When the final procession of Aditya Karikalan made its way along the banks of the Kaveri River towards Thanjavur, hundreds of thousands of people from the Chola land joined in that cortege. The custom of honoring warriors was deeply rooted in Tamil Nadu in those days. For a time, the Chola dynasty had faded, but had we not seen it rise again since the days of Vijayalaya Chola? For a hundred years, each scion born into that lineage had surpassed the other in martial glory. Vijayalaya’s son, Aditya Varma, destroyed the fame of the Pallava dynasty and seized the land of Thondai. His son, Parantaka Chakravarti, brought the entire southern country, including Madurai and Eelam, under his rule. The four sons of Parantaka Chakravarti each outshone the other in valor. One of them laid down his life in the Pandya war. The eldest, Rajaditya, waged war at Takkolam against the mighty army of the twin-mandala Kannara Devan, which surged like the ocean, and after breaking that vast force, was treacherously slain on the battlefield, earning the epithet “the god who slept upon the elephant.” Kandaraditya, though a devotee of Shiva and a man of spiritual wealth, was no less in valor. Later, during the reign of Sundara Chola, son of Arinjaya, who died at Arattur, the glory of the Chola Empire, which had waned after the battle of Takkolam, rose once more to its zenith.

Among those born in this illustrious line of warriors, none could equal or surpass Aditya Karikalan—so declared the unanimous voice of the people everywhere. At the age of twelve, the heroic and daring feats he performed on the battlefield of Sevur eclipsed even the fame of Abhimanyu, son of Arjuna. Why had such a peerless hero not returned to Thanjavur for several years, remaining instead in Kanchi? Many rumors swirled about the reason. One rumor held that the petty kings, plotting to crown Madurantakan, were scheming to keep Aditya Karikalan away from Thanjavur. Another rumor claimed that, just as the ancient Karikala Valavan had marched north and planted the tiger flag atop the Himalayas, Aditya Karikalan, bearing the same name, had sworn to do likewise, and, unwilling to return to Thanjavur until that vow was fulfilled, was being thwarted by the likes of the Pazhuvettaraiyars. Therefore, when the sudden news spread that Aditya Karikalan had died, and that he had been treacherously murdered in the palace of the Sambuvarayars, it is needless to say how the hearts of the people of Chola Nadu were stirred. Is it any wonder, then, that lakhs of people gathered to pay their last respects to that heroic prince? As the funeral procession approached Thanjavur, the crowd had swelled into a veritable sea of humanity. The citizens of Thanjavur and the soldiers of the southern army encamped around the fort joined the throng in great numbers.

On the warning of Prime Minister Aniruddha, who feared that allowing such a multitude into the fort might lead to grave consequences, the Emperor,