Of the Movendars, the Chozhas have
left a lasting legacy … the heartland of the Chola dynasty was the fertile
Kavery valley… and at times their kingdom encompassed the entire South India and far off places too. According to
tradition, the Chola country comprised the land between two streams of Vellaru
and included the modern day Trichy, Thanjavur, Pudukottai and more. The holy river Kaveri and its Coleroon
[kollidam] dominated the landscape of
rich delta of paddy fields interspersed with coconut, mango and other fruit
trees.
The glory of river Kaveri formed an
inexhaustible theme of early Tamil poetry and literature. Common
names among Chola kings include Valavan and Sembiyan. Cholas adopted Tiger as their crest and it
was figured on their banner too. Some of the early day Chozha kings are
mentioned in Sangam literature ~ among them most famous are : Karikala Chozhan
and Kochchenganan ~ as also the town of Puhar
Karikala Cholan was the son of
Ilanchet Senni ~ the name Karikala would translate to ‘the man with charred
leg’ – perpetuated in the memory of a fire accident in the early years of
Prince’s life. We read that Karikala was deprived of his birth-right to rule
and was confined in prison – the plucky manner of his escape and establishing
to power is a favourite theme of many poets.
The battle at Venni – a village nearer Thanjavur provided the turning
point in Karikala’s career.
Pattinappalai describes the destruction carried by forces of
Karikala. From the literature, it is
observed that Karikala was known for his valour, faith in Vedic religion and
the care for his subjects.
The Chola kingdom mingled with
the river Kaveri and the raising of the banks by Karikala are mentioned by the
Melapadu plates of Punyakumara. Karikala
Chola is famous for the construction of ‘the Grand Anicut’ (Kallanai). . In January this year, Ms. Jayalalithaa,
while inaugurating a memorial for Colonel John Pennycuick, the British engineer
who built the century-old Mullaperiyar Dam, said a similar memorial would be
created for the ancient Tamil king near the Grand Anicut.
~ now there are reports that a 14-ft statue of the king on his elephant is
ready for installation. The Hindu reports that the bronze statue weighs between
two and three tonnes. The image for the memorial was provided by the State
government, and created by Chennai-based sculptor Kishore Nagappa “The bronze
statue depicts the king astride an elephant and pointing to the kallanai. The
height of the elephant is 8 ft and the king sitting on it adds another 6 ft,”
said Mr. Nagappa, whose father Jayaram Nagappa created the statues of Veerama
Munivar and former Chief Minister Kamaraj on the Marina, and Swami Vivekananda
at Vivekananda Illam. Mr. Nagappa used ‘sandwich moulding,’ a process that is
normally employed to create larger-than-life statues. “While bronze images of
Gods are solid pieces, statues are made with hollow insides. Handling and
putting up a solid 14-ft statue will be a Himalayan task,” he said.
Kallanai (kall –stone & anai-bund)
also known as the The Grand Anicut, is an ancient dam built on the Kaveri
River, located about 20 km from Tiruchirapalli. It was built by the Chola king
Karikala Cholaaround the 2nd Century AD and is considered one of the oldest
water-diversion or water-regulator structures in the world, which is still in
use. Sweeping past the historic rock of
Tiruchirapalli, it breaks into two channels at the island
of Srirangam , which enclose between
them the delta of Thanjavur (Tanjore), the garden of Tamil Nadu Bay of Bengal
at Poompuhar.
The purpose of the Kallanai was
to divert the waters of the Kaveri across the fertile delta region for irrigation
via canals. The dam splits the river Kaveri into 4 streams known as Kollidam
Aru, Kaviri, Vennaru and Puthu Aru. It is constructed from unhewn stone
spanning the Kaviri and is 329 m (1,079 ft) long, 20 m (66 ft) wide and 5.4 m
(18 ft) high. The area irrigated by the
ancient irrigation network is about 69,000 acres (28,000 ha).
the one there right now (above taken in 2008) & the bronze statue...
With this statue, the wish of
the delta farmers of Tamil Nadu for honouring King Karikala Chozhan is
fulfilled. [bronze statue photo courtesy : the Hindu]
With regards – S.
Sampathkumar .
21st Nov. 2013.
No comments:
Post a Comment