page_title: Kulottunga I
section_title: Sri Lanka
hierarchical_section_title: Kulottunga I / Military campaigns / Sri Lanka
caption_attribution_description: English: Polonnaruwa Velaikkara Slab Inscription. This Polonaruwa inscription is really interesting; it is w:Vatteluttu script (Tamil) with w:Grantha script for Sanskrit words, as was a common style historically. தமிழ்: பொலன்னறுவை வேலைக்கார பலகை கல்வெட்டு. 49 வரிகளில் எழுதப்பட்டுள்ள இந்தக் கல்வெட்டு இரண்டு மொழிகளில் உள்ளது. ஐந்து வரிகளில் அமைந்த மேற்பகுதி சமசுக்கிருத மொழியில் உள்ளன. அதற்குக் கீழ் 44 வரிகள் தமிழில் எழுதப்பட்டுள்ளன. ஆட்சிக்காலம்: 1வது விஜயபாகு அரசன் (கி.பி. 1055-1110) காலம்: கி.பி. 12ம் நூற்றாண்டு எழுத்துக்கள்: தமிழ் வட்டெழுத்து (கலந்த மொழி: கிரந்த எழுத்தில் சமஸ்கிருதம் ) மொழி: தமிழ் விஜயபாகு அரசன் கட்டளைப்படி நகரகிரிதேவ எனும் சேனாதிபதியினால் பொலன்னறுவையில் தலதா மாளிகையை அமைத்து அதை பாதுகாப்பதற்காக வேலைக்கார படையினரிடம் ஒப்படைத்ததாக கல்வெட்டில் குறிப்பிடப்படுகிறது. விஜயபாகு அரசனின் வேண்டுகோளின்படி பர்மாவிலிருந்து பிக்குமாரை வரவழைத்து இங்குள்ள மூன்று பிரிவுகளாக உள்ள பிக்குமார் சமாதானப்படுத்தி, தந்த தாதுவிற்கு வருடா வருடம் கொண்டாட்டங்கள் நடத்துவது பற்றிய விபரங்கள் இதில் அடங்குகிறது.
context_page_description: Chakravarti Kulottunga Choladeva was an 11th-century monarch of the Chola Empire of South India. He was one of the sovereigns who bore the title "Kulottunga", literally meaning "the exalter of his race" in Tamil. He did not belong to the main line of Cholas but was rather a prince of the Eastern Chalukya dynasty. His mother, Ammangaidevi, was a Chola princess and the daughter of emperor Rajendra Chola I. His father was king Rajaraja Narendra of the Eastern Chalukya dynasty who was the nephew of Rajendra Chola I and maternal grandson of Rajaraja Chola I. According to historian Sailendra Nath Sen, his accession marked the beginning of a new era and ushered in a period of internal peace and benevolent administration.
  Kulottunga had diplomatic relations with the north Indian city Kanauj and also with distant countries like Cambodia, Sri Vijaya, Khmer empire, kingdom of Pagan and China. He established Chola overlordship over the Sri Vijaya province Kedah in Malaysia. An inscription in a Taoist temple in Guangzhou, dated to 1079 AD, declares Kulottunga, King of Chulien to be the supreme chief of the Land of San-fo-tsi.
context_section_description: According to the Mahavamsa, the Cholas were driven out of Lanka in the 15th year of Vijayabahu which coincides with the accession date of Kulottunga. Therefore, it would seem that the Sinhalese king took the opportunity to attack the Chola forces in the island nation at a time when the kingdom under Kulottunga was dealing with multiple revolts and attacks in the mainland. In 1070 AD, Vijayabahu attacked the Chola forces from his enclave in the Rohana district and defeated them. He sent two armies, one from Mahanagakula via Dakkinadesa, and the other via the well known route along Mahavali-Ganga. These armies defeated the Chola forces or what was left of them and captured Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa. After his victory over the Cholas, Vijayabahu got himself anointed in Anuradhapura. A few months later he moved to Polonnaruwa, renamed it as Vijayarajapura, made it his capital, and declared himself king of the island nation.
  Unlike the epigraphs of his predecessors, like Rajaraja Chola I, Rajendra Chola I and Rajadhiraja Chola I, that describe the details of their expeditions to the island nation, Kulottunga's inscriptions are generally silent in regards to Lanka or with regards to any campaigns or wars against the Sinhalese rulers. According to Sastri, Kulottunga was content with keeping the Chola empire from disintegrating on the mainland and was not that affected with the loss of the island nation.
  It is of interest to note that Vijayabahu married Lilavati, the daughter of Jagatipala, a former ruler of Rohana, after she escaped from the Cholas and returned to the island kingdom. Jagatipala was originally a prince of Ayodhya who had migrated to Lanka and become ruler of Rohana. He was slain on the battlefield during the Lankan expeditions of Kulottunga's predecessor, Rajadhiraja Chola I, when the Sinhalese kingdom lost four crowns in quick succession. At that time, this princess along with her aunt or mother was taken captive by the Chola forces. These events are described in great detail in the Mahavamsa and in an inscription of Rajadhiraja Chola I.
caption: Polonnaruwa Velakkara Inscription (Tamil and Sanskrit)
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