles himself Karnata-bhupa-mana-mardin [68] and claims to have ‘removed the ornaments of the queens of the Karnata kings’,[69] robbed the Karnata country of its wealth, weighed himself against the booty thus obtained and to have utilized it in constructing the west face of the eastern gopura at Chidambaram. The defeat[70] of the chiefs Vira and Vijaya-Gandagopala claimed by Kopperunjinga must be due to the help rendered by the Pandya ruler Jatavarman Sundara-Pandya who is also said to have killed a Gandagopala and to lhave entrusted the latter’s territory to his brother, evidently Vijaya-Gandagopala. Some of the Sambuvaraya chiefs also adopted the titles of Kopperunjinga, such as Alappirandan,[71] Alagiyasiyan,[72] Siyan Pallavandan or Pallavan,[73] etc., which seems to suggest an affinity between the two families, the exact nature of which has to be established by future researches.

Kopperunjinga’s successful career may be ascribed to his resources in men and money. His large reserves of gold, elephants and horses are referred to in the inscriptions of Jatavarman Sundara-Pandya commencing with the words Pumalar valar. His capital Sendamangalam is also stated in the same prasasti to have been protected by strong fortification. He was served by a faithful band of warriors, chief among whom were Sola-Kon[74] alias Perumal-Pillai of Arasur, the latter’s younger brother Venadudaiyan[75] and Pillaiyar Nilagangaraiyar. Sola-Kon served in the region round about the modern Chidambaram till about A.D. 1261-62 when his brother Venadudaiyan succeeded him. Nilagangaraiyar was in charge of the present Chingleput and the surrounding country. Some of the other officers of Kopperujinga were Ponparappina Vanakovaraiyar (No. 235), Siya-Ganga ‘the lord of Kuvalalapura’ (No. 202), Rajarajadevan Ammaiyan Valavarayan (No. 189), Rajarajadevan Vannenjan (No. 191), Aniyan Muvendaraiyan (No. 142) and the Samantamudali Senai Narasingapanman.[76]

Besides being a great general and warrior, the Kadava chief was also known for his piety. His acts of beneficence to the several temples have already been mentioned above. Further, he constructed many mandapas, opened up new roads, founded villages and made other benefactions which are remembered in names of temples, gardens, etc., such as ‘Alappirandisvaram-Udaiyar’, ‘Alagiya-Pallavantoppu,’ ‘Alagiya-Pallavan-sandi,’ and ‘Kopperunjigan-teru’. The huge temple-fort at Sendamangalam, now in ruins with vestiges of rampart walls, moat, palace buildings and bathing pools spread all over the place, is a silent testimony t this day, of the glory of this small but important Kadava principality which flourished in the 13^th century A.D.

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