உலக புகழ் பெற்ற, தஞ்சை பெரிய கோவில் என்றழைக்கப்படும், பிரக தீஸ்வரர் கோவிலைக் கட்டிய மாமன்னர் ராஜராஜ சோழனின் மகன் ராஜேந்திர சோழன்.
இவரும், தந்தை வழியைப் பின்பற்றி, அரியலூர் மாவட்டம், கங்கை கொண்ட சோழபுரத்தில், தஞ்சை பெரிய கோவிலுக்கு இணையாக, பிரமாண்ட கோவிலை கட்டினார். இந்த கோவில், தற்போது, உலக பாரம்பரிய சின்னமாகத் திகழ்கிறது. ராஜேந்திர சோழனின் பெருமையை பறைசாற்றும் விதமாக, அவர் அரியணை ஏறிய, ஆயிரமாவது ஆண்டு விழா, கங்கை கொண்ட சோழபுரம் மேம்பாட்டு குழுமம் சார்பில், நேற்று கொண்டாடப்பட்டது. ஆண்டு விழாவை முன்னிட்டு, கங்கை கொண்ட சோழபுரம், பெருவுடையார் கோவிலை சுற்றி, ?,??? மெகா தீபம் ஏற்றப்பட்டது. இதற்கான தீபச்சுடர், தஞ்சை பெரிய கோவிலில் இருந்து, கங்கை கொண்ட சோழபுரத்துக்கு, நேற்று காலை, தொடர் ஓட்டமாக எடுத்து செல்லப்பட்டது. தீபச்சுடரை பின்தொடர்ந்து, கல்லூரி மாணவர்கள், ?,??? பேர், இருசக்கர வாகனங்களில் அணிவகுத்து சென்றனர். தீபச்சுடர் மற்றும் இருசக்கர வாகன பேரணியை, தஞ்சை பெரிய கோவில் முன், கலெக்டர் சுப்பையன் துவக்கி வைத்தார். தீபச்சுடர், விழா நடைபெறும் இடத்துக்கு கொண்டு செல்லப்பட்டது.
RAJARAJA CHOLAS HISTORY
ReplyDeleteIn 1018, Rajendra made a triumphal march at the head of his army through the Pandya and Cheras (Kerala) countries.Rajendra’s Tiruvalangadu grants claim that he …’took possession of the bright spotless pearls, seeds of the fame of the Pandya kings’ and that ‘…the fearless Madurantaka (Rajendra) crossed the mountains and in a fierce battle brought ruin upon the Chera kings. It is doubtful whether Rajendra added any additional territory to his empire through these campaigns as these have already been conquered by Rajaraja very early in his reign.
Rajendra appointed one of his sons as viceroy with the title Jadavarman Sundara Chola-Pandya with Madurai as the headquarters of the Viceroyalty.
Chalukyas Wars
C. 1021 Rajendra had to turn his attention towards the Western Chalukyas. In 1015 Jayasimha II became the Western Chalukya king. Soon after his ascension, he tried to recover the losses suffered by his predecessor Satyasraya in the hands of the Cholas, who has fled his capital, unable to withstand the Chola onslaught, but had been graciously restored to the throne by Raja Raja I and became a tribute paying subordinate. Initially Jayasimha II was successful as Rajendra was busy with his campaigns against the Pandyas and in Sri Lanka.
In 1031 CE, the Western Chalukyas invaded Vengi and drove Rajaraja Narendra into exile and installed Vijayaditya as the Vengi king. Rajaraja once again sought Chola help in regaining his throne. Rajendra Chola deputed his able son Rajadhiraja I as head of the Chola army which invaded the Vengi and in a bloody battle near Kalidandi, pushed back Vijayaditya and his Western Chalukya ally. Rajaraja Narendra regained his throne in 1035 CE
Due to his consistent and complete vanquishing of the Chalukyas under Satyashraya and Jayasimha-II along with their feudatories, the Kadambas, Hoysalas, Banas, Vaidumbas and the Gangas etc. and the establishment of control over Kannada country, Rajendra I had famous titles like Mudikonda Chozhan (crown prince), ‘Jayasimha Saraban’ (the vanquisher of Jayasimha), Mannaikonda Sozhan (the King who took possession of Mannai(kadakkam) i.e. Chalukyan capital of Manyakheta – called Mannaikadakkam in Chola annals), Irattapadikonda Sozhan (the king who conquered Irattapadi or the land of the Rashtrakutas (later usurped by the Chalukyas), Nirupathivaagaran (the king who subdued Hoysala Nrupathunga and his successors).
A few years before his death, the aging Rajendra Chola also again invaded the Chalukyan capital of Manyakheta due to Chalukya Jayasimha-II and his successor Somesvara I’s interference in the Chola territories of Nulambavadi and Gangavadi in Kannada country when they attacked a Chola post and tried to forcibly collect revenues from farmers. A Chola outpost was attacked leading to a resounding reply by the Chola forces first under Rajendra I, following which the command was taken by his able son and co-regent Rajadhiraja Chola (called Vijayarajendra in Tamil inscriptions about this episode). Rajadhiraja promptly attacked Chalukyan positions in Kogali and Kadambalige, after which he invaded the Chalukyan capital of Manyakheta itself, disposing and probably fatally wounding Jayasimha-II and dispossessing him of his queen, and either decapitating or killing several Chalukyan Dandanayakas and Mahasamantas near modern Chitradurga. This was the first full-fledged war between the Cholas and Chalukyas in which Rajadhiraja Chola took the command of the Chola army in which he shone and proved his capabilities to his eager father As a gift to his father, Rajadhiraja or Vijayarajendra brought two Dwarapalakas from Chalukya country which were initially placed at the big temple at Gangaikonda Cholapuram, of which one is still standing at the Sarabeshwarar temple in Tirubhuvanam, which was built by a later Chola king Kulothunga III. The other Dwarapalaka is in the museum of the Big Temple in Tanjore. The above episode in detail has been mentioned in the inscriptions of Rajendra Chola I and his son Rajadhiraja at the Big
RAJARAJA CHOLAN HISTORY
ReplyDeleteExpedition to the Ganges
With both the Western and Eastern Chalukya fronts subdued, Rajendra’s armies undertook an extraordinary expedition. C. 1019 CE Rajendra’s forces continued to march through Kalinga to the river Ganges. The Emperor himself advanced up to the river Godavari to protect the rear of the expeditionary force. The Chola army eventually reach the Pala kingdom of Bengal where they met Mahipala and defeated him.
According to the Tiruvalangadu Plates, the campaign lasted less than two years in which many kingdoms of the north felt the might of the Chola army. The inscriptions further claim that Rajendra defeated ‘…the armies of Ranasura and entered the land of Dharmapala and subdued him and thereby he reached the Ganges and caused the water river to be brought by the conquered kings’ back to the Chola country. The new conquests opened up new roots for the Cholas to head for distant lands like Burma by land (through what are now modern Orissa, West Bengal, Assam and Bangladesh). Many inscriptions of chola do refer to the chola control over provinces of north like mathura(vadamadurai), kanyakubja(kannaikucchi or kannauj) and sindhu(sind). This is possible because of chola domination of both the seas on east and west.
It is true that Rajendra’s army defeated the kings of Sakkarakottam and Dhandabhukti and Mahipala. These territories were initially added to the kingdom, while later they had the status of tribute paying subordinates and trade partners with the Chola Kingdom, an arrangement that lasted till the times of Kulothunga-III and to a limited extent, of Raja Raja-III too. It was undoubtedly an exhibition of the power and might of the Chola empire to the northern kingdoms. But the benevolent leadership of the Cholas treated them in a benevolent manner and did not permanently annexe them to the Chola dominions, while at the same time acting firmly to nip in the bud any ill-treatment of people from Tamil country.
விழா சிறப்பாக நடைபெற்றது. ஊர் திருவிழா போல மக்கள் கூட்டம்.
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