Battle of Thirupurambiyam- Gain of the Cholas

The battle of Thirupurambiyam was fought between the Pandyas and the Pallavas with the Cholas supporting them. The battle was probably fought in 879 CE during the period of Vijayalaya Chola. It was a confederacy of the Pallavas, the Western Ganga dynasty, the medieval Cholas, the Pallava king Aparajit and the Pandya king Raja Varaguna Pandiyan near modern-day Kumbakonam.

Thirupurambiyam is a small town near Tanjore in the Tamil Nadu state of India. It gained prominence after the battle of Thirupurambiyam. The Cholas were just marginal rulers at the time of the war while the prominent dynasties ruling the South at that time were the Pandyas and the Pallavas. Vijayalaya Chola who is credited with the re-establishment of the Chola dynasty tried to utilize the opportunity of the brimming war between the Pallavas and the Pandyas. He captured Tanjore from the Muthuraiyars after which the Pandya king Varagunavarma II became a close ally of the Pallava king Nandhivarma III. Nandhivarma III wanted to curb the growing influence of Vijayalaya Chola and the so-called Varagunavarma II for help.

By that time Vijayalaya Chola had got old and so crowned his son Aditya Chola I as the new Chola king. During his reign, the battle of Thirupurambiyam was fought.

After the death of the Pallava king Nandhivarma III in 869 CE, differences arose between his eldest son Nripatunga and another son Aparajit who both wanted to become rulers. Nripatunga sought the support of the Pandyas. Taking advantage of the conflict between the brothers, the Pandya king Varaguna Pandya tried to force the Pallava king Aparajit into submission. On the other hand, Aparajit was supported by the Western Ganga king Prithvipati and Aditya Chola I.

BATTLE

The armies of the Pallavas, the Western Gangas and the Cholas met the Pandyas at Thirupurambiyam. In the first three days of the war, the Pallava army under Aparajit suffered a heavy loss. However, Vijayalaya even after his old age reached the battlefield and a new wave of energy swept across the army. Inspired by this the Pallavas started to fight with more courage and thus the Pallavas won the battle. According to the Udyendiram plates of Prithvipati II, Prithvipati I, was killed after a heroic fight. A Pallipadai temple was built in his memory at Thirupurambiyam. The Pandyas lost the battle and Varaguna Pandya retired.

AFTERMATH

The maximum benefit of the war went to the Cholas and the Pallavas gave many regions around Tanjore from Mutharaiyars to the Cholas as a reward which resulted in the re-establishment of the Chola power in the South.

The Battle also led to the downfall of the Pallavas and the Pandyas. The Pandyas were completely routed from the scene and never recovered from the loss for the coming two centuries. The Cholas declared their independence while the Pallavas were forced to give heavy concessions to their Chola feudatories. Eventually, the Pallava kingdom was annexed by the Cholas during the reign of Aditya Chola I.