Boothi Vikramakesari was a

Velir The Velir were a royal house of minor dynastic kings and aristocratic chieftains in Tamilakam in the early historic period of South India. They had close relations with Chera, Chola and Pandya rulers through ruling and coronation rights. Med ...

Irukkuvel commander of the

Chola Empire The Chola Empire, which is often referred to as the Imperial Cholas, was a medieval thalassocratic empire based in southern India that was ruled by the Chola dynasty, and comprised overseas dominions, protectorates and spheres of influence ...

during

Sundara Chola Parantaka II (r. 958 – 973 CE) was a Chola emperor. He is also known as Sundara Chola as he was considered an epitome of male beauty.''Early Chola temples:Parantaka I to Rajaraja I, A.D. 907-985'Journal of Indian museums, Volumes 14-16, pa ...

's reign. He is best remembered for building the

Moovar Koil Moovar Koil or "The Three temples" is a Hindu temple complex situated in the village of Kodumbalur, 36 kilometres from Pudukkottai in Tamil Nadu, India. These temples were constructed by the Chola feudatory and Irukkuvel chieftain Boothi Vikra ...

temple complex, a collection of three temples in the village of

Kodumbalur Kodumbalur is a village in Pudukkottai district, Tamil Nadu, India. It is the site of the Moovar Koil temple complex. Location It is located at a distance of 35km from Trichy and 40km from Pudukkottai. The name Kodumbalur has been mentioned in ...

, 36 kilometres from

Pudukkottai Pudukkottai Municipal Corporation is the administrative headquarters of Pudukkottai district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is one of the oldest Heritage city located on the banks of the Vellar River. It has been ruled, at different t ...

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. His family was related to the Cholas by marriage. His mother was Chola princess Anupama, the daughter of

Parantaka I Parantaka Chola I (Tamil: பராந்தக சோழன் I; 873–955) was a Chola emperor who ruled for forty-eight years, annexing Pandya by defeating Rajasimhan II and in the Deccan won the Battle of Vallala against Rashtrakutas whic ...

, while his father was Samarabirama who belonged to the

clan. Boothi Vikramakesari was a Velir chieftain and a feudatory of

Parantaka II Parantaka II (r. 958 – 973 CE) was a Chola Empire, Chola emperor. He is also known as Sundara Chola as he was considered an epitome of male beauty.''Early Chola temples:Parantaka I to Rajaraja I, A.D. 907-985'Journal of Indian museums, Vol ...

. He succeeded his father as the Irunkovel king of

. He was related to the Cholas by his mother side, as he was the son of Chola princess Anupama, the daughter of

. He raised some military conquests during Sundara Chola's reign. His exact period is still unknown, but can be fixed in the second half of the 10th century.

Personal life

The chief's given name was Boothi and he earned the title ''Vikramakesari'' through his exploits. He is also called as ''Tennavan Ilangovel'' and ''Parantaka Ilangovelir'' in inscriptions. He was born to Irukkuvel chieftain Samarabirama and

Chola The Chola Empire, which is often referred to as the Imperial Cholas, was a medieval thalassocratic empire based in southern India that was ruled by the Chola dynasty, and comprised overseas dominions, protectorates and spheres of influence ...

princess Anupama. Samarabirama is called '''Yadu Vamsa Kethu','' which means 'The ''Banner of the Yadu Race in the

inscription. Two queens of his are known from the same inscription, namely, Nangai Varaguna Perumanar and Karrali.

Inscriptions

An excerpt of the

inscription is as follows, Another inscription from the period of

Pallava The Pallava dynasty existed from 275 CE to 897 CE, ruling a significant portion of South India, the Deccan, also known as Tondaimandalam. The Pallavas played a crucial role in shaping in particular southern Indian history and heritage. The ...

King Ko-vijaya-Nandivikramavarman from Kilur, Tirukovilur taluk, South

Arcot Arcot (natively spelt as Ārkāḍu) is a town and urban area of Ranipet district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Located on the southern banks of Palar River, the city straddles a trade route between Chennai and Bangalore or Salem, betwe ...

district. The script and language of the inscription is in

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

and paleographically the inscription can be dated to the 9th century, The following is another inscription from Ghrithasthaneswara temple in Tillasthanam, figuring the queen of Boothi Vikramakesari from the period of

Aditya I 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 succee ...

, Among the boundaries mentioned in the above inscription there is an embankment called Karikala-karai.

References

{{reflist Tamil history History of Tamil Nadu Tamil monarchs 10th-century Indian monarchs Chola generals