We first encountered Madurantaka Devar, an important character in this tale, at the very beginning of the story in the Kadambur palace. We saw him once more when he made his way to the palace at midnight through the underground passage of the Pazhuvettaraiyar’s mansion. Yet, on those occasions, we did not properly introduce this renowned prince to our readers—the very one who would later ascend the throne of Thanjavur as Parakesari Uttama Chozhar. We wish now to remedy that omission.

Before we speak of Madurantaka himself, it is necessary to remind our readers a little of his lineage. Before Sundara Chozha Chakravarthi, the Chozha kingdom had long been ruled by his great father, Kandaraditya Chozhar. He and his virtuous consort, Chembiyan Maadevi, daughter of the Malavarayar clan, were both paragons of devotion to Lord Shiva. Their lives were wholly absorbed in the renovation and service of Shiva temples.

Kandaraditya cherished the wish to collect and compile the scattered Thevaram hymns found throughout Tamil Nadu. That wish was not fulfilled during his lifetime, though he did manage to gather some of the hymns. He himself composed several hymns in the style of the Thevaram, and among them, the hymn he sang in praise of Chidambaram is still preserved today in the collection known as Thiruvisaippa.

In a hymn he composed, Kandaraditya refers to his illustrious father, Parantaka Chakravarthi, and the golden roof he installed at the temple of Thillai (Chidambaram):

“The valiant king of the north, who conquered the southern lands And Lanka as well, The red-sceptred Chozhan, the king of kings, Chembiyan, adorned in gold, In the jeweled Thillai temple, where ankleted women sing and dance, Our Lord, who wears the crescent moon…” In that hymn, he alludes to the fact that his father conquered both the Pandya country and Eelam. In the final verse of the decad, not only does he mention his own name, but he also refers to the Chola capital of his time, Thanjai.

“Adoring the golden Annamalai of Thillai, He, the lord of the fertile groves, the king of Kozhi, The sovereign of Thanjai, Kandaradithan, whose words are like nectar— Those who master his rare Tamil garland Shall attain eternal fame and supreme bliss in the world beyond!”

Kandaradithar had no faith in expanding the empire through war. Having witnessed the sufferings that wars brought upon mankind, he strove, as much as possible, to avoid conflict and sought only peace. As a result, during his reign, the Chola empire shrank considerably.

In his later years, Kandaradithar married the daughter of the Mazhavarayar. Their son, Madurantakan, was but a small child at the time of Kandaradithar’s passing. Enemies were rising on all sides of the kingdom. At the same time, Kandaradithar’s younger brother, Arinjayan, was grievously wounded in battle and awaited death.

Arinjayan’s son, Sundara Cholan, by then had crossed into manhood, had beaten the drums of victory in many wars, and had earned a name as a great hero. Therefore, Kandaradithar decided that Sundara