About nine hundred and eighty years ago from today (written in 1950), King Rajakesari Varman Parantaka Sundara Chozha shone as an unrivaled emperor in the southern lands. He had ascended the throne twelve years before the time in which our story takes place. For the past hundred years, the power of the Chozhas had grown steadily, and the Chozha empire was expanding in all four directions. Yet, at the time Sundara Chozha came to the throne, enemies had grown strong both in the south and in the north.

The ruler who preceded Sundara Chozha was Kandaradithar, renowned as ‘Sivagnana Kandaradithar’ for his devotion to Lord Shiva. He did not show much interest in expanding the kingdom. After Kandaradithar, his brother Arinjaya ascended the throne, but ruled for only a year. After Arinjaya passed away at Aattrur in the land of Thondai, his son Parantaka Sundara Chozha ascended the throne of Thanjavur.

All the noble qualities required of a great emperor resided in Sundara Chozha Chakravarthi. A valiant warrior, Sundara Chozha led a campaign to the south at the very beginning of his reign. At a place called Sevur, a great battle was fought between the Chozha army and the Pandya forces. At that time, King Mahindan of Lanka sent a large army to aid Veerapandiyan, the ruler of Madurai. The mighty and valorous Chozha army crushed both the Pandya forces and the Lankan troops at Sevur. Defeated, stripped of his army, his crown, and his allies, Veerapandiyan managed to save only his life, fleeing from the battlefield and hiding for a time in a mountain cave in the midst of a desert land.

In the battle of Sevur, the Lankan army was almost entirely annihilated. The few surviving soldiers, having lost their glory and valor on the battlefield, escaped with their lives and fled back to Lanka. For some time, it had become customary for the kings of Lanka to intervene in the wars between the Pandyas and the Chozhas by sending aid to the Pandyas. Sundara Chozha Chakravarthi wished to put an end to this practice once and for all. Therefore, he decided to send a Chozha army to Lanka to teach the Lankan kings a lesson.

Under the command of Paranthakan, known as the ‘Chinna Velan’ (the Young Velan), from the Kodumbalur chieftain family, a great army was dispatched to Lanka. Unfortunately, the Chozha army could not reach Lanka in a single expedition, as there were not enough ships for the crossing. The first contingent, acting without adequate forethought, boldly set out ahead. Under the command of Sena, the general of King Mahinda, the Sinhalese army unexpectedly surrounded a part of the Chola forces. A terrible and fierce battle ensued. In that battle, Paranthakan, the Chola commander, known as Chinna Velan, upheld his valorous fame and then gave up his life! In the inscriptions of history, he became renowned as “Eelathu Patta Paranthakan Chinna Velan” — Paranthakan Chinna Velan, who fell in Lanka.

When this news reached Veerapandiyan, who was hiding in a mountain cave in the desert, the exiled king regained his courage and emerged once more. He gathered a great army again and waged war. This time, the Pandya army was utterly destroyed, and Veerapandiyan too was forced to give up his life. In this war, Sundara Chola’s eldest son, Aditya Karikalan, stood at the forefront and performed acts of great valor; he also earned the title “Veerapandiyan Thalai Konda Kopparakesari” — the Lion who took the head of Veerapandiyan.

Yet, the desire to teach King Mahinda of Lanka a fitting lesson was not only in the heart of Emperor Sundara Chola, but also burned in the minds of all the generals, chieftains, and warriors of Chola Nadu. A great army was readied to march forth. The question arose: who would lead this expedition? At that time, Sundara Chola’s eldest son and crown prince, Aditya Karikalan, was in the northern region. For some days, he had been subduing and driving out the twin armies (the Rashtrakutas) that had held sway in Thirumunaippadi and the Thondai region, and had made the ancient city of Kanchi his seat of residence. Moreover, he was preparing to lead a campaign to the north.

In this situation, a great rivalry arose among the other generals of Chola Nadu for the leadership of the Lankan campaign. From this rivalry, jealousy and backbiting emerged. In ancient Tamil Nadu, it was rare to find anyone who wished to avoid going to war. The contest was always over who would go to the battlefield. From such contests, sometimes envy and enmity would grow. At this time, among the leaders of Chola Nadu, a fierce competition ignited over who would go to Lanka, punish Mahinda, and uphold the valorous fame of the Cholas. To put an end to this rivalry and bring peace among all, the young prince Arulmozhi Varman, son of Sundara Chola, stepped forward.

“Father! It is enough that I have grown up as the darling child among aunts and grandmothers in the palace at Pazhayarai all these years. Appoint me as the commander of the southern army. I myself will go to Lanka and lead the campaign!” said the young prince Arulmozhi Varman.

At that time, Arulmozhi Varman was only nineteen years old. He was the youngest and most cherished son of Sundara Chozhar; the darling child of all the queens who resided in the palaces of Pazhayarai; the beloved son of the entire Chola land.

King Sundara Chozhar was a man of striking and noble appearance. His father, Arinjaya, had been captivated by the beauty of Kalyani, a princess of the Vaithumba royal line, who were once adversaries of the Chola dynasty, and had married her. The son born to Arinjaya and Kalyani was named Paranthaka by his parents, but owing to his handsome features, the people of the land and the city alike called him “Sundara Chozhar”—the Beautiful Chola—and that name became the one by which all knew him.

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