The Emperor !
Life is short. It is unfair. And it will be forgotten !
A thousand years ago, there lived a great king in the southern parts of our country, who perfected the administrative organisation by creating a strong and centralised machinery, developed an excellent irrigation system to turn a piece of infertility into a rice bowl, established hospitals and infirmaries across the kingdom to aid the ailing, installed a revenue system that eradicated corruption and brought to justice defaulting landlords and most of all, insisted on charity and forbearance.
That is not all. If his administrative achievements were meritorious, his military accomplishments were simply exemplary. When he assumed throne, his kingdom was restricted to parts of present day Tamil Nadu. But when he died, he died a mighty emperor reigning over all of South east Asia, the first one to do so. Present day Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Andaman, Lakshadweep, Srilanka and parts of Karnataka, Orrisa, Bengal, Malaysia, Indonesia, Burma, and Maldives were once under his rule.
His huge and powerful army was made up of Infantry(up to a million soldiers), Cavalry and Elephant corps(of sixty thousand war elephants). His navy, the first of its kind in India,boasted ships from around the world and helped him extend his rule beyond water-made boundaries. During his times, every neighbour feared his organised and augmented army.
And if that was not enough, his contributions to religion outgoes his every other achievement. His magnum opus, the Brihadeeswarar temple at Tanjore, stands tall even to this day as a testament to his greatness and glory. Tirumurai, the holy book of Shaivaites, was compiled on his request. Hundreds of other temples, many of which acted as charities, were built under his care.
So great were his deeds, so valorous were his campaigns and so kind was his disposition, he came to be known as the king of kings.
Arunmozhivarman was the third child(second son) of Parantaka Cholan who ruled the Chola kingdom for about twelve years between 957 CE and 970 CE. His elder brother, the heir apparent, Aditya Karikalan, is believed to have been assassinated under unclear circumstances in 969 CE. His father did not survive for long after that and the throne was within the young prince's reach when he was about 23.
However, Arunmozhi did not take up the Chola throne until 15 years later. During this period, his uncle, Uttama Cholan ruled the kingdom. One other thing that is to be noted here is that Arunmozhi did not take up the throne by lineage but he got elected legally
Since then, he served as a king for 30 long years, capturing kingdom after kingdom, winning all the battles that came his way - at the same time, paying meticulous attention to the welfare and comfort of his people.
A thousand years ago, there lived a great king in the southern parts of our country, who perfected the administrative organisation by creating a strong and centralised machinery, developed an excellent irrigation system to turn a piece of infertility into a rice bowl, established hospitals and infirmaries across the kingdom to aid the ailing, installed a revenue system that eradicated corruption and brought to justice defaulting landlords and most of all, insisted on charity and forbearance.
That is not all. If his administrative achievements were meritorious, his military accomplishments were simply exemplary. When he assumed throne, his kingdom was restricted to parts of present day Tamil Nadu. But when he died, he died a mighty emperor reigning over all of South east Asia, the first one to do so. Present day Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Andaman, Lakshadweep, Srilanka and parts of Karnataka, Orrisa, Bengal, Malaysia, Indonesia, Burma, and Maldives were once under his rule.
His huge and powerful army was made up of Infantry(up to a million soldiers), Cavalry and Elephant corps(of sixty thousand war elephants). His navy, the first of its kind in India,boasted ships from around the world and helped him extend his rule beyond water-made boundaries. During his times, every neighbour feared his organised and augmented army.
And if that was not enough, his contributions to religion outgoes his every other achievement. His magnum opus, the Brihadeeswarar temple at Tanjore, stands tall even to this day as a testament to his greatness and glory. Tirumurai, the holy book of Shaivaites, was compiled on his request. Hundreds of other temples, many of which acted as charities, were built under his care.
So great were his deeds, so valorous were his campaigns and so kind was his disposition, he came to be known as the king of kings.
Arunmozhivarman was the third child(second son) of Parantaka Cholan who ruled the Chola kingdom for about twelve years between 957 CE and 970 CE. His elder brother, the heir apparent, Aditya Karikalan, is believed to have been assassinated under unclear circumstances in 969 CE. His father did not survive for long after that and the throne was within the young prince's reach when he was about 23.
However, Arunmozhi did not take up the Chola throne until 15 years later. During this period, his uncle, Uttama Cholan ruled the kingdom. One other thing that is to be noted here is that Arunmozhi did not take up the throne by lineage but he got elected legallySince then, he served as a king for 30 long years, capturing kingdom after kingdom, winning all the battles that came his way - at the same time, paying meticulous attention to the welfare and comfort of his people.
His contributions to art, literature and religion are immense, his love for the language and Shiva unsurpassable and his dedication to the well-being of his countrymen desirable.
But how many of us know this mighty emperor who was called the king of kings ? How many of us know where his remains remain ? How many of us even cared?
A culture that forgets its own history is destined to be erased out completely without a trace. Sooner or later. And we are one step closer to self-destruction than ever before.
We celebrate the pyramids(a greedy man's vision to reach god by building an intricate web of chambers), the terracotta army(the 8000 clay soldiers a king commissioned to be made to protect him after death and had buried with him), even the taj mahal(an expensive mausoleum a king built for his CHIEF, not only, consort), all of which were built by kings for their own sake at the expense of their nation's development and many artist's life.
We celebrate these tombs as world wonders when the man who once ruled South Asia, a man from our own soil, lies under a thatched roof uncared for.
In a small village called Udaiyalur, just less than 10Km from Kumbakonam, behind the hut of a farmer, is the resting place of the mighty emperor, unbeknownst to many.
After death, Arunmozhivarman was cremated and the ash was buried. On top of this burial site, a stone altar with roof was raised and a Lingam was installed. Now only the Lingam remains, half buried in the sand. The beams of the altar and the roof they supported are all gone. Is this what the might emperor deserves?
Yes, he has been forgotten. His name has left out memories. He is Raja Raja Cholan !
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