Parantaka I

Infobox Chola | name=Parantaka Chola I
tamil = முதலாம் பராந்தக சோழன்


caption = Chola Territories c. 915
reign= 907 - ?950
title = Parakesari
capital = Thanjavur
queen= Kokilam
Villavan Mahadeviyar
and others
children=Rajaditya
Gandaraditya
Arinjaya
Uttamasili
Viramadevi
Anupama.
predecessor= Aditya Chola
heir= Gandaraditya
father= Aditya Chola
year of birth= Unknown
year of death= ?955

Parantaka Chola I ( _ta. முதலாம் பராந்தக சோழன்) (907–955) ruled the Chola kingdom in southern India for forty-eight years. He continued the expansion of the Chola dominions begun by his father Aditya Chola. The best part of his reign was marked by increasing success and prosperity, although it ended in disaster and gloom brought about by his hostility of the Rashtrakutas which began to pursue his right from the beginning.

The Invasion of the Pandya Kingdom

Parantaka continuing the expansion started by his father, invaded the Pandya kingdom in 910. He captured the Pandyan capital Madurai and assumed the title Madurain-konda (Capturer of Madurai). The Pandyan ruler Maravarman Rajasinha II sought the help of Kassapa V, the king of Sri Lanka, who sent an army to his aid. Parantaka defeated the combined army at the battle of Vellore. The Pandya king fled into exile in Sri Lanka and Parantaka completed his conquest of the entire Pandya country.

Parantaka spent many years in the newly conquered country reducing it to subjugation, and when he felt he had at last achieved his aim, he wanted to celebrate his victory by a coronation in Madurai in which he was to invest himself with the insignia of Pandyan monarchy. However he was foiled in this attempt by the Pandyan king carried them away and left in the safe custody of the Lankan king. Towards the end of his reign, Parantaka tried to capture them by invading Lanka. Mahavamsa records that the Lankan king Udaya IV took the Pandya crown and the jewels and hid himself in the Rohana hills. Parantaka’s armies had to return empty handed.

After his exploits in the Pandya country and in Lanka, Parantaka I took the title of "Maduraiyum Elamum Konda Parakesarivarman" - Parakesarivarman who conquered Madurai and Sri Lanka.

Other Wars of Parantaka

The intervals between Parantaka’s Pandyan campaigns were occupied by a number of minor wars. He defeated the Banas (c. 910) who ruled over the area in the north of Kanchipuram. Parantaka made his ally the Ganga king Prithvipati II the overlord of the conquered Bana country. Soon after this battle, Parantaka had to wage battles against some of his smaller neighbors such as Vaidumbas and Sitpuli kings in the region of Andhra Pradesh.

Extent of Parantaka's Influence

At the height of his successes, Parantaka I's dominions comprised almost the whole of the Tamil country right up to Nellore in Andhra Pradesh. It is clear from other chola grants that parantaka was a great militarist who had made extensive conquests. He may have had it recorded , but those records are lost to us. He is known to have defeated the kings of deccan kingdoms by 912.C.E and completed atleast temporarily the conquests started by his father Aditya. He had the Cheras as his close ally and the relationship were further strengthened during this reign. Villavan Mahadeviyar, one of the queens of Parantaka who bore him the son Arinjaya was a daughter of the Kerala prince Paluvettaraiyar.

Growing Difficulties

From about 940 Parantaka experienced increasing difficulties in defending his empire at numerous fronts. These difficulties are partly due to the speed in which the Chola dominions grew. In less than fifty years, a small principality had grown into a widespread dominion at the expense of its neighboring states. His rivals Rashtrakutas and Chalukyas in the north and north-east were viewing his growth with concern.

The Takkolam Battle

During his great rule parantaka had obtained submission of almost all rulers. In 912.C.E he defeated the deccan rashtrakutas.Towards the end of parantaka's reign cholas were hands full with military conflict in sinhalese country whose rulers had allied with the deposed pandyans of madurai.Rashtrakuta king Krishna III utilised this opportunity and took control of the northern frontiers of the Chola Empire. Parantaka anticipating such a move by the Rashtrakutas maintained a strong frontier force in the north. He made his eldest son and heir apparent Rajaditya the Viceroy of his norther dominions. This measure worked for a few years, but the long threatened clash came in 949. A battle took place at Takkolam near Arakkonam. Rajaditya was killed in this battle. The atugur inscription of ganga king buttuga and the rashtrakuta king krishna III make it conspicuous that the plot was a treason. The inscription(epigraphia indica volume 6 page 54), states: " As the war was on, The ganga buttuga, pretending to make peace with cholas and initiate diplomacy, misled the chola rajaditya into a weak and defensive position, following this he pretending to be a friend approached Rajadityan, embraced him and with a huge dagger stabbed him many times till he fell dead on the ground. Greatly pleased at this action krishna III rewarded the gangan ruler with a portion of his territory." The above inscription of the canarese rulers more than establishes the fact that this supposed upper hand was gained through treason. The Chola army seeing their commander killed, is supposed to have beat a tactical retreat, even though the chola plates inform that the canarese raid was beaten back. However, the subsequent chola rulers sundara chola and Aditya karikala managed to vanquish Rashtrakutas completely.

Civic and Religious Contributions

Although Parantaka I was engaged for the greater part of his long reign in warlike operations, yet he was not unmindful of the victories of peace. The internal administration of his country was a matter in which he took a keen interest. He laid out the rules for the conduct of the village assemblies in an inscription. The village institutions of South India, of course, date from a much earlier period than that of Parantaka I, but he introduced many salutary reforms for the proper administration of local self-Government.

The copper-plate inscriptions detail Parantaka's promotion of agricultural prosperity by the digging of numerous canals all over the country.

He also utilised the spoils of war to donate to numerous temple charities. He is reported to have covered the Chidambaram Siva Temple with gold. "Thillaiyambalathhukku pon koorai veiyntha thevan" He was a devout Saiva (follower of Siva) in religion.

Personal life

As with most of the Chola kings, Parantaka left very few details about his personal life in his numerous inscriptions. He had many wives, of whom no fewer than eleven appear in the inscriptions. Kokilam was the name of mother of Rajaditya, the eldest son. Arinjaya was the son of a Kerala princess named Villavan Mahadeviyar.

Besides Rajaditya and Arinjaya, Parantaka had three more sons: Gandaraditya, Arikulakesari and Uttamasili. He had at least two daughters: Viramadevi and Anupama. Uttamasili does not appear to have lived long enough to succeed to the Chola throne.

Parantaka I bore numerous epithets: "Viranarayana", "Virakirti", "Vira-Chola", "Vikrama-Chola", "Irumadi-Sola" (Chola with two crowns alluding to the Chola and the Pandya kingdoms), "Devendran" (lord of the gods), "Chakravartin" (the emperor), "Panditavatsalan" (fond of learned men), "Kunjaramallan" (the wrestler with elephants) and "Surachulamani" (the crest jewel of the heroes).

Parantaka died in 955. His second son Gandaraditya succeeded him.

References

* Venkata Ramanappa, M. N. (1987). "Outlines of South Indian History". (Rev. edn.) New Delhi: Vikram.
* Nilakanta Sastri, K.A. (1935). "The CōĻas", University of Madras, Madras (Reprinted 1984).
* Nilakanta Sastri, K.A. (1955). "A History of South India", OUP, New Delhi (Reprinted 2002).
* South Indian Inscriptions - http://www.whatisindia.com/inscriptions/