# The Tamils Eighteen Hundred Years Ago/Chapter 7

CHERA GENEALOGY.
| | | | | Athan I. (A. D. 40—55). (Wounded on the back at the battle of Vennil, and starved himself to death). | Athan I. (A. D. 40—55). (Wounded on the back at the battle of Vennil, and starved himself to death). | Athan I. (A. D. 40—55). (Wounded on the back at the battle of Vennil, and starved himself to death). | Athan I. (A. D. 40—55). (Wounded on the back at the battle of Vennil, and starved himself to death). | Athan I. (A. D. 40—55). (Wounded on the back at the battle of Vennil, and starved himself to death). | Athan I. (A. D. 40—55). (Wounded on the back at the battle of Vennil, and starved himself to death). | | |
| | | | | Athan II = Sonai. | Athan II = Sonai. | Athan II = Sonai. | Athan II = Sonai. | Athan II = Sonai. | Athan II = Sonai. | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | Athan II = Sonai. | Athan II = Sonai. | Athan II = Sonai. | Athan II = Sonai. | Athan II = Sonai. | Athan II = Sonai. | | | | | | | (A. D. 55—90). (Alias Vâna-Varmman or Chelvak-kadunk-ko.) | (A. D. 55—90). (Alias Vâna-Varmman or Chelvak-kadunk-ko.) | (A. D. 55—90). (Alias Vâna-Varmman or Chelvak-kadunk-ko.) | (A. D. 55—90). (Alias Vâna-Varmman or Chelvak-kadunk-ko.) | (A. D. 55—90). (Alias Vâna-Varmman or Chelvak-kadunk-ko.) | (A. D. 55—90). (Alias Vâna-Varmman or Chelvak-kadunk-ko.) | (Daughter of Karikal Chola). | (Daughter of Karikal Chola). | (Daughter of Karikal Chola). | (Daughter of Karikal Chola). | (Daughter of Karikal Chola). | (Daughter of Karikal Chola). |
| Venmâl = Chenk-kudduvan alias Imaya-varmman. (A. D. 90—125). (Captured Viyalur: attacked Mohoor: and conducted an expedition by sea to the banks of the Ganges.) | Venmâl = Chenk-kudduvan alias Imaya-varmman. (A. D. 90—125). (Captured Viyalur: attacked Mohoor: and conducted an expedition by sea to the banks of the Ganges.) | Venmâl = Chenk-kudduvan alias Imaya-varmman. (A. D. 90—125). (Captured Viyalur: attacked Mohoor: and conducted an expedition by sea to the banks of the Ganges.) | Venmâl = Chenk-kudduvan alias Imaya-varmman. (A. D. 90—125). (Captured Viyalur: attacked Mohoor: and conducted an expedition by sea to the banks of the Ganges.) | Venmâl = Chenk-kudduvan alias Imaya-varmman. (A. D. 90—125). (Captured Viyalur: attacked Mohoor: and conducted an expedition by sea to the banks of the Ganges.) | Venmâl = Chenk-kudduvan alias Imaya-varmman. (A. D. 90—125). (Captured Viyalur: attacked Mohoor: and conducted an expedition by sea to the banks of the Ganges.) | | | | | Ilanko-adikal (author of the Tamil epic poem Chilapp-athikâram). | Ilanko-adikal (author of the Tamil epic poem Chilapp-athikâram). | Ilanko-adikal (author of the Tamil epic poem Chilapp-athikâram). | Ilanko-adikal (author of the Tamil epic poem Chilapp-athikâram). | Ilanko-adikal (author of the Tamil epic poem Chilapp-athikâram). | Ilanko-adikal (author of the Tamil epic poem Chilapp-athikâram). | | |
| Yânaik-kad-chey (A. D. 125—135). (Captured by the Pandya Nedunj-Cheliyan II and subsequently escaped). | Yânaik-kad-chey (A. D. 125—135). (Captured by the Pandya Nedunj-Cheliyan II and subsequently escaped). | Yânaik-kad-chey (A. D. 125—135). (Captured by the Pandya Nedunj-Cheliyan II and subsequently escaped). | Yânaik-kad-chey (A. D. 125—135). (Captured by the Pandya Nedunj-Cheliyan II and subsequently escaped). | Yânaik-kad-chey (A. D. 125—135). (Captured by the Pandya Nedunj-Cheliyan II and subsequently escaped). | Yânaik-kad-chey (A. D. 125—135). (Captured by the Pandya Nedunj-Cheliyan II and subsequently escaped). | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Perunj-cheral-Irumporai (A. D. 135—150). (Who killed Athikamân Elini and captured Thakadûr.) | Perunj-cheral-Irumporai (A. D. 135—150). (Who killed Athikamân Elini and captured Thakadûr.) | Perunj-cheral-Irumporai (A. D. 135—150). (Who killed Athikamân Elini and captured Thakadûr.) | Perunj-cheral-Irumporai (A. D. 135—150). (Who killed Athikamân Elini and captured Thakadûr.) | Perunj-cheral-Irumporai (A. D. 135—150). (Who killed Athikamân Elini and captured Thakadûr.) | Perunj-cheral-Irumporai (A. D. 135—150). (Who killed Athikamân Elini and captured Thakadûr.) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
The Cheras.
Of the Chera kings of this period Athan I. was the earliest sovereign, contemporary with Karikal-Chola. He was wounded on the back while fighting at the head of his army against Karikal at Vennil as related by me already in the life of Karikal. The Chera king unable to bear the disgrace of having received a wound on the back while fighting, determined to put an end to his life by starvation. It is said that some of his favourite companions also voluntarily died with him unwilling to part from him even in death
His successor on the throne was Athan II., surnamed Chelvak-kadunk-ko-vâli-Athan. He gained the friendship of Karikal by marrying his daughter Sônai. Being the son-in-law of the most powerful of the Tamil kings of this period, his reign appears to have been peaceful and prosperous. The poet Kapilar who was a Brahmin by birth enjoyed the special regard of this monarch. While in a pleasant mood the Chera king took hold of the hands of the poet and observed that they were remarkably soft. Kapilar who was an adroit flatterer complimented the king on the strength of his hands and gracefully acknowledged that the hands of the poets of his court cannot but be soft. The stanza sung by him on the occasion is as follows:-
“Thou warrior king, whose broad shoulders cause pangs of love to fair ladies, and terror to thy foes! to drive the fierce war elephant with a goad adorned with gold and to urge the animal to burst open the gates of thy enemies’ forts which are secured with iron bars: to hold up the reins of thy noble steed and clear the deep moats, the banks of which have been levelled by the soldiers: to draw with all thy might the string of thy bow and discharge arrows taken from the quiver hung on thy back when riding in the chariots, to do all these acts of strength, thy arms are long and sinewy and thy hands are broad and powerful. But the hands of ​thy bards are soft as they have no other work but to eat of boiled rice, roasted flesh and spiced mixtures.
On another occasion the same poet composed in honor of the king an ode which is remarkable for boldness of conception and felicity of expression. The ode is addressed to the sun, and the poet draws a series of comparisons between the king and the sun, in all of which he shows that his patron is superior to the luminary. I cannot reproduce in a translation the elegance of expression of the original, but the meaning s as follows :—
             “Bright orb that marchest proudly in the sky!
             Behind the hills thou hidest from our sight,
             And thou art seen by day and ne’er by night:
             Though soaring in the sky so wide and high,
             Alone thou darest not to show thy face,
             But comest guarded by a thousand rays!
             How canst thou vie with Cheral Athan bold,
             Who countless chiefs in fealty doth hold,
             Who knows no fear on the battle field
             And counts no cost the weak and poor to shield,
             Who scorns divided empire for his sway,
             And leads the legions that smite and slay?”
Though this was in fact a pure conceit in words, the parallel drawn was so startling, that the king was doubtless highly flattered by this gem of poetry, and he rewarded the poet with a free gift of several villages.
Athan II had two sons, the elder of whom was called Chenkkudduvan and the younger was known as Ilankko-Adikal or the “royal monk.” The latter prince composed the poem Chilapp-athikaram. He relates in this poem that on a certain occasion when he and his brother were seated in the audience hall at the foot of the throne occupied by their father, a seer appeared before the king. He surveyed the features of the king and his two sons and foretold that the king would soon depart his life and that the younger son had every sign of becoming a sovereign. This remark of the seer annoyed Ilanko-adikal, who loved his elder brother dearly, so much that he resolved to renounce the world at once and embrace the life of a monk of the Nigrantha sect, so that all hopes of his succession to the throne may be cut off ​The king died at Chikkar-palli and was henceforth known as Chikkar-palli-thunjchiya chelvak-kadunk-ko-vâli-Athan or “Athãn, the fierce king who died at Chikkar-palli.”
Chenkudduvan alias Imayavarmman succeeded his father Athan II about A.D. 90. Soon after his accession to the throne he captured Viyalûr the capital of Irunko-vênmân king of a mountainous country where gold mines were worked. Some years afterwards Nalank-killi the son of Karikal-Chola died, and the Chola crown passed to Killi-valavan, grandson of Karikal Chola and cousin of Chenkudduva Chera. Killivalavan’s authority was not however acknowledged by other members of the Chola royal family. Nine of the Chola princes revolted. Hearing of this rebellion Chenk-kudduvan marched with a large army to the assistance of his cousin. He defeated the nine rebel princes at Neri-vâyil and established the power of his cousin. Soon afterwards he attacked Mohoor, the capital of Palayan-Mâran in the southern part of the Pandyan kingdom. He undertook this expedition to Mohoor on behalf of a chieftain named Arukai who had been ill treated by Palayan-Mâran. Being in close friendship with the Karnas, kings of Magadha, he accompanied his widowed mother Sonai to the banks of the Ganges where the queen bathed in the sacred waters. Many years later Chenkkudduvan again visited the Ganges under peculiar circumstances which are related as follows in the Chilapp-athikaram :—
“Kothai, the lord of the “celestials,” who wields the sharp sword, who overthrew the Kadambu which stood encircled by the sea, and who set the banner of the bow on the Imaya mountains to the astonishment of the “celestials,” who inhabited that region, while seated one day in his silver palace with his queen Venmâl was pleased to command that arrangements be made to proceed on a short tour to visit the mountains covered with green woods on which the clouds ever rest and the music of whose water-falls never ceases. He set out from Vanji with a large retinue of the daughters of the “celestial race” desirous of sporting with them in the flowery groves, and encamped on a sand-hill on the banks of the Periyâr, where the river quits the ​mountains and descends to the low country spreading its waters around islets and groves and halls and temples. From there he viewed the lovely scenery and the rapid current of the river which bore on its bosom many a bright and fragrant flower. The king and the ladies were delighted by the songs of the hill tribes. Anon, there broke on their ears the distant shouts of the hunters who captured wild elephants in pitfalls or who tore the hives of honey-bees, the splash of cascades, the trumpeting of elephants and the clang of armour amongst the soldiers who accompanied the king. While the king and his company thus enjoyed the scene, the hill-men appeared bearing on their heads the White tusks of elephants, bundles of the fragrant aghil wood, tails of the yak, pots of honey, blocks of sandal wood, lumps of red lead, arsenic and of the sulphuret of antimony; bunches of cardamom and pepper, the flour of the Kûvai root, the edible roots of the Kavalai, ripe cocoanuts and the sweet fruits of the mango and the jack; festoons of green leaves, garlic and sugarcane and flowery creepers, bunches of arecanuts and plantains, cubs of the lion and the yâli; the young of tigers and calves of elephants; the young of monkeys and the whelps of bears; the kids of mountain goats and of mountain deer; the young of musk deer; the mongoose, long-tailed peacocks, civet cats, wild fowls and prattling parrots. Presenting these products of their hills they exclaimed:-
“May thou be victorious for ever! For seven births are we thy subjects. Under the shade of a Venkai tree in the forest, a fair girl who had lost one of her breasts lay alone and in agony and breathed her last. Whence she came or whose daughter she was, we know not. Long mayst thou live for many hundred thousand year!" Châthan the master of sweet Tamil, who was in the king’s company, charmed by the royal presence, related the story of the hapless maid to the king and queen. She was, he said, the wife of a merchant of Kavirippaddinam, who having lost all his wealth to a beautiful actress of that town, came to Madura accompanied only by his faithful wife; a pair of valuable anklets was all the property left in the hands of his wife. The husband wished to sell one of the anklets, and with the money realized by its sale, he intended to start afresh the life of a merchant. His ​ill-luck led him to the king’s jeweller who having already stolen one of the queen’s anklets reported to the king that the stolen jewel had been brought to him for sale by a stranger and pointed out the merchant to the royal guards who came to arrest him. The merchant, surprised by the sudden turn of affairs, was unable to explain to the guards how he came by the jewel; the guards suspecting him to be the thief beheaded him on the spot, and took the jewel to the palace. The sad news of the execution of the merchant reached his wife, who was then lodging in a shepherd’s house. With tears streaming from her eyes, she ran to the spot where her husband lay a mangled corpse, and having heard from the people of the town that her husband was beheaded, because he had stolen one of the queen’s anklets, the disconsolate widow demanded an audience of the king and appearing before him proved to his satisfaction that the anklet found in the possession of her husband was her own and not that of the Pandyan queen. The king stung with remorse swooned from his throne and never recovered his life; and the queen ascended the funeral pyre. The unhappy widow cut off one of her breasts and threw it in the streets of Madura praying that the wicked town be destroyed by fire; and accordingly the palace and a part of the town were burnt to ashes. She then quitted Madura and travelling westwards came into the Chera kingdom and there died. Chenkudduvan and his queen Venmal were much affected by this story. The queen observed that the chaste but unfortunate widow was worthy of being worshipped as a goddess. The king approved of this idea, and looked at the learned men of his court for their advice; and they said that an image may be carved out of a block of granite from the Pothiya hill and anointed in the waters of the Kaviri, or that the statue may be fashioned from a stone from the Himalayas and bathed in the sacred waters of the Ganges. The king exclaimed that to obtain a stone from Pothiyam and bathe it in the Kaviri river was unbecoming one of his martial race: and he decided therefore to obtain a stone from the Himalayas. His minister Villavan-Kothai addressed the king as follows :—
“May thou be victorious for many years. Thy rival kings defeated in the battle-field of Kongu, abandoned their banners of ​the tiger and the fish, and the fame of thy victory has spread through the world. My eyes shall never forget thy victorious march against the combined armies of the Konkanas, Kalingas, Karunadas, Pankalas, Gangas, Kattiyas, and the northern Aryas, when thy queen-mother bathed in the sacred stream of the Ganges. If it is thy desire to march to the Himalayas to obtain stone for carving the image of a goddess, it is well that written messages be sent to the kings of the north intimating the fact.” Then the prince of Alumbil spoke out as follows :—
“The envoys of foreign kings reside outside the gates of Vani and through them those kings may learn the purpose of our march. It is enough to proclaim our journey by beat of drums in our capital.”
The king and his party returned soon after to Vanji and under his command, the king’s intention to proceed to the banks of the Ganges was proclaimed by beat of drums which were carried throughout the town on the royal elephant. When the king entered the audience hall and took his seat which was supported by figures of lions, the high-priest, the chief astrologer, the great ministers of state and the generals of his army who had assembled to receive him exclaimed “Long live king of kings” and prayed for his orders regarding the expedition. Looking at the generals and gallant officers of his army the martial king responded :—
“Pilgrims from the Himalayas have informed us that the princes of the north had sneerd at the Tamil kings ; and we shall not therefore return from his expedition without defeating those kings and compelling them to carry on their heads stone from the Himalayas for fashioning the statue of a goddess.”
The high-priest then addressed the king :—
“Appease thy wrath Imaya-varmma, it cannot be thee, of whom the northern kings spoke contemptuously. Is there any king in this country who can face thee in the battle-field except the Pandya and Chola? Art thou not the refuge of every one who flies to thee for assistance?”
Then the chief astrologer learned in the science, which treats of the twelve signs of the Zodiac and the position of ​the planets and stars and of the five parts of Astrology, stood up and said:–
“Mighty monarch, may victory ever attend thee This is the auspicious time; if thou art pleased to start at once in the direction that thou wishest to proceed all thy rival kings shall bow at thy sacred feet.”
Hearing this the king ordered at once that the royal sword and umbrella should be carried northwards. The warriors shouted joyously, the big drums thundered, the banners fluttered, and the five corporations, and the eight great assemblies, the priests and astrologers, the judges and ministers all exclaimed :— “Blessed be the king.” The royal sword and umbrella adorned with garlands of flowers were carried on the chief elephant in royal state to a fort outside the town. The king then entered his audience hall and there feasted the generals and chiefs of his army. Next day, while the morning drum was sounding at his palace gate, the king started from his palace wearing on his crown wreaths of Vanji flowers and visited the temple of Vishnu, and having offered his prayers to the god, he mounted his elephant. He received from the priest the symbols of the sacred feet of Siva and placed them devoutly on his crown and on his shoulders; and amidst the blessings of the priests from the golden temple of Vishnu, he left Vanji, seated on his elephant. under the shade of a white umbrella, accompanied by his military officers and a mighty host of warriors on foot, on horses, chariots and on elephants. He made his first halt at the foot of the Nilgiri hills. These hills do not appear to be the modern Nilgiris, but were most probably the rocky hills which project boldly forth to within sixteen or eighteen miles of the shore of the Bay of Bengal at Balasore in the Orissa district, which were known to the old navigators as the Nilgiri mountains. The journey from the Chera kingdom to Orissa appears to have been performed by sea, as stated at the end of the poem, where Chenk-kudduvan is praised as the king who with his army crossed the sea and reached the banks of the Ganges. When the Chera king was encamped at the foot of the Nilgiris. Sanjchaya, a general in the service of the Karnas, the rulers of the Magadha empire, arrived with one hundred dancing girls, ​two hundred and eight musicians, one hundred pole-dancers, one hundred chariots, ten thousand horse, twenty thousand waggons and one thousand body guards. The officer at the gate having announced the arrival of Sanjchaya and his company, the Chera. king was pleased to command that Sanjchaya and his chief attendants be admitted to his audience. Accordingly Sanjchaya appeared before the king and bowing low addressed him as follows :—
“Long live thou ruler of this earth! The Satakarna who is thy intimate friend has sent thee the following message through me. If it is the desire of the king of the celestials to obtain stone from the lofty Himalaya mountains to fashion the image of a god, we shall help him to obtain the stone and anoint it in the sacred flood of the Ganges.”
The Chera king replied to Sanjchaya :–
“Kanaka and Vijaya, Sons of Balakumara having lost watch and ward over their tongues have reviled the Tamil kings, ignorant of their strength. This army is therefore on its march nursing its wrath. Inform this to Satakarna and let him collect a fleet of ships to carry my army across the great river Ganges.”
Having despatched Sanjchayan he admitted to his presence the one thousand body guards and received from them a tribute of fragrant sandal wood and pearls. Breaking up his camp the king marched with his army to the banks of the Ganges and crossed over in a fleet of ships provided by the Karnas. On the northern bank the Karnas themselves welcomed the king. Taking leave of them the king proceeded further north to the country known as Uttarai where at a place called Kuyilaluvam he encountered the army led by the Aryan princes Kanaka and Vijaya and their allied kings, Uttara, Vichitra, Rudra, Bhairava, Chitra Singha, Dhannttara and Sveta. The Chera king rejoiced at the sight of the noble army of the Aryan kings and boldly led his Tamil soldiers who marched forward to the beat of thundering drums, the booming of conch-shells and the stirring blasts of trumpets. The archers, lancers and swordsmen fought long and fiercely and the carnage was terrible. The battle-field was covered with heaps of the slain, soldiers, horses and elephants and at last the Tamils bore down everything before them, and ​Kanaka, Vijaya, and several other princes fell captives into the hands of Chenk-kudduvan. He compelled Kanaka and Vijaya to change their royal garments for the garb of religious mendicants and sent them with his minister Villavan-Kothai and a military escort to the Himalayas. After the battle, the king returned to the southern banks of the Ganges, where the Karnas had constructed a magnificent palace in the midst of a lovely park for the use of the king and several mansions and buildings for his officers and army. Here the king distributed honors and rewards to those who had distinguished themselves in the battle, and to the sons of those who had fallen in battle. The king returned to Vanji after an absence of thirty-two months. His queen and the subjects received him with great rejoicings. From the banks of the Ganges he had sent the Aryan princes Kanaka and Vijaya in charge of his body-guard to be exhibited at the courts of the Pandya and Chola kings. After visiting Kavirip-paddinam and Madura, Nilan the commander of the body-guard returned to Vanji and informed the king that the Chola and Pandya kings condemned the cruel treatment accorded to the unfortunate Aryan princes. The Chera king was annoyed with the remarks made by the Tamil kings. The Brahmin Madalan who was then present, addressed the king as follows :—
“King of kings, may thou be ever victorious! Thou hast conquered Viyalur where wild elephants slumber in the shade of the pepper vine. Thou hast defeated nine Chola princes in a pitched battle at Neri-väyil and won a grand victory at Idumbil and now crossing the wide ocean thou hast defeated the Aryan princes who attacked thee on the banks of the Ganges. Master of the victorious army! wise monarch! may thou be appeased; may thou live as many years as there are grains of sand on the banks of the river Porunai. Pray, listen to my words, and scorn them not. Although thou art now fifty years of age thou hast spent all thy life in war and has not performed any religious sacrifice. Thou knowest well that our life is not everlasting. For, of the ancient heroes of thy race not one is alive. He who conquered the Kadambu in the middle of the sea, he who set the emblem of the bow on the Imaya mountains, he who enabled the Brahmin poet who composed verses in his praise, to attain heaven by per​forming sacrifices, he who controlled the god of death, he who ruled the land of the Yavana and who entered the mountains which yield gold, the hero who led a gallant army and stormed the fortress of Akappa, he who bathed in the waters of the river Ayirai and in the two seas, he who established the worship of the four Bhûtas in his capital Vanji and performed sacrifices: all these kings are dead and gone. Thou knowest also that wealth and power are not lasting, for, bust thou not seen the defeat and disgrace of the Aryan princes who scorned the Tamils? Need I say that youth is also fleeting for thy hair is turning grey?”
Dwelling on the Brahminic belief in the transmigration of souls he advised the king to perform a magnificent sacrifice called Rajasuya so that his soul may be blessed in its future births. The king acted on this advice, and preparations were immediately ordered for the performance of Rajasûya on a grand scale and for the consecration of a temple to Kannaki. The kings of Kongu and Maluva and Gajabahu of Lanka attended these ceremonies.
Chenk.kudduvan was succeeded by Chey who was surnamed Yânaik-kan or “the elephant eye.” He was a very warlike prince and constantly moved about the frontiers of his dominions harassing the neighbouring kings. It was perhaps on account of these incursions that the Pandyan king Nedunj-Cheliyan II invaded the Chera territory, and by skilful manœuvres succeeded in taking the Chera a prisoner. The latter however escaped soon afterwards and regained his power. The Chola king Râjasûyam-vedda-peru-nat-killi was also at war with Yanaik-kad-Chey: and Ther-van-malayan chief of Malâdu is said to have assisted the Chola in this war. Kuruok-koliyûr-ki1ar, a poet of his court, praises the king for having once saved the town of Vilankil from his enemies. One of the stanzas composed by the poet is as follows :—
“Thou king of the lofty Kolli hills, valiant Chèy, whose eyes are like those of the elephant! whose encampment is so extensive that it needs no sentries, and where the shouts of the soldiers who dance wildly in their drunken revels ever sound like ​the noise of the sea waves lashing the shore : who feedest thy dependents out of the tribute paid to thee by vassal kin: may thy boundless wealth be everlasLing! The poets that sing of thee need not praise others any more, for thou art so liberal that they are never in want. Having heard that the kingdom ruled by thee is like a paradise on earth, I came and my eyes are gladdened. Ever active thou leadest thy armies into foreign lands eager to conquer and to earn a deathless fame!“
The poet Kudal-kilar who was present at the death of this king states that his death was portended by the fall of a brilliant meteor seven days previous to the occurrence. The following verse uttered by him on the occasion is specially interesting as it shows that the Tamils studied Astronomy independently of the Brahmnins and that Tamil names were in common use for the Lunar asterisms and the signs of the solar Zodiac :–
“On the day of Kuddam (Karttika when the Sun was in the sign of Adu (Mesha) at midnight when the, asterisms from the first star of Mudap-panai (Anuradha) to the last star of Kulam (Punarvasu) were visible in the sky, and while the asterism which is in the zenith during the first half of the month of Pankuni (Phalguna) was declining from the zenith, the eighth asterism before it was setting, and- the eighth asterism after it was rising, a brilliant meteor which illumined the whole sky fell towards the north-east, showering fiery sparks against the wind. Seeing this falling star myself and other minstrels prayed fervently that the monarch of the fertile country which abounds in water-falls may be saved from death, an with a heavy heart we awaited the result of this dreadful omen. On the seventh morning the fatal day arrived and the king who was like the dark-coloured god Vishnu and who was clever in capturing his enemies and lavish in dispensing charity, has gone to the world of the immortals. His huge elephant lies down dejected stretching its trunk o:i the ground. His big drums roll on the floor uncared for. His white parasol lies without its handle. His fleet steeds stand pensive in their stable. Alas! having joined the company of celestial women, has he now forgotten his beloved queens ?“
​Yanaik-kad-Chey was succeeded by Perunj-Cheral-Irumporai. The poet Mochu-kiranar appears to have been a favourite of this king. One day the poet, finding a couch furnished with cushions and covered with fresh flowers in a part of the palace, laid himself down on it and fell sound asleep. The king who happened to pass by that spot seeing that the poet was tired and perspiring, fanned him with his own hands. The poet awoke and was startled to find that the king was fanning him. Learning then that the couch was intended as a stand for the war-drum, he uttered the following stanza :–
“I laid myself down to sleep on this couch which is covered with flowers soft as the froth on fresh oil, not knowing that it was intended for the royal war-drum, which is beautiful to behold with its black barrel adorned with the long feathers of the peacock and strings of beads wound with golden flowers of the ulinjchai. Thou should have cut me in two with thy sword for my insolence But thou hast kept thy sword in its sheath and as if this action was not enough to spread thy fame throughout the Tamil land, thou hast with thy strong arms fanned me to cool any sleepy brows. Is it because thou knowest that the blissful abodes in the next world are open only to those, the fame of whose good deeds filled this world, that thou mighty monarch hast acted thus ?“
One of his feudatory chiefs named Elini having revolted he had to proceed with a large army and besiege Thakadûr the fort of the rebel chief. Elini was the descendant of an ancient line of chiefs who called themselves Athikaman. Their capital Thakadûr is believed to be the modern Dharmapuri in the Salem District. Elini repaired and strengthened the fortifications of the town and was determined to gain his independence or die in the attempt. But the Chera king completely invested the town and cut off all means of communication and supplies from outside. The thorny jungle which surrounded the town was cleared by the Chera soldiers, the moat was filled up and the gates burst open by elephants. The Chera army then rushed into the fort, and in the melee that ensued, Elini and his lieutenants performed prodigies of valour, but were over-powered by numbers and fell fighting to ​the last. The bards Arichil-kilar and Pon-mudiyar were present in the camp of the Chera king during the siege: and a few of their verses which have been preserved to this day contain vivid accounts of some of the incidents of the assault on the fort. When the Chera forces approached Thakadûr Elini and his general Perum-pakkan led out their army to engage them outside the fort. Perum-pakkan stood in front of his army awaiting the assault. The bards Arichil-kilar and Pon-mudiyar addressed the Chera kings as follows, when they saw Perum-pakkan laughing defiantly at them :—
“The youthful warrior decked with garlands, who rejoicing in his strength stands facing our army, mounted on a handsome glittering chariot, drawn by high spirited horses; if he attacks us in his rage, he would overthrow even majestic rutting elephants. Eager for the assault, he shakes his lance which seems to emit flashes of lightning, and laughs at his foes.”
“The dauntless young warrior who wears the dark beard, holds the reins of his steeds and looks first at his own swelling shoulders, then at the array of battle elephants behind him, theo’ at the rows of chariots behind the elephants, then at his own steeds, then at the coming arrows, then at his lance, then at his armlets and laughs at us.”
In the first day’s engagement Elini’s troops were driven into the fort. On the second day, the thorny jungle which sorrounded the fort was cleared; and the following stanza was uttered by the bards, when the Chera king asked them what they thought of the progress of the siege.
“Yesterday (Elinis) steeds fled like stags, the elephants fainted and fell like rocks, and his valiant soldiers were routed by showers of hissing arrows. Thou victorious king who bearest on thy body fresh wounds received in battle! to-day the heads of the slain with arrows sticking to them, kicked by our elephants, lie by the roadside like young palmyra fruits cut open; and our dark. eyed youths, who know no fatigue, have cleared the jungle, shouting at the enemies men and killing them wherever they appeared. To-morrow we shall march, to the beat of drums, and storm the fort.”
* ↑ Ibid., 65.
* ↑ Akam 55.
* ↑ Chilapp-athikâram
* ↑ Ibid.,
* ↑ Chilapp-athikaram, xxx. ii. 171
* ↑ Ibid., xxviii II 115
* ↑ Ibid., xxviii II. 124
* ↑ Ibid., cantos xxv to xxx
* ↑ Puram 17.
* ↑ Ibid., 125.
* ↑ Ibid., 22.
* ↑ Ibid., 229.
* ↑ Puram 50.
* ↑ Thakadur-yathirai.
* ↑ Ibid.