Athithya Karikalan 2

Athithya Karikalan 2

This is a historical incident which happened in 10^th and 11^th century’s at chola dynasty. It said to be the golden period of South India.  Where the Chola kingdom were spread from kaniyakumari to Krishna River. When Sundra chola was ruling the kingdom with the help of puzhuvettarayar and other kings . Sundra cholar has two sons Adithya karikalan the elder one and arumozhi the youngest, and a daughter named kundavai.

 Adithya karikalan Handsome Prince charming, with valour and good intellect, he went to war at the age of 12 and became an inspiration to his troops. He was not given much support by the puzhuvettarayar’s who were holding high positions in chola territory. So, he came out of Tanjavor and ruled the north of chola territory. Many youngsters were inspired by him and joined his army, among them valavarayan Vandiyathaver became close and a loyal friend to adithyakarikalan.

Adithaya karikalan‘s grandfather paranthaka chola had captured the pandian kingdom. However, due to course, Veera pandian had started ruling his country as an independent king. As per the inscriptions in a place called Chevur near Pudukkotai there was a battle between chola and pandya. sundra chola personally killed a lot of elephants in this battle after this battle . Adithya karikalans was very young. Still he fought bravely with veera pandiyan and made him run away to Sahiyatri Mountain. veerapandiyan joined got help from other kings and decided to put an end to chola’s empire and he knows that it cannot be done directly so he attacked common peoples , By attacking villages, attacking the travellers at nights, steeling goods, killed the adults and cuts children’s ears, nose and spoiling the eyes. by seeing this Adithyan got angry and promised his father to take revenge against the veerapandiyan.so he fought against him, Vira Pandiyan was like a rat - would run into hiding only to resurface again and wage another war with the help of the Srilankan King Mahindan .To put an end to the whole issue, Aditha, a strappling young boy of 17 years age, waged the final war with the Pandya King and finally chased him to his hideout and killed him and got  the title “Vira Pandiyan Thalai Konda Koppa Kesari “given to him .he took Verapandiyan’s head and kept at common place at Tanjavur. Aditya got Yuvaraja title.

The veerapandiyan’s bodyguard Ravidasan his brother Soman Sambavan conspired to kill Sundra cholar and his heirs. They planned and divided into three groups, a group joined as servants in treasury maintenance for killing Sundara cholar and they stole the treasures of cholans and they started forming an army. Another group went to kadambur where they planned to kill Adithya karikalan. Another group went to Srilanka to kill Arunmoli who was in the war with ilem. They started the strike from Arunmoli , they burned the ilem palace where arunmoli and his friend vandiyatevar but they escaped. While returning to tanjavoor they tied up him and through him into water but still he managed to escape.

Under the leadership of Periya Pazhuvettaraiyar a political meeting is arranged to discuss and take decision about the next crowning king in kadamboor.  Adithiya Karikalan was also called to take part in the discussion. Knowing this his sister send a message to adithya karikalan through vandiyathavan saying that not to attend the kadamboor meeting as by going there his life would be in danger. And also his grandfather requests him not to attend the kadamboor meeting but he does not agree .Finally he went to kadamboor, where they provided a grand welcome by people.

The group of ravithasan planned to kill the three on same day at same time. Somasambavan planned to attack sundra cholar with a poisoned arrow from a hideout. They planned to attack arunmoli while he was returning to Tanjavoor, where they arranged a man to attack him when he is on the elephant. And Ravithasan and his men were hiding with weapons in the vetai mandabam where they planned to attack Adithya karikalan, while he is coming back from the ceremony.

According to kalki, astrologist predicted that something bad to happen to chola’s kingdom .In Tanjavoor somban sambavan waiting to attack the sundaracholar. A woman saw this and came in between the arrow and she gave her life to save the king but they were not able to capture Soman Sambavan. Arunmol was attacked while returning to tanjavoor to see his father, but he managed to esacape from that attack. Knowing about attack of Ravidasan, Vandiyatevar reached the vetai mandabam where he saw the adithya karikalan was lying down, this situation is explained in copper plates “due to his wish to see heavens early, the sun set early, and the entire world was surrounded by the darkness called kali. The word sun, in this phase represents adithya. The extreme melancholy that comes out this poetic phase portrays the mood of Chola regime at that time. AdihyaKarikalan’s body was saved by vandiyathevar from fire.  

 According to kalki, in Ponniyin Selvan does not give the exact details of the cause of death. He makes the incident pretty enigmatic and ensures nearly half a dozen people are present at the place of death. The Pandya conspirators led by Ravidasan were also involved. He also says that, Kunthavai later meets Periya Pazhuvettaraiyar and tell him that she does not believe he did it. Pazhuvettaraiyar on his death bed tells Kunthavai and arunmoli as to who really did it. They are left speechless. According to Balakumaran in Udaiyar, he was killed by the bodyguards of Veerapandian that is by ravitasan. According to Akilan he explains the situation that “Adithya karikalan was like a lion trapped inside the cage in dark where assassinators where hiding and killed him”.

On the same year sundara cholar also died .After these issues arummoli and other political persons crowned utama cholar and anunmoli went to sea to explore other nation. Now the Ravitasan and his brother’s lived in chola territory and they became important persons in cholans teritory. In course of time they reviled themselves as they have killed Adithya karikalan. They made people to believe that they killed him only for the sake of people and cholas territory.

After 15 Years arunmoli was crowned as Raja Raja cholan. On the day when he became a king, his brother’s case was investigated. Ravitasan and his brothers were declared as culprits. Raja raja cholan gave a different punishment to them .The punishment goes like this not just Ravidasan and his brothers, but entire family set up, their wives, children, those families of wife’s – the while gang ‘s, where removed from their political positions and moving property, non-movable property were seized ,and they were thrown out of the chola territory.

Rajaraja cholan became a famous king and started building tanjai periya kovil. On the day of kudamulku ceremony. Ravitasan through a poison stone on RajaRaja cholan. This actually hit his wife, by seeing this people caught him and he died under the feet’s of the angry mob. From here chola’s were successfully ruling south India for 200years