Kulotthunga Chola-I

Kulotthunga Chola-I (1070 – 1120 AD)

Rajendra Chola I, the great Gangaikonda had a daughter named Ammanaga Devi. She had been given in marriage to the Eastern Chalukyas of Vengi king Rajaraja Narendra. The offspring of this union was Rajendra Chola or Rajendra Chalukya who later became Kulotthunga-I. Kulotthunga literally means the “upraiser
of fame of the (two) families”.

A few years of Kulotthunga Chola -I were spent in suppressing the uprisings. In Sri Lanka also, some parts had declared their independence. Vikramaditya VI did not accept the accession on Chola throne by Kulotthunga and this was a trouble to deal with.

Kulotthunga Chola I led two military campaigns in Kalinga and annexed some parts of the territories of Southern Kalinga into Chola Empire. The rivalry between Kulotthunga and Vikramaditya VI let Kulotthunga assume a title ” Viruduraja Bhayankara” i.e. Frightning for the Vikramaditya, as his inscriptions say. A war was fought between the combined armies of Kulotthunga & Someshwara II and Vikramaditya VI. This battle ended in confusion.

Under Kulotthunga, the empire remained intact except Sri Lanka. Still the boundary between the Western Chalukya and Chola was Tungabhadra river. He was succeeded by his son Vikrama Chola in 1120 AD.


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