Aditya Chola I, the son of Vijayalaya Chola, was the Chola king who laid the foundation of the Chola Empire with the conquest of the Pallava Kingdom and the occupation of the Western Ganga Kingdom and Kongu Nadu. Aditya Chola I was succeeded by his eldest son Parantaka Chola I.

Battle of Sripurambiyam

In 878 CE, Pandyan king Varagunavarman II invaded the Chola country to check the Pallava influence. But Varagunavarman was opposed by Aparajita, the son of Nriputungavarman Pallava, who had become yuvaraja. Aditya Chola I and Western Ganga king Prithvipati I supported Aparajita in the battle happened at Sripurambiyam. The Pandyan monarch suffered a crushing defeat, although Prithvipati I lost his life in the battle. Aditya Chola gained some new territory from his Pallava overlord after this victory.

Conquest of Tondaimandalam and Kongu Nadu

Aditya Chola I did not rest content with his subordinate position. So he planned to overthrow the Pallavas. He invaded Tondai nadu in 897 CE and in a battle that ensued, he pounced upon Aparajita when he was mounted on an elephant and slew him. The whole of the Pallava kingdom now became Chola territory. The Western Ganga king Prithvipati II acknowledged the suzerainty of Aditya Chola. Aditya next conquered the Kongu Nadu from Pandyan king Parantaka Viranarayanan. This campaign was possibly supported by Sthanu Ravi, the Chera ruler of Kerala.

Death and Succession

In an inscription, Aditya I is distinguished by the epithet in Tamil:
தொண்டைமானரூர் துஞ்சின உடையார்
''Thondaimaanaruur thunjina udaiyaar''
"The King who died at Tondaimanarrur" Aditya I died in 907 CE at Tondaimanarrur in Srikalahasti. His son Parantaka I built a Shiva temple over his ashes. Aditya I was survived by his queens Ilangon Pichchi and Vayiri Akkan alias Tribhuvana Madeviyar. Besides these two queens, Aditya I also had a mistress named Nangai Sattaperumanar as evidenced from an inscription.

References

* ''Tamil And Sanskrit Inscriptions Chiefly Collected in 1886-87'', E. Hultzsch, PhD, Published by Archaeological Survey of India, New Delhi * Nilakanta Sastri, K. A. (1935). ''The CōĻas'', University of Madras, Madras (Reprinted 1984). * Nilakanta Sastri, K. A. (1955). ''A History of South India'', OUP, New Delhi (Reprinted 2002). {{DEFAULTSORT:Aditya 01 Chola emperors 870s births 900s deaths Year of birth uncertain Year of death uncertain 9th-century Hindus 10th-century Hindus 9th-century Indian monarchs 10th-century Indian monarchs