Where lies Raja Raja Chola?

A makeshift flag of threadbare, faded green cloth with an image of a leaping tiger flaps in the morning breeze on a stick atop a small shed at Udayalur near Kumbakonam.It’s meant to represent the banner of the mighty Cholas that flew proudly over large swathes of India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Indonesia more than 1,000 years ago. Locals and history enthusiasts claim the shed marks the resting place of Raja Raja Chola, under who and his son Rajendra, the Chola empire grew to its mightiest.Medium108401037 The people of Udayalur celebrate Raja Raja’s birth anniversary on the Sathayam star in the Tamil month of Aippasi (October-November). However, there is no authentic record of his death or his last days. What happened remains one of the mysteries of the Chola era. So why is the Udayalur shed revered as the tomb of Ponniyin Selvan as Raja Raja was popularly known.Medium108401040 That’s because, in the early 2000s, study of Tamil estamphages at the Mysuru institute led researchers to a stone inscription at Udayalur that talks about renovation of a memorial to Raja Raja in his grandson Kulothunga’s reign. The pillar with this inscription was found at the entrance to an Amman temple at Udayalur.Researchers then searched the region for a Shiva temple or ‘linga’ that could mark the ‘pallipadai’ (final resting place) of Raja Raja. They concluded that the half-buried ‘linga’ at Ottathoppu in Udayalur could mark his final resting place.Medium108401041 But not everyone buys the theory. “They are saying there’s a king’s tomb here. There was no sign of a king’s tomb except for the ‘linga’ which was buried two-thirds under the sand till recently. Locals used to dump waste near that place,” says Sagaya Mary, a resident of Udayalur. “Most visitors are disappointed on seeing the small shed and wonder how it can be the tomb of the king who built the Big Temple of Thanjavur,” says Sivagami, also from Udayalur.Medium108401042 Some historians say Udayalur’s Kailasanathar temple could be the ‘pallipadai’ of Raja Raja. The temple has a unique sculpture showing Raja Raja as a hermit seated under the feet of Lord Shiva on a wall outside the sanctum. The mystery is not just about his tomb. There are many theories about how he died. There is written record of the fact that Raja Raja and his wife Lokamadevi performed ‘hiranya garbham’ and ‘tulabhara’ rituals at a Shiva temple in Thiruvisainallur at the end of 1013 CE. Medium108401043 “After these rituals, he would have taken ‘vanaprastham’ and retired to a small village near the Cholas’ palace city of Pazhayarai. But, he did not live for long after this. Inscriptions show that Rajendra conducted annual rites for him in 1015 CE, which means he died soon after becoming an ascetic,” says historian Kudavayil Balasubramanian. But then what about the legend that he fell to his death from the gopuram of his greatest creation, the Brihadeeswara or Big Temple at Thanjavur? The power of this story is such that even in modern times, politicians, when in power, avoid entering the temple through the main entrance believing it’s bad for a ruler. Medium108401044 Whatever the truth behind that belief, researchers say the temple was built by carving out stones weighing tonnes from a hill in Pudukkottai district and transporting them 75km to Thanjavur 1,012 years ago. The 216-foot Sri Vimana above the sanctum sanctorum was once covered by gold plates, which were peeled off by invading armies centuries later. Medium108401046 But Raja Raja was much more than a Shaivite temple builder. He made endowments to Vaishnavaite temples and also gave land near Nagapattinam for a Buddhist vihara. His rule from 985 CE to 1014 CE laid the foundations for the Chola empire, which under his son Rajendra stretched from Sri Lanka to Bengal with settlements in Malaysia and Indonesia. Medium108401047 Historian Kudavayil Balasubramanian says, “The state archaeology department has not conducted a proper excavation so far. They need to dig up a trench at Ottathoppu to find out whether it is the pallipadai of Raja Raja Chola or not.” Medium108401048 However, archaeologists say they have conducted an initial study at the site and have not found any evidence of a ‘pallipadai’.Medium108401049 At the shed that researchers believe houses Raja Raja’s ‘pallipadai’, construction worker Jayaraman is a part-time priest, performing puja now to the ‘linga’ near which he and his mates used to play as children. He uses the money the occasional visitor gives him to keep the temple going. He hopes the renewed interest in all things Chola will give Raja Raja his due. Medium108401050