Karikala

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Historical Chola king who ruled over southern India

title: "Karikala" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["chola-kings"] description: "Historical Chola king who ruled over southern India" topic_path: "general/chola-kings" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karikala" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Historical Chola king who ruled over southern India ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox royalty"]

FieldValue
nameKarikala
titlePeruvaḷatthaān
Thirumāvaḷavan
Parakesari (Sanskrit)
imageKarikalacholan kallanai trichy.jpg
altKarikala the Great
captionBronze statue of Karikāla Chōḻaṉ
predecessorIlamcetcenni
successorNedunkilli and Nalankilli
spouseVelir princess from Nangur
spouse-typeQueen
issueNalankilli
Nedunkilli
Māvalattān
fatherIlamcetcenni
::

| name = Karikala | native_name = | title = Peruvaḷatthaān Thirumāvaḷavan Parakesari (Sanskrit) | image = Karikalacholan kallanai trichy.jpg | alt = Karikala the Great | caption = Bronze statue of Karikāla Chōḻaṉ | reign = | predecessor = Ilamcetcenni | successor = Nedunkilli and Nalankilli | spouse = Velir princess from Nangur | spouse-type = Queen | issue = Nalankilli Nedunkilli Māvalattān | father = Ilamcetcenni Karikala (; ; Middle Tamil: Karikāḷa Cōḻaṉ (காரிகால சோழன்); Classical Sanskrit: Karikāla Śōḷa), often referred to as Karikala the Great, was a Tamil Emperor of the Early Cholas of the Chola dynasty who ruled ancient Tamilakam (Modern day South India) from Uraiyur. He is credited with the construction of the flood banks of the river Kaveri and conquest of Tamilakam, Andhra and Sri Lanka. He is recognised as the greatest of the Early Cholas. In Thiruvalangadu plates of Rajendra Chola I, Medieval Tamil Cholas listed Karikala Chola as one of their ancestors. Several Telugu dynasties also claimed descendant from Karikala.

Sources

The story of Karikala is mixed with legend and anecdotal information gleaned from Sangam literature. The period covered by the extant literature of the Sangam is not easy to determine with any measure of certainty.

Paṭṭiṉappālai, Poruṇarāṟṟuppaṭai and a number of individual poems in the Akanaṉūṟu and Purananuru have been the main source for the information that is attributed to Karikala.

There are many inscriptions and records found both in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh which mention Karikala and his conquests and the construction of flood banks along the Kaveri river. Many rulers and petty chiefs who came after him claimed him as their ancestor and decorated themselves as belonging to the Chola clan of Karikala and of the Kashyapa gotra. The following lines are taken from the Malepadu plates of Renadu Chola king Punyakumara,

"Dinakara-kula-mandar-achala-mandara-padapassya

Kavera-tanaya-velollamghanaprasamana-pramukn-adyanak-atisaya-karinah

Trairajya-sthitim-atmasat-kritavatah-karikala"

The above lines are translated as: "In the clan of Karikala, who was the Mandara tree on the Mandara mountain, viz., the solar clan; who was the worker of many wonders like controlling the daughter of Kaveri"

Early life

Karikala was the son of Ilamcetcenni. The name Karikalan has been held to mean "the man with the charred leg" and perpetuates the memory of a fire accident in the early years of his life. Some scholars also hold the view kari and kalan are Tamil words meaning "slayer of elephants". Poruṇarāṟṟuppaṭai describes the back-formed origin legend of this incident as follows:Old Sangam Age inscriptions and also sthala puranam of great ancient Saiva shrine at Parasalur, near Mayiladuthurai (erstwhile Mayavaram) says that in order to escape the murder plot hatched by conspirators Karikal Valavan stayed there in disguise of a vedic and agama sastra lecturer for eight years.

Paṭṭiṉappālai, written in praise of Karikala also describes this incident, but without mention of the fable of the burnt limb:

One day, a mighty elephant nearby struggled within a deep pit. Using its massive trunk, the elephant pushed against the edges of the trap, bringing the banks down and freeing itself. The tiger watched closely, inspired by the creature's determination and method.

Determined to break free as well, the tiger bided its time. It studied the weakness in the cage's structure and waited for the guards to grow complacent. Then, with a swift slash of its powerful claws, it tore through the wooden bars, catching the guards off guard. Overpowering them with its newfound strength and skill, it leapt into the jungle and reclaimed its freedom, thriving in its rightful domain.}}

Military conquests

Battle of Venni

Main article: Battle of Venni

According to the * Poruṇarāṟṟuppaṭai*, Karikala Chola fought a great Battle of Venni in which both Pandyan and Cheran king Uthiyan Cheralathan suffered a defeat. Although we know very little about the circumstances leading to this battle, there can be no doubt that it marked the turning point in Karikala's career, for in this battle he broke the back of the powerful confederacy formed against him. Besides the two crowned kings of the Pandya and Chera countries, eleven minor chieftains took the opposing side in the campaign and shared defeat at the hands of Karikala. The Chera king, who was wounded on his back in the battle, committed suicide by starvation. Venni was the watershed in the career of Karikala which established him firmly on his throne and secured for him some sort of hegemony among the three crowned monarchs. Venni is also known as Vennipparandalai and now it is known as Kovilvenni and is situated near Needamangalam, 25 km away from Thanjavur.

Battle of Vahaipparandalai

The Battle of Vahaipparandalai was a significant military engagement during the Sangam period in South India, fought by the Chola king Karikala. In this battle,Karikala Chola defeated confederacy of nine enemy chieftains, forcing them to submit. This victory, along with his earlier triumph at the Battle of Venni, solidified Karikala's dominance over the Tamil region and established him as a powerful ruler.Paranar, a contemporary of Karikala, in his poem from Agananuru mentions this incident without giving any information on the cause of the conflict.

Further Wars and Conquest of Ceylon

According to legends Karikala was one of the few Chola kings who won the whole of Ceylon (Lanka). The Grand anicut was built after his conquest over the Sinhalese kingdom and he used Sinhalese war prisoners for the hard task of moving stones from the mountains to the river bed of the Kaveri. The Pattinappalai also describes the destruction caused by Karikala's armies in the territories of his enemies and adds that as the result of these conflicts, the "Northerners and Westerners were depressed… and his flushed look of anger caused the Pandya’s strength to give way…".

Conquest of Tondainadu and Andhra from Pallavas

Based on numerous village records and Telugu Chola inscriptions found in Andhra, Karikala seems to have battled against a Pallava king named Trilochana Pallava or Mukhanti Pallava or Mukhanti Kaduvetti and captured Tondainadu, leaving the southern Telugu country to the Pallava king. The Pallava king who had Kanchi as his capital moved the capital to Kalahasti after losing Kanchi in the battle. The inscriptions also says that Karikala ordered Trilochana Pallava to come and assist him in building the flood banks along the Kaveri river. But the Pallava king who was ruling from Kalahasti declined to obey which made Karikala to declare war against him. Karikala won the battle and captured the Telugu country. During that time period, southern Andhra was covered with big forests which is not fit for cultivation. So, Karikala destroyed the forests and planted many villages. One of the villages is Pottapi, which was the most important village and hence the whole locality acquired in course of time the name Pottapi Nadu. Unlike Trilochana Pallava, Karikala Chola donated lands not only to Brahmins but also to the cultivators.

Grand Anicut

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/Grand_Anaicut.JPG" caption="Kallanai built by Karikala Chola on river Kaveri"] ::

Sometime between the reign of Sinhalese monarch Vankanasika Tissa, Karikala, with a large army, invaded the island and took away 12,000 Sinhalese men to work as slaves to build the Kaveri Dam.

Later Chola kings attributed the building of dikes along the banks of the Kaveri to Karikala. The raising of the banks of the river Kaveri by Karikala is also mentioned by the Malepadu plates (seventh century CE) of the Telugu Chola sovereign of Renadu, Erigal-Mutturaju Punyakumara, who claims descent from Karikala: karuna – saroruha vihita – vilochana – pallava – trilochana pramukha kilapritvisvara karita kaveri tira (he who caused the banks of the Kaveri to be constructed by all the subordinate kings led by the Pallava Trilochana whose third eye was blinded by his lotus foot).

The Grand Anicut, also known as the Kallanai was built by Karikala and is considered one of the oldest water-diversion or water-regulator structures in the world which is still in use. The Kallanai is a massive dam of unhewn stone, 329 metres (1,080 ft) long and 20 metres (60 ft) wide, across the main stream of the Kaveri. A later Chola record from Tiruvaduturai refers to this event that is raising the banks of the Kaveri by Parakesari Karikala Chola.

Perur Patteeswarar Temple

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e4/Perur_Patteeswarar1.jpg" caption="Perur Patteeswarar Temple"] ::

After his victory over the Northern kingdoms of Vatsa, Magadha and Avantika, Karikala returned to Tamil land and worshipped Lord Shiva at the Perur Pateeswarar Temple located at the banks of river Noyyal in present-day Coimbatore. Karikala was an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva. He is said to have done the Kumbhabhishekham (sanctification ritual) of the temple through a hundred golden vessels. A famous text named Perur Puranam was composed by Kachiyappa Munivar in Tamil on the origin of the temple.

Karikala Cholan Manimandapam

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/77/Karikaala_Chozan_Memorial_-1.jpg" caption="Karikala Cholan Manimandapam"] ::

Karikala Cholan Manimandapam (memorial hall) was built in honour of the king who built the Grand Anicut. The hall designed as per Chola architecture style was built at a cost of 21 million. It features a bronze statue of the king.

Family and Legacy of Karikala

There is very little information available about Karikala's personal life. The author of Pattinappalai, Uruttirangannanar, briefly mentions that Karikala enjoyed the company of women and children.The later annotator Naccinarkkiniyar, perhaps drawing from a reliable tradition, adds that Karikala married a Velir woman from Nangur, a place known in the poems of Tirumangai Alvar for the valor of its warriors.

Karikala also had a daughter named Adimandi, who is the subject of several poems. After losing her husband, a Cera prince named Attan Atti, who drowned in the Kaveri river, Adimandi is said to have used her chastity to bring him back to life.

Religious Beliefs and Death of Karikala

Karikala's devotion to the Vedic religion and the deep sorrow surrounding his death are powerfully expressed in the following lines by the poet Karungulal Adanar. "He who stormed his enemies’ forts dauntlessly; who feasted his minstrels and their families and treated them to endless draughts of toddy; who, in the assembly of Brahmans noted for knowledge of dharma and purity of life, guided by priests learned in their duties and attended by his noble and virtuous queen, performed the vedic sacrifice in which the tall sacrificial post stood on a bird¬ like platform (garudacayana ), within the sacrificial court surrounded by a high wall with round bastions; he, the great and wise king alas! is no more! Poor indeed is this world which has lost him. Like the branches of the v eng at tree, which stand bare, when their bright foliage has been cut down by shepherds eager to feed their cattle in the fierce summer, are his fair queens, who have cast off their jewels."

Dating Karikala

According to Nilakanta Sastri Karikala reigned in 190 CE.

However, V. R. Ramachandra Dikshitar states that the Karikala mentioned in Silappadikaram and the Karikala in Sangam literature are two different kings and the Karikala mentioned in Silappadikaram has nothing to do with Trilocana Pallava and nothing prevents another Karikala having flourished in Puhar a few centuries later.

The copper-plate charters and stone inscription of the 10th and 11th centuries also mention two different Karikala thus unable to determine his exact reign.

Descendants

Based on the literature, epigraphic evidence, and copper plate inscriptions, below are the various dynasties who claimed descent from Karikala Chola, and few used the title Lord of Uraiyur, which was the capital of Early Cholas.

  • Imperial Cholas, ruled south India, Sri Lanka and South East Asia during 848–1279 CE.
  • Durjaya, a legendary Andhra chieftain. Several ruling dynasties of medieval Andhra and Telangana, such as the Kakatiyas, Velanati Chodas, Malyalas, Viryalas, Haihayas, Konakandravadis, Ivani Kandravadis, Kondapadumatis, Natavadis, Parichchedis, Kotas, and Chagis, claimed descent from him.
  • Kakatiya dynasty, ruled Andhra and Telangana during 1163–1323 CE.
  • Nidugal Cholas, ruled parts of Karnataka, ruled during 12th to 14th century.
  • Renati Chodas, ruled Rayalaseema, ruled from 5th century CE to 8th century CE.
  • Pottapi Chodas, ruled Rayalaseema, ruled from 8th to 9th century CE.
  • Konidena Chodas, ruled Kammanadu, from 950 to 1300 A.D.
  • Nannuru Chodas ruled the region of Pakanadu.
  • Nellore Chodas ruled south Andhra from 1100 to 1350 A.D.
  • Kunduru Chodas, ruled Telangana region during 1080–1260 A.D.
  • Eruva Cholas ruled Rajahmundry region during 1120–1330 A.D. Telaga, a sub caste of Kapu in Andhra are linked to Telugu Chodas. Karikala Bhakthulu or Sengunthar caste in Andhra considers Karikala Chola as their hero.**

References

References

  1. Rama Shankar Tripathi. "History of Ancient India". Motilal Banarsidass, 1967 – India – 605 pages.
  2. Kallidaikurichi Aiyah Nilakanta Sastri. "Studies in Cōḷa history and administration". University of Madras, 1932 - History - 210 pages.
  3. Irāmaccantiran̲ Nākacāmi. "Art and culture of Tamil Nadu". Sundeep Prakashan, 1980 – Art, Indic – 184 pages.
  4. Gajjala, Vasanta Lakshmi. (2023). "Epigraphia Telanganica". SRAS publications.
  5. Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland. "Indian Antiquary, Volume 38".
  6. Andhra Pradesh (India), Bh Sivasankaranarayana. "Andhra Pradesh district gazetteers, Volume 16". Printed by the Director of Print. and Stationery at the Govt. Secretariat Press; [copies can be had from: Govt. Publication Bureau, Andhra Pradesh], 1977 – Andhra Pradesh (India).
  7. Hultzsch, Eugene. (1911–1912). "Epigraphia Indica". Epigraphia Indica.
  8. ''Purananuru'' – 266
  9. Sastri, K. A. Nilakanta. "[[A History of South India: From Prehistoric Times to the Fall of Vijayanagar]]".
  10. See Majumdar, p 137
  11. See Tripathi, p 458
  12. See Kulke and Rothermund, p 104
  13. V., Balambal. (1998). "Studies in the History of the Sangam Age". Kalinga Publications.
  14. See Nilakanta Sastri, ''A History of South India'', p112-113
  15. K. A. Nilakanta Sastry. "A History Of South India ( K. A. Nilakanta Sastry)".
  16. Goonasekera, Sunil. (2007). "Walking to Kataragama". International Centre for Ethnic Studies.
  17. (2012-05-10). "Pathuppāttu – Pattinappālai".
  18. N., Venkata Ramanayya. (1929). "Trilochana Pallava And Karikala Chola". V. Ramaswamy Sastrulu & Sons.
  19. (2007). "Walking to Kataragama". International Centre for Ethnic Studies.
  20. ''History of ancient India, page 478: ..raising the banks of the Kaveri by Parakesari Karikala Chola''
  21. ''Proceedings of the Indian History Congress'', Volume 39, page 156
  22. (1970). "History and Culture of the Indian People, Volume 03, The Classical Age p.265". Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.
  23. Singh, Vijay P.. (2003). "Water Resources System Operation: Proceedings of the International Conference on Water and Environment". Allied Publishers.
  24. "''This is the oldest stone water-diversion or water-regulator structure in the world''".
  25. (11 January 2024). "Cauvery River – Britannica Online Encyclopedia".
  26. Rama Shankar Tripathi. "History of Ancient India". Motilal Banarsidass, 1967 - India - 605 pages.
  27. "Arulmigu Patteeswarar Swamy Temple - History".
  28. "Karikalan cholan memorial inaugurated". The Times of India.
  29. "Karikalan Manimandapam ready for inauguration". The Hindu.
  30. Nilakanda Sastry,The Colas 1955, pg.35
  31. Sastri, K. A. Nilakanta. "A History of South India: From Prehistoric Times to the Fall of Vijayanagar".
  32. The Śilappadikāram by V. R. Ramachandra Dikshitar, page 24
  33. Sen, Sailendra. (2013). "A Textbook of Medieval Indian History". Primus Books.
  34. Gajjala, Vasanta Lakshmi. (2023). "Epigraphia Telanganica". SRAS publications.
  35. (20 September 2001). "Precolonial India in Practice: Society, Region, and Identity in Medieval Andhra". Oxford University Press.
  36. (2005). "A Thousand Laurels--Dr. Sadiq Naqvi: Studies on Medieval India with Special Reference to Deccan". Department of History, Osmania University.
  37. "Post-Kakatiya Telangana". Epigraphia Telanganica.
  38. Sailendra Nath Sen. (1999). "Ancient Indian History and Civilization". New Age International, 1999.
  39. Yashoda Devi. (1993). "The History Of Andhra Country 1000 A D 1500 A D".
  40. Kavitha R. (1993). "The Cholas of Nidugal a Study". Karnatak University.
  41. Andhra Pradesh (India), Bh Sivasankaranarayana. "Andhra Pradesh district gazetteers, Volume 1". Printed by the Director of Print. and Stationery at the Govt. Secretariat Press; [copies can be had from: Govt. Publication Bureau, Andhra Pradesh], 1976.
  42. Yashoda Devi. (1993). "The History Of Andhra Country 1000 A D 1500 A D".
  43. Chintamani Lakshmanna. (1973). "Caste Dynamics in Village India". Nachiketa Publications.
  44. No., 47- Kaikala. "National Commission for Backward Classes".

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