Part 1 : Karikal Chola who built Kallanai (Grand Anicut) was a contemporary of Adi Shankara
Karikāla suffered a personal tragedy by the loss of
his son-in-law.
Other than the northern expedition, the next achievement
of Karikāla was the construction of embankment across the River Kaviri. Critics
question this view due to absence of any reference to this in any of the Sangam
texts in praise of Karikāla. The answer probably lies in the fact that it was
built much later in his life – long after those verses were composed. It seems the
idea of constructing the dam that stands till today arose from a personal
tragedy he suffered.
Every year the river Kaviri brings copious flows in
the beginning of the season. Everyone including Karikāl
Chola used to visit a place called ‘Kazhār’ (கழாஅர்) to
witness the flow and play in the waters. Karikāla used to take pride on the prosperity
bestowed by the overflowing Kaviri. On one occasion, he was in Kazhār with his
family, watching the elephants splash and play in water (Agananuru – 376).
At that time his daughter Ādhimandhi (ஆதிமந்தி) and son-in-law, Āttanatthi (ஆட்டனத்தி) of Chera origin were playing in the river water. Āttanatthi, known by
his very name for dancing, started dancing in the river water. While everyone was
enjoying his dance a sudden flow in the river swept him in its way and he was
lost. Ādhimandhi kept running along the river-flow to find him out. Finally, he
was found near the estuary brought forth as dead by the sea waves (Agananuru-
222). This story is told in several verses of Agananuru and narrated by Kannagi
while recalling the Patni women of Pūmpukār.
This incident must have shocked Karikāla very much.
Around the same time, the flash floods seemed to have inundated some of the
coastal towns including Pūmpukār. There is also a likelihood of the loss of a
considerable part of Pūmpukār around this time. The curse on Nedumudi Kiḷḷi of
a flood in Pūmpukār by the deity for neglecting Indra Festival, might have
occurred at that time. Let me produce the evidence for the flood after giving
the evidence for the building of the Grand Anicut (Kallaṇai) by Karikāl Chola.
Karikāla built Kallaṇai.
None of the Sangam Age texts on Karikāla speak about
this dam as the work of Karikāla. The reason could be that it was probably the
last deed done by him, much later in his life. There is also a likelihood of
the dam project not completed in his lifetime. The personal tragedy and the
havoc created by the flood across the land leading to the loss of Pūmpukār was so
huge that it was not the time for composing verses. Generally, most of the Sangam
verses were about the victories in wars with not much reference to the losses
suffered. However, crediting Karikāla for the Kallaṇai appears in the latter-day
texts and inscriptions including those of the Telugu Chola-s. Even the Tiruvālangādu
copper plate inscriptions state that Karikāla built a dam across Kaviri to
establish his fame. This was told after mentioning his work of re-modeling
Kanchi.
Karikāla “established his glorious fame by
constructing embankments of the Kaveri” (verse 42)
It is stated in the Laden Plates, “King Karikāla, (the god of) Death to his enemies, was born in
that family. This (king) constructed embankments to the Kaveri (river)” (Verse
11)
The Mālepādu plates of Punyakumāra (Renati
Chola-s of Cudappah region) are quoted by K.A. Nilakanta sastri to say that
Karikaal Chola “was the worker of many wonders like that of controlling the
daughter of Kavera, overflowing her banks.” (“Studies in Cola history and
Administration”, p. 27)
Vīrarājendra in his Kanyākumari inscriptions has devoted
two verses on Karikāl Chola of which the second was
on the dam built by him across the river Kaviri. Let me reproduce both the
verses to show the important place he enjoyed among the Chola king for
extraordinary things he had done.
“There was a Chola king in this race, named
Karikāla who was equal (in firmness) to the Kulaparvatas; whose excessive fame
which greatly spread (in all directions), resembled the (flowers) of the reed
(kasha); who was (as it were) the forehead mark of kings; and who was death to
rival monarchs preparing for expeditions (against him). (verse 48)
He (i.e., Karikāla) who was as bright as the sun and who curbed the pride of the
insubordinates, prevented the Kaveri – which by its excessive floods, caused
the earth to be deprived of its produce – by means of a bund formed of earth
thrown in baskets, carried in hand by (enemy) kings.” (Verse 49)
This verse implies that he built the dam after
conquering many kings who were made to work on the dam project. Te building of
the dam is mentioned in Shankara Cholan Ula, written in praise of the
younger brother of Kulottunga -III and Kaliṅgatthu Bharani.
எண்கரை செய்யா தெறிதிரைக் காவிரிக்குத்
தண்கரை செய்த தராபதியும் (verse 13, Shankara Cholan Ula)
Shankara Cholan Ula also makes a mention of the gift
of sixteen hundred thousand gold for singing Pattinap Pālai in Karikāla’s name.
Kaliṅgatthu Bharani (composed in praise of Kulottunga-
I) makes a specific reference to Trilochana Pallava by his name Mukhari that
he refused to oblige the orders of Karikāla to work for the dam and hence was
punished. Several accounts on Trilochana Pallava existing in Andhra also talk
about the refusal of Trilochana to work for building the dam across Kaviri and
how he was punished for that. Karikāl Chola sent word to all the kings he
defeated asking them to take part in the making of the embankment across the
river Kaviri. He made the kings carry baskets of mud for the work. But
Trilochana Pallava refused to oblige and sent back the emissaries of Karikāla.
This angered Karikāla who asked his men to draw the
image of Trilochana with his third eye on the sands of Kaviri. Being an ardent
Shiva-devotee, Karikāla went to the Shiva temple to take permission of the God
to do what he intended. He then destroyed the third eye in the image by rubbing
it off. On hearing about this, Trilochana’s pride got hurt and he sought pardon
from Karikāl Chola following which he took part in creating the dam.
Kaliṅgatthu Bharani describes this incident in verse 197.
தொழுது மன்னரே கரைசெய் பொன்னியில்
தொடர வந்திலா முகரி யைப்படத்து
எழுது கென்றுகண் டிதுமி கைக்கணென்று
இங்க ழிக்கவே அங்க ழிந்ததும்.
Kulottunga Cholan Ula repeats the same by stating that the eye of the one
who refused to carry sand for building the dam across Ponni River (Kaviri) was plucked
by Senni Karikāla (lines – 34-36)
தலை ஏறு
மண்கொண்ட பொன்னிக் கரைகட்ட வாராதான்
கண்கொண்ட சென்னி கரிகாலன்
The surrender of Trilochana Pallava at the feet of Karikāla,
offering to work for making the dam is reiterated by almost all the Telugu Chola
inscriptions. These inscriptions invariably begin with the introduction of
Karikāla and the dam he built.
“Charana siroruha vihita Vilochana Trilochana pramukhākhila pridhvishvara kārita kāveritīrta
Karikāla kula ratna Pradīpa..”
It means, “the jeweled lamp (that illumines) the
family of Karikāla meditating on whose lotus feet Trilochana and other kings
constructed the embankments of the Kaveri” (p. 24, “Trilochana Pallava
and Karikāl Chola)
Tikkana, the poet who was also the Prime Minister of the Andhra Cholda king, Manuma
Siddhi of Nellore has written in his work Nirvachana Uttara Ramayana,
“Is the king Karikāla who bathed in the waters of
the Ganges passed on to him in pails from the hands of the subordinate kings;
who with ease deprived the Pallava king of his eye in the forehead; who built
the embankments of the Kaveri; and who conquered all the kings of the earth, is
he an ordinary king?”
The location of Kallaṇai in a place called Arasan Kudi today, should have been Kazhār of his time
where his son-in-law Āttanatthi was washed away while dancing. Arasan Kudi
means the place or residence of the king. For ages, the Chola kings must have
visited that place to watch the early flow of Kaviri when freshwater surged in
the river. There must have been a residential palace in Kazhār which in course
of time had gained the name, Arasan Kudi. The location of Kallaṇai is shown in
the map.
As per current knowledge of the Kallaṇai, it was
remodeled by the British in the 19th century who felt that water was
allowed into Koḷḷidam river to go wasted into the sea. This was arrested
by modifying the Kallaṇai. This gives a vital input on what Karikāla originally
built. At present, the dam stops the water in both Koḷḷidam and Kaviri which
can be understood by looking at the dam.
Kallaṇai (The Grand Anicut) across Koḷḷidam and Kaviri
The dam cuts across both rivers now. Karikāla must
have built the dam only across Kaviri and allowed water to take a different
path. The excess water that drains through another channel got the name Koḷḷidam
(that which takes up – கொள்ளுதல்) and joined the sea north of Pūmpukār! Even today, during monsoon flows, Koḷḷidam
carries heavy load of water. The following map shows how the Kaviri reaches Pūmpukār
directly. Koḷḷidam river can be seen branching out from the Kallaṇai towards
north and enter the sea away from Pūmpukār.
Course of River Kaviri from Kallanai
Imagine no Kallaṇai in its current location. Kaviri
would have been uncontrollable at this point and would have caused havoc throughout
her course towards Pūmpukār. The British must have extended the dam across Koḷḷidam
to divert water for the benefit of more regions. The probable absence of that
part of the dam in Karikāla’s time indicates that Thanjavur to the southeast of
Kaviri was the major agricultural or habitational area in Karikāla-s time while
most of the regions north of Koḷḷidam was forested.
(to be continued)
