The time period of Karikāl Chola

 Part 1 : Karikal Chola who built Kallanai (Grand Anicut) was a contemporary of Adi Shankara

Part 2: History of Karikāl Chola and Iḷam Thirayan and the route to Kanchi gleaned from Sangam texts

Part 3: Karikāl Chola's conquest of Kanchi and the expedition to the Himalayas

Part 4: Kallaṇai was built by Karikāl Chola after a personal tragedy of loss of his son-in-law

Part 5: The inundation of Pūmpukār

The date of Karikāl Chola can be deduced by two means: 1. By the date of the poets who sang about him and 2. The date of the building of Kallaṇai. This dating is necessary to cross check the date of Adi Shankara.

The poets of his period were many and fortunately they appear along with others in different combinations helping us to establish their time. The foremost that I wish to point out is Nakkīrar. In 141^st verse of Agananuru he talks about Karikāl Chola in Idaiyāṛu – his early location before he became the Chief in Pūmpukār. Karikāl Chola must have been younger than Nakkīrar.

Nakkīrar was a poet of the 3^rd Tamil Sangam where he inaugurated his commentary on Irayanār Agapporul. That Sangam assembly was presided by the Pandyan king Ugra Peruvazhuthi (உக்ரப் பெருவழுதி). It is presumed Perunar Kiḷḷi (பெருநற் கிள்ளி), the predecessor of Karikāl Chola (in several inscriptions) attended that assembly, going by the 367^th verse of Purananuru in which poetess Auvaiyār praised them for coming together. So, Nakkīrar, Perunar Kiḷḷi, Ugra Peruvazhuthi and Auvaiyār were contemporaries with Karikāl Chola who was sung by Nakkīrar. 

Auvaiyār was a close friend of Adiyamān Nedumān Anji. Adiyamān Nedumaan Anji belonged to Satyaputra-s mentioned in Ashokan edicts. But the specific name Adiyamān Nedumān Anji appears in a Brahmi inscription in Jambai which has been dated to the 2^nd century BCE (p. 66, "Thamizh Brahmi Kalvettugal", T.S. Sreedhar, TN Archaeological Dept publication, 2006). This puts the time of Karikāl Chola in the 2^nd century BCE or in the later part of the 2^nd century BCE, he being younger than Nakkīrar, Auvaiyār, Perunar Kiḷḷi etc.

The time period of building Kallaṇai.

The date we deduced as above must match with the date of Kallaṇai. There is a verse found in olden texts, particularly a text called ‘Chola mandala Shatakam’ referring to a Kali date for the building of the Kallaṇai. This verse retrieved from different sources differ slightly from each other, but they unanimously refer to 990 years. If it is 990 years of Kali Yuga as given in one of the verses, it appears unreasonable. The verse runs as follows:

தொக்கக் கலியின் தொள்ளாயிரத்து தொண்ணூற்றின்

மிக்க கரிகால் வேந்துதித்துத் -தக்க பொன்னி

யாறு கரைகண்டான் பின் ஆதொண்டை வேந்து கச்சி

யூரு சென்றான் வேள்ளார ரொத்து.

This verse secured by Pandit L. Olaganatha Pillai, gives the date as 990 Kali Years, which makes it 2111 BCE.

There is another verse similar to this, found out by Olaganatha Pillai which gives the year as Śaka year.

தொக்க சகனிற் தொள்ளாயிரத்து தொண்ணூற்றின்

மிக்க கரிகால் வயவேந்தன் – பக்கம்

அலைக்கும் புனற்பொன்னொ யாற்றணையை யுட்டான்

மலைக்கும் கொடைக் கரத்தான் வந்து.

Here the first line refers to Śaka year 990. The resultant date in both Vikrama Śaka and Śālivāhana Śaka gives unrealistic date in the 10^th and 11^th century CE. There is another one giving Kali year 3090 giving the year 11 BCE.

தொக்கக் கலியின் மூவாயிரத்துத் தொண்ணூற்றில்

மிக்க கரிகால் வேந்தனுந்தான் – பக்க

மலைக்கும் புகழ்ப் பொன்னியாறு கரையிட்டான்

மலைக்கும் புயத்தான் உவந்து.

11 BCE is too close to Senguttuvan and Silappadhikaram which does not go well with nearly 5 generations between him and Karikāla. This poem retrieved by Somasundara Desikar, centres around 90 while others had 990. So, it appears 990 is the year somewhere in a specific millennium of the kali Yuga. The first two letters seem to have been corrupted and do not make proper sense in arriving at the exact date. The first two letters might refer to the millennium of the Kali yuga. Taking up in those lines,

In the first millennium of the Kali Yuga – 3101 – 990 = 2111BCE

In the second millennium of the Kali Yuga – 3101 – 1990 = 1111BCE

In the third millennium of the Kali Yuga – 3101 – 2990 = 111 BCE

The last one, 111 BCE matches with the evidence we got from the poets of Karikāla’s period. It was the 2^nd century BCE, but Karikāla was a little younger than all of them. So 111 BCE is a likely date for the construction of Kallaṇai. This shows that Adi Shankara lived in the 2^nd century BCE

(to be continued)