Muskit Gergous at 09:31, 27 November 2023

2023-11-27T09:31:32Z

New page

{{short description|10th century Indian emperor}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox Royalty
| name = Aditha Karikalan
| title = Virapandiyan Thalai Konda Koparakesari Varman Karikalan
| image = Aditya Chola II.png
| caption = Mural of Prince Aditha Karikalan at [[Brihadisvara Temple]]
| succession = Co-Regent of the [[Chola Empire]]
| reign = 966 - 971 CE
| coronation = [[Parantaka II]]
| cor-type = Emperor
| predecessor = [[Parantaka II]]
| successor = [[Uttama Chola]]
| birth_name = Aditha Karikalan
| birth_date = 942 CE
| birth_place = [[Tirukoilur]], [[Chola Empire]] (modern day [[Tamil Nadu]], [[India]])
| death_date = 971 CE (aged 29)
| death_place = [[Melakadambur]], [[Chola Empire]]
| spouse = Ilaada Madeviyar
| issue = Karikala Kannan
| house = [[Cholas]]
| father = [[Parantaka II]]
| mother = Vanavan Mahadevi
| religion = [[Hinduism]]
| dynasty = [[Chola]]
}}
{{Chola history}}

'''Aditya II''' (942 CE - 971 CE), also known as '''Aditha II''' or '''Adithya Karikalan,''' was a [[Chola]] prince who lived in the 10th century in India.<ref>A Topographical List of Inscriptions in the [[Tamil Nadu]] and [[Kerala]] states: [[Thanjavur district]] By T. Mahalingam</ref> He was born in [[Tirukoilur]] and was the eldest son of [[Parantaka Chola II]]. He was the elder brother of [[Rajaraja Chola I]] and [[Kundavai Pirāttiyār|Kundavai]]. He was called as ''Virapandiyan Thalai Konda Koparakesari Varman Karikalan''.<ref>Nilakanta Sastri, K.A. (1955). ''A History of South India'', OUP, New Delhi (Reprinted 2002)</ref>

==Early Life==
[[File:Rajaraja mural.png|thumb|Karikalan and his brother [[Rajaraja Chola I]] meeting their guru.|250x250px]]
Aditha Karikalan was the elder son of the Chola king [[Parantaka II]] (alias Sundara) and queen Vanavan Mahadevi.{{sfn|Vidya Dehejia|2009|p=42}} He was the elder brother of Rajaraja Chola and Kundavai.

He led the Chola expedition against the [[Pandyas]] and defeated the Pandya king Veerapandyan at the Battle of Chevur. He killed Veerapandiyan after chasing him on the banks of [[Vaigai river]].According to the Esalam bronze and copper plates discovered at Esalam village in Tamil Nadu, Aditha Karikalan conquered the Pandya ruler in battle and beheaded him.<ref>{{Cite journal |author=R. Nagaswamy |title=Archaeological Finds in South India : Esâlam Bronzes and Copper Plates |journal=Bulletin de l'Ecole française d'Extrême-Orient |volume=76 |pages=14 |url=https://www.persee.fr/doc/befeo_0336-1519_1987_num_76_1_1716}}</ref> Aditha was made the co-regent and heir apparent to the Chola throne even though [[Uttama Chola]], the son of Gandaradita Chola, had more right to the throne. Aditha Karikalan was assassinated. Aditha was succeeded by Uttama Chola.<ref>Nilakanta Sastri, K.A. (1935). ''The ChōĻas'', University of Madras, Madras (Reprinted 1984)</ref>

The Udaiyarkudi stone inscriptions in Anandheeswarar temple at present day Udaiyarkudi in Tamil Nadu names the killers - Soman, Ravidasan alias Panchavan Brammadhirajan, Parameswaran alias Irumudichozha Brammadhirajan and Malaiyanooran.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Pandarathar |first=T. V. Sadasiva |title=Pirkaala Cholar Sarithiram (History of the Later Cholas) |publisher=Annamalai University |pages=79 |language=ta}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/tamil/arts-and-culture-63102840|title=பொன்னியின் செல்வன் கதாபாத்திரங்களின் பெயர்கள் கொண்ட கல்வெட்டுகள் - புகைப்படத் தொகுப்பு|accessdate=7 May 2023|via=www.bbc.com}}</ref> The inscription also mentions the decree of Raja Raja confiscating the lands of the murderers. As per epigraphs, the inquiry into the death was completed in the second year of [[Rajaraja Chola I]]'s reign and the lands of certain officials were confiscated for their complicity in the murder of "Karikala Chola who took the head of the Pandya".<ref name="Epigraphia Indica, Volume 21, page 167">''Epigraphia Indica, Volume 21, page 167''</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Early Chola Temples: Parantaka I to Rajaraja I, A.D. 907-985|author=S. R. Balasubrahmanyam|publisher=Orient Longman, 1971|page=76}}</ref>

Historians are divided as to whether the inscription says that the confiscation was a direct royal order of RajaRaja or that the decree was giving permission for selling the land confiscated earlier from the killers.

According to [[Archaeology|archaeologist]] [[Kudavayil Balasubramanian]], "Dr K T Tirunavukkarasu in his collection of historical essays titled "Arunmozhi Aiyvu Thogudi", comprehensively ruled out Madurantaka Uttama's role in Aaditha Karikala's murder. In the said article, basing his view on a number of historical data points, Dr Tirunavukkarasu has gone on to explain that there was a delay in apprehending the perpetrators immediately thereafter and it was only during [[Rajaraja I]]'s second regnal year that the culprits were brought to book
.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Udayarkudi Inscription – An In-depth Assessment ( Translated article)|url=http://guruguha.org/blog/2018/11/11/udayarkudi-inscription-an-in-depth-assessment-translated-article/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200612075802/http://guruguha.org/blog/2018/11/11/udayarkudi-inscription-an-in-depth-assessment-translated-article/|archive-date=12 June 2020|access-date=9 August 2021}}</ref> Suspicions were pointed to [[Uttama Chola]], but confiscations of land belonging to culprits started before Raja Raja's period, suggesting that Uttama Chola did not spare the plotters. Among the punished were Ravidasan, Soman and Parameshwaran who were all government officials.<ref name="southindiahistory">{{cite book|title=Proceedings of the Annual Conference, Volume 18|author=South Indian History Congress|year=1999|page=157}}</ref><ref name="Annals">{{cite book|title=Annals of Oriental Research, Volume 25|year=1975|page=600}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Early Indian Land Grants and State Economy|year=1988|page=175}}</ref>

== In popular culture ==

* [[Ponniyin Selvan]], a [[Tamil language]] [[historical fiction]] novel by Indian author [[Kalki Krishnamurthy]], tells the story of the early days of [[Chola dynasty|Chola]] prince [[Rajaraja I|Arulmozhivarman]] and features Aditha Karikalan as an important character.
* ''[[Ponniyin Selvan: I|PS-1]]'' and ''[[Ponniyin Selvan: II|PS-2]]'', movie adaptations by Indian director [[Mani Ratnam]] of the 1955 Ponniyin Selvan novel, feature [[Vikram (actor)|Vikram]] as Aditha Karikalan.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Works cited===
* {{cite book |author=Vidya Dehejia |title=The Body Adorned: Sacred and Profane in Indian Art |url=https://archive.org/details/bodyadorneddisso0000dehe |url-access=registration |year=2009 |publisher=Columbia University Press |isbn=978-0-231-51266-4}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aaditha Karikalan}}
[[Category:Chola dynasty]]
[[Category:10th-century Indian monarchs]]
[[Category:942 births]]
[[Category:969 deaths]]
[[Category:Murdered Indian royalty]]

Aditha Karikalan - Revision history

Muskit Gergous at 09:31, 27 November 2023