Pandyan Civil War (1169-1182)

Due to the rival claims for ancestral powers and properties civil wars occur within the Kingdom.  A Civil War occurred in the Pandyan Kingdom between 1169 and 1177. This was the war which was fought for the throne and power within the kingdom between the members of the royal family (between Parakrama Pandya and his son Vira Pandya III with Kulasekhara pandya). Slowly the war spreaded to other kingdoms in south India.  Later the Chola Emperor Rajadhiraja Chola II and Ceylonese king Parakramabahu I of Polonnaruwa (Sri Lanka or Sinhala) entered the civil war and took opposite sides in the conflict.

Details of war

According to the Mahavamsa (non-canonical text written in Pali of the Kings of Sri Lanka), this war started during the reign of Parakrama Pandyan I (Pandyan king of Tamilakkam). He ruled the Pandyan kingdom with his capital at Madurai. He was besieged (Surrounded with army to fight) in a Pandyan war by his contemporary, rival and throne claimant Kulasekhara Pandyan in 1169, a subordinate of the Chola Dynasty. Parakrama Pandyan I sought assistance from the Ceylonese king Parakramabahu I. By the time Parākramabāhu's general Lankapura Dandanatha arrived in Pandya kingdom, Kulasekhara had ascended the throne, by capturing the capital city of Madurai and killed Parakrama's wife and children. His son Prince Virapandya however had managed to escape. Now Vira Pandyan(Parakrama Pandya's son) took the place of his father Parakrama Pandyan I to fight against Kulasekhara pandya. Knowing the death of Parakrama Pandyan I, Parakramabahu I instructed his general Lankapura Dandanatha to fight on behalf of Parakrama Pandya's son Vira Pandya and install him on the Madurai throne. Rather than head for Madurai, Lankapura landed in the vicinity of Ramanathapuram and captured the city of Rameswaram, which remained in Sri Lankan hands for the next thirty years. Here they built a fortress called Parakramapura. In this early phase of the war they fought Kulasekhara on several occasions, being a subordinate of Cholas, Kulasekhara Pandya put up a fierce resistance and appealed to the Chola Emperor Rajadhiraja II for help. Rajadhiraja responding to the appeal of Kulasekhara sent a powerful force led by Pallavarayar. The Chola army fought couple of battles with the Sri Lankan forces at Kilenilaya (identified with the modern-day Kilnilai) and Ponnamaravathi, but unfortunately army led by Lankapura won both the battles, eventually laying siege to Kulasekhara in Madurai and seizing the city. Virapandyan was restored to power, but apparently only as a puppet.

Following victoy, Lankapura now took the battle into Chola territory and invaded Tondi and Pasi. Then Chola king Rajadhiraja II prepared a plan to kill Lankapura along with other commanders of the Sri Lankan army and sent his commander Thiruchitrambalamudaiyan Perumanambi along with a strong army with specific instructions to eliminate the Sri Lankans from the gates of Madurai and install Kulaeskhara pandyan on the throne. Perumanambi according the plan by Rajadhiraja II, conquered the Pandyan kingdom and eliminated the Sri Lankan army and Kulasekhara was installed as Pandyan king with Chola protection (the Pallavarayanpettai inscription indicates that Lankapura was defeated in 1171 and his head was nailed to the gates of Madurai by Rajadhiraja Chola II).

Parakramabahu was disappointed by the news and prepared for another invasion of the Chola kingdom. Following the rumours that Parakramabahu was preparing for another invasion of the Chola kingdom, Rajadhiraja II sent an army commanded by Annan Pallavarayan to launch a surprise attack. Annan Pallavarayan invaded Sri Lanka and destroyed Parakramabahu's preparations for war.

Sri Vallabha, nephew of Parakramabahu and a rival claimant to the Sri Lankan throne. The Cholas after destroying preparations of war, they also provided logistical support to Sri Vallabha. With increasing pressure and threat, Parakramabahu did a reverse plan and requested for support in invading the Chola kingdom in return he offered costly gifts to Kulasekhara. Kulaeskhara invaded the Chola kingdom but after initial successes, he was defeated and driven out. Chola forces then successfully invaded the Pandya kingdom and installed the deposed Vira Pandya on the throne.

Even after the victory of cholas, the forces of Parakramabahu appear to have remained in Pandyan kingdom.

In 1178 Kulothunga Chola III Ascended the throne of Chola empire (1178 to 1218 CE), after succeeding Rajadhiraja Chola II. Pandya affairs first claimed the attention of Kulothunga Chola III. The civil war in the Pandya kingdom had not yet settled when he came to the throne, and the Chola forces were still involved in active fighting in pandyan kingdom. Parakramabahu re started his efforts against the Cholas and even convinced and made an agreement with Vira Pandya to help him against Cholas.

Vikrama Pandya who is waiting for a chance to ascend the Pandyan throne leaked about the plan of Parakramabahu to Kulothunga Chola III and sought his help against Vira Pandya, which led to an invasion of the Pandyan kingdom by Kulothunga Chola III. The battle resulted in the defeat of the Pandya and Sri Lankan forces, Vira Pandya was driven into exile, and Vikrama Pandya was installed on the throne of Madurai. and thus this campaign ended before 1182. Sri Lankan forces withdrew from Pandyan kingdom, retaining only the area around Rameswaram.