With the beginning of the tenth century the Cholas with their capital in Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu, emerged as a powerful ruling dynasty after a long spell in partial obscurity in the political scene of South India.
In the year A.D.985 king Rajaraja Chola -1 ascended the throne as the next successor to the Chola kingdom in Tamil Nadu. He gradually conquered the neighbouring and far lying territories within the Indian continent, forming a great Chola empire.
He laid a firm foundation to this empire by the wits of his political ingenuity and well streamlined administrative system backed by a powerful army and naval power which made it to grow steadily into an overseas empire.
During this period in Miyanmar (the former Burma) there existed two main kingdoms, namely the Arimaddanapura kingdom of the region called Marammadesa (the present central Miyanmar) having the capital at Arimaddanapura (the present Pagan), and the Talaing (Mon) kingdom of the region called Rammanadesa (the present southern Miyanmar also known as Arumanam in Tamil) having its capital at Sudhammavati (the present Thaton). The capital city of Arimaddanapura of the medieval period was also known as Pugarama and Pukkan.
While emperor Rajaraja Chola -1 was on the Chola throne, king Kyaungbyu (A.D.984 -1006) was on the throne of Arimaddanapura kingdom of Marammadesa, and was followed by his son king Kyizo {A.D.1006-1012} on throne. But we are aware of the king who was ruling the Talaing kingdom of Rammanadesa during the period of Rajaraja - 1.
During this period the traders from these two kingdoms traded with Tamil Nadu in their commodities, and the teak wood from Rammanadesa being one of their trading items, was known as "Arumanavan" in the Tamil Nadu.
Period of Rajendra Chola 1 {A.D.1012-1044}
With the succession of emperor Rajendra Chola - 1 on Chola throne after Rajaraja Chola - 1, king Sokkate (A.D.1012-1037) started rule in the Arimaddanapura kingdom after his elder brother king Kyizo, and in this same period we also note a king named Manuha (A.D.?? 1057) ruling the Talaing kingdom of Rammanadesa.
During this time there had been much sea traffic between these two countries. The traders from Tamil Nadu engaged themselves in trade with the Miyanmar kingdoms of Rammanadesa (also known as Arumanam) and the Mirammadesa.
In the meantime the Sri Vijaya kingdom of Sumatra was spreading it's authority over whole of Sumatra and Java - of the present Indonesia and over whole of Malaysia, forming an empire which was at one time a great hinderance to the flourishing trade of the Cholas in South- East Asia. It also seems that there had been similer hinderences to the traders from Tamil Nadu in Rammanadesa in present Miyanmar.
Rajendra Chola 1 sent one of his grandson with great force in A.D.1024 in many ships under a Chola prince who later bore the title as "Kadaremkonda Cholan", which on their way to South-East Asia after capturing the Manakkavaram (Great Nicobar Island), reached the country of Rammanadesa in southern Miyanmar.
They devastated the seaport city of Mapappalam (most possibly the present Dagon or Rangoon), and the interior capital city of Sudammavathi (Thaton) with "protected fortress walls" - of the Talaing (Mon) kingdom of Rammanadesa (Arumanam), and defeated it's ruling king Manuha. It seems king Manuha submitted to the Rajendra Chola's forces in this war and agreed to pay tributes.
At the Arimaddanapur kingdom king Sokkate was followed by his younger brother Anuruddha also known as Anawratha (A.D.1037-1079) on the throne.
Period of Rajadhiraja Chola 1 {A.D.1018-1054}
In the year A.D.1044 Rajendra Chola -1 died and followed by his eldest son emperor Rajadhiraja Chola 1 {A.D.1018-1054} on Chola throne. It appears the king Manuha continued to pay tributes to the Cholas and the trade between two countries continued.
Period of Rajendra Chola -2 {A.D.1051-1063}
Rajadhiraja Chola 1 was followed by his younger brother emperor Rajendra Chola 2 on Chola throne.
Some years later a Buddhist dignitary named Shin Arahan who came to the Arimaddana kingdom from the Talaing kingdom in south Miyanmar and converted king Anuruddha to Theravada Buddhism. Shin Arahan also informed him that in the capital city Sudammavati of the Talaing kingdom, there were thirty sets of three Buddhist Pitakas and also many sacred relics.
King Anuruddha deeply engrossed in Theravada Buddhism sent his wise minister with much gifts and presents to king Manuha requesting some copies of Pitaka and relics which was refused by him with much ill reply.
This ended up with enraged king Anuruddha waging war with king Manuha of the Talaing kingdom in the year A.D.1057, in which king Manuha was defeated and taken captive with his entire family to Arimaddanapura.
empire under the rule of king Anuruddha, and a viceroy was appointed to overlook the affairs of this region. King Anuruddha chose Tharehkiltara (present Prome) in the Pegu region as his new capital of Rammanadesa in place of Thaton, which has now lost it's importance with it's destruction by his forces and with the capture of it's king Manuha.
It appears emperor Anuruddha with the fall of Rammanadesa, and it coming under his empire possibly appointed one of his own viceroy to rule over same, and also refused to pay tributes to the Cholas.
There seems to have been no immediate response and retaliation from the Cholas on the fall of Rammanadesa to Anuruddha's forces, and which was now in the hands of the Arimaddanapur empire.
Period of Virarajendra Chola {A.D.1062-1070}
Rajendra Chola 2 was followed by his younger brother emperor Virarajendra Chola on Chola throne. It appear during this time the viceroy of Anuruddha interfered with the privilages enjoyed by the Chola traders already trading in Rammanadesa.
In this same period the king of Kadarem (present Kedah region of Malaysia) with the re-capture of this kingdom by the ruling king of Sri Vijaya of that period, sought the assistance of Virarajendra Chola in regaining his kingdom.
The emperor Virarajendra Chola sent an expedition in the year A.D.1068 under his ne
gradually re-emerged as a powerful ruling dynasty of Tamilnadu, after a long spell of nearly six centuries both in political obscurity and as feudatory of the Kalabra, Pallava and Pandiya dynasties of South India.
(2) Vijayalaya Chola reigns from his capital Palaiyarai in Tamilnadu
In the line of these Cholas sprung king Vijayalaya Chola (A.D.849- 881) ruling a small central region of the present Tamilnadu state with his capital at Palaiyarai, and as a feudatory of the Pallava king Nandivarman - 3 (A.D.826-850).
(3) Vijayalaya Chola builds his new capital at Thanjavur
In the year A.D.852 Vijayalaya Chola waged war with the Muttaraiyar king Sattan Paliyilli (A.D.826-852) in the neighbouring east, and captured his territory of Thanjavur.
Vijayalaya Chola built his new capital at Thanjavur with all facilities of a city commencing with the construction of a temple to the Goddess Kali named as Nisumbasudani. The Chola country of this period covered the central and the eastern regions of the present Tamilnadu state.
(4) King of Sri Lanka awaits to avenge the invasion of his country by Pandiya
During this period the Sri Lankan king Sena-2 (A.D.851-885) was awaiting an opportune moment to avenge the devastation and disgrace caused to Sri Lanka by an earlier invasion of the Pandiya king Srimara Sri Vallaba (A.D.835-862) which took place during the rule of Sena-1(A.D.831-851).
(5) Rebellious son of Pandiya seeks help from Sri Lanka
Towards this time a son of Srimara Sri Vallaba by one of his other queens, named Maya Pandiya claimed rights to succession against Varaguna Pandiya-2 the legitimate heir to the throne by the chief queen of Srimara Sri Vallaba. This son with dissension with his father over same resolved to take over the Pandiya kingdom to himself and went to Sri Lanka to seek the assistance of the king Sena-2.
(6) Sri Lankan forces invades and captures the Pandiya country
Taking opportunity of the prevailing conditions, the king of Sri Lanka the Sena-2 sent a large army under his general named Kutthaka, who crossed seas from the port of Mahatittha the present Mantota and invaded the Pandiya country in the year A.D.862, killed Srimara Sri Vallaba laid waste the region, and captured the capital city of the Pandiya the Madurai. However Varaguna Pandiya - 2 escaped capture and went into hiding.
(7) The Sri Lankan forces crown the rebellious son on the Pandiya throne
The Sri Lankan forces thereafter anointed as the king the rebellious son of Srimara Sri Vallaba the Maya Pandiya who seeked their assistance to gain the throne, and returned to Sri Lanka with much of the earlier lost treasures of the Sinhala country.
(8) Pallava king Nirupatunga assists Varaguna to regain throne
Varaguna Pandiya-2 requested the assistance of the Pallava king Nirupatunga (A.D.850-882) to retrieve his throne. The Pallava king along with Vijayalaya Chola and his allies invaded and defeated the rebellious son of Pandiya and drove away the remaining Sinhala forces and reinstated Varaguna Pandiya - 2 (A.D.862-880) on throne at Madurai in the year A.D.862.
(9) Athiththa Chola ascends the Chola throne
Vijayalaya Chola appointed his son Athiththa Chola (A.D.871-907) as his co-regent in the year A.D.871. He succeeded on the Chola throne at Thanjavur in the year A.D.881 with the demise of Vijayalaya Chola.
(10) Athiththa Chola recovers the regions of the Chola country
During his period in the year A.D.880 Varaguna Pandiya - 2 waged war with the Pallava king Nirupathunga successor to Nandivarman, with whom he had friendly relations earlier. The Athitha Chola assited the Pallavas against Pandiya in this war at Thiruppurambiam. The Pallavas won the battle and Athiththa Chola too was benefitted by being able to recover the entire Chola country. In the year A.D. 890 he invaded and captured the Thondainadu and put an end to the Pallava dynasty with Aparajitha (A.D.882-890) the son of Nirupathunga.
(11) Paranthaha Chola captures the Pandiya kingdom
Athiththa died while in Thondainadu, and was suceeded by his son king Paranthaha Chola (A.D.907-954) at Thanjavur, who in the year A.D.910 captured the Pandiya country the southern region of the present Tamil Nadu state. The Pandiya king Rajasimhan-3 (A.D.905- 921) few years after his defeat, escaped from his hiding to Sri Lanka and requested the Sinhala king Kasyappa-5 (A.D.913-923) to assist him in regaining his kingdom.
(12) Pandiya King's second battle with Paranthaha Chola
In the year A.D.919 king Kasyappa sent a large Sinhala force under his general Saka Senapathi to assist Rajasimhan to recapture his kingdom. However Paranthaha's forces along with the forces of his ally the Kannada king Piruthivi-2, defeated the combined forces of Pandiya and the Sinhala forces, in a deadly battle at Vellur.
(13) Pandiya King escapes to Sri Lanka with Regalia
However the Pandiya king Rajasimhan escaped capture by Cholas, and went to Sri Lanka with his crown and the other royal insignia and took shelter in the Sinhala kingdom. He seeked further assistance from the new Sinhala king Dappula-4 (A.D.923-934) in regaining his kingdom. He on not receiving favourable response from Dappula-4 due to heavy repraisels from his nobles against same, left back his crown and insignia with him, and took asylum in the Chera country the present south Kerala state.
(14) Paranthaha Chola wages war with Sri Lanka.
Paranthaha Chola now requested the next successor to the Sri Lanka throne the Udaya-3 (A.D.934-937) to return the Pandiya crown and insignia, and on the latter's refusal Paranthaha in the year A.D.944 crossed seas to Sri Lanka, and defeated the king Udaya-3 who retreated from his capital Anuradhapura to Rohana in south Sri Lanka with the Pandiyan treasure.
(15) Paranthaha Chola fails in his mission
Paranthaha finding difficult to penetrate into Rohana returned to Chola country with much booty and treasures from Lanka, but failing in his mission to retrieve the Pandiyan crown and royal insignia from king Udaya-3. However Paranthaha with the defeat of the Sinhala king assumed the new title the Singhalanth
During the period of the nineth and the tenth centuries, the Chera country was ruled by three principal royal dynasties known as the Ayes, Venads, and Kulasekaras from three distinctive regions of Kerala (the Sanskritised version of Chera), and the kings of these three dynasties and the other Chieftains ruling smaller regions of the rest of Kerala, all were generally referred to as the Cheras or Keralas by the people of Chola & Pandiya countries of this period.
The Aye dynasty were ruling a region covering from the present Nagerkoil of Tamil Nadu the southern end of the Aye kingdom, upwards into Kerala to the present Anjuthengu in the north of the present Thiruvananthapuram, and was known as Aye Nadu. Their capital was at Vilignam a seaport city south of Thiruvananthapuram. The Aye Nadu also included the Kanthalursalai - a military and Vedic studies acadamy and an armoury centre of the Aye kings, and was located deep south beyond the Vilignam along the sea coast closer to Nagerkoil the southern end of the Aye kingdom.
The Venad dynasty were ruling a region beyond Anjuthengu covering a region upto Kottayam, known formally as Venadu and also as Kollam Desam with their capital at Kollam (proper), also a seaport city on the west Kerala.
The Kulasekara dynasty were ruling a region of Kerala beyond Kottayam further north upto and around the present region of Kolikkodu (Calicut) and known as Kudamalai Nadu, with their capital at Mahodayapuram (Kodungolur) a seaport city also known as Makothai, and a second interior capital known as Uthakai in the Kongu country of that period (the present Udhagamandalam region of the Tamil Nadu, bordering the Kerala also known as Udhagai), which was under their rule during this period.
Unlike the Aye and the Venad dynasty, the vast territory ruled by Kulasekara dynasty covered many small regions called "Nadus" under different names, which were ruled by the local Chieftans who accepted the authority of the Kulasekara dynasty, and ruled their respective regions as subordinates to them.
(2) The Chera kings from A.D.801 up to the advent of Vijayalaya Chola
Towards the beginning of the nineth century{i.e. A.D.801} a powerful Chera king known as Kulasekaran {A.D.801-820} was ruling in Kudamalainadu of the Kerala country, covering the length of the Kolli - Malai (hills) regions in central and north Kerala, from his capital at Mahodayapuram.
He has claimed for himself the titles "Kolik-kon", "Kudal- nayagan", "Kongar Kon" confirming his authority over Koliyur (the Uraiyur of the Chola country), and Kudal (the Madurai of the Pandiya country), and also over the Kongu country. It was probably during this period the Uthahai became the second capital of the Kulasekara dynasty with a member of the Kulasekara family appointed to rule over this region. Kulasekaran was an ardent devotee of - Sri Rama (regarded as an incarnation of God Vishnu), and hence the Vaishnavites of this period referred to him as "Kulasekara Perumal" in reverence.
He made pilgrimages to Thiruvarangam (Sri Rangam) in Cholanadu, and Thiruvenkatam (Thiruppathi) in Thondainadu - among others, and has composed a set of hyms - in Tamil in praise of God Vishnu named as "Perumal Thirumoli", and in Sanskrit named as "Muhunda Mala". He abdicated the Chera throne to lead a holy life and was venerated as one of the twelve great Tamil Vaishnava Saints, known as the Kulasekara Alvar.
The Chera king Kulasekaran had a son by the name Rajasekaran. With the abdication of Kulasekara from Chera throne, his son Rajasekaran {A.D.820-844} became the king of the Chera country. He was also known by the name Cheraman Perumal and unlike his father was an ardent devotee of God Siva.
Rajasekaran while ruling the Chera country from Mahodayapuram spent most of his time in religious activities and in meditation at the Siva Temple in Thiruvanjaikkalam at Kodungolur (Mahodayapuram) in the Kerala country. It was during this time one of the great Tamil Saiva Saint of Tamil Nadu - the Sundaramurthi Nayanar made a pilgrimage to the Thiruvarur Temple in the Chola country. The Chera king Rajasekaran with utmost desire to meet this great Tamil Saiva Saint, also went to Thiruvarur at this same time.
Here with the blessings of God Siva of Thiruvarur the Chera king composed hyms in Tamil in his praise known as "Mummanikkovai". From there he went along with the Tamil Saint Sundarmurthi Nayanar to the Siva shrine at Vedaranniyam in the Chola country and other Siva Shrines all over the Pandiya country. He composed further hyms in Tamil in praise of God Siva known as "Ponvanna Anthathi" and "Thirukkalyana Gnana Ulla" and became to be known and venerated as Cheraman Perumal Nayanar. All the above hyms composed by him have been included in the eleventh "Thirumurai" (Thirumurais are a collection of the sacred hyms in Tamil, sung on God Siva by various Tamil Saiva Saints of TamilNadu and few from the Kerala State).
Finally at the eager request of the Cheraman Perumal Nayanar the Tamil Saiva Saint Sundaramurthi Nayanar opted to visit the palace of this Chera king at his capital city of Mahodaiyapuram in the Chera country travelling through Kongunadu the present Udagamandalam (Udagai) region of Tamil Nadu.
While being here in A.D.844 the Saint Sundaramurthi Nayanar died. Unable to bear the grief of the death of this great Saint, the Cheraman Perumal Nayanar too met his death soon thereafter in the same year.
It was during the period of the Chera king Kulasekaran and partly during the period of the Chera king Rajasekaran, the great Saiva Saint of Chera (Kerala) country namely the Sankaracharya who founded the Advaita doctrine lived in Kerala.
It also appears the Tamil Saiva Saint known as Venattu Adigal from Venad in the Chera country, though not classified under the sixty- three Tamil Saiva Saints of Tamil Nadu, the hyms composed by him named "Thiruvisaippa" on God Siva of Chidambaram in Chola country, has been included in the nineth "Thirumurai". It appears the Venattu Adigal lived during a period after the Tamil Saiva Saint the Sundaramurthi Nayanar.
The Chera king Rajasekara alias Cheraman Perumal Nayanar was followed by his son the king Sthanu Ravi alias Ravi Varma
With the beginning of the tenth century the Cholas with their capital in Thanjavur in Tamilnadu, emerged as a powerful ruling dynasty after a long spell in partial obscurity in the political scene of South India.
In the year A.D.985 king Rajaraja Chola-1(A.D.985-1014) ascended the throne as the next successor of the Chola kingdom. He gradually conquered the neighbouring and far lying territories within the Indian continent forming a great Chola empire.
He laid a firm foundation to this empire by the wits of his political ingenuity and well streamlined administrative system backed by a powerful army and naval power which made it to grow steadily into an overseas empire.
During this period in South-East Asia there existed the mighty Sri Vijayan empire ruled by a royal dynasty named the Sailendras. This kingdom of Sri Vijaya was located at the lower part of Sumatra in Indonesia, with its capital in the present Palembang.
At the time of Rajaraja on the Chola throne, king Chulamanivarman (A.D. 998-1008) was ruling the Sri Vijaya empire, which encompassed the whole of Sumatra.
In the same period in Malaysia there existed the famed kingdom of Kadaram covering the present Kedah and Perak states adjoining the sea in the north-west coast of the peninsular Malaysia.
However during the period of Rajaraja Chola, the kingdom of Kadarem too came under the sway of the Sri Vijaya empire of Sumatra, with king Chulamanivarman being the overlord of this kingdom.
The trade of Tamilnadu with Sumatra and peninsular Malaysia increased during the reign of Rajaraja Chola. Many Traders flocked to these countries from the Chola country and found settlements and establised units if their trading guilds.
The Traders from Kadarem and Sri Vijaya too crossed the seas to the Chola country with their commodities of trade. The iron ore and the teakwood from Kadarem being two of the commodities were known as Kadaraththu Irumbu and Kidaravan in the Chola country.
The good trade relations thus established paved way for better diplomatic understanding between these two countries.
The Traders from Kadarem mainly Buddhists by religion sought the assistance of their overlord king Chulamanivarman of Sri Vijaya who too was a Buddhist, to construct a Buddhist Vihare at Nagapattinam in the Chola country.
The Nagapattinam was the seaport city of the Cholas and was well known to the traders of South-East Asia and China, where traders from eighteen different countries traded in their commodities.
Rajaraja Chola on the request of Chulamanivarman granted land at Shythiriya Sihamani Valanadu at Nagapattinam to build a Buddhist temple under the name of "Chulamanipanma Vihare".
In the year A.D.1006 a village called Aanaimangalam closer to this site was surveyed and donated to upkeep this vihare from its revenues which were exempted from taxes.
In the following years, in A.D.1008 Rajaraja Chola confirmed on copper plates the earlier grants made by him to the "Chulamanipanma Vihare" at Nagapattinam and exempted same from taxes.
While the vihare was still under construction king Chulamanivarman of Sri Vijaya died in A.D.1008, and his successor the son Maravijayotungavarman (A.D.1008-1020) completed the construction of this temple, which was also known as the Rajrajaperumpalli.
In the year A.D.1014 Rararaja Chola died after twenty nine years of rule and was succeeded by his son Rajendra Chola-1 (A.D.1012-1044) on the throne of the Chola empire.
After the ascension of Rajendra Chola, king Maravijayotungavarman of Sri Vijaya requested him to reconfirm the grants made earlier by his father to the "Chulamanipanma Vihare" built at Nagapattinam.
This request was granted and Thuvavuran Annukan the agent of the ruler of Kadarem arranged the record of the history relating to the construction of the vihare, and the grant of the Anaimangalam village by Rajaraja which was written on copper plates by one Thillaiyali.
It is evident there has also been another Buddhist Temple built at Nagapattinam at the request of Maravijayotungavarman during the rule of Rajendra Chola-1. Whether that too was named after the king of Sri Vijaya the Maravijayotungavarman is not known, but it has been called as Rajendra Chola Perumpalli.
At Sri Vijaya with the demise of Maravijayotungavarman in A.D.1020 his son Sangirama Vijayotungavarman (A.D.1020-1022)succeeded on the throne. During his rule however the good relations that existed between these two empires broke, probabely due to some sort of interference or hinderence to the flourishing Chola trade which would have sparked off the anger of the Cholas.
The strain in the Chola-Sri Vijaya relationship caused Rajendra -1 to send a big naval expedition with a large fleet of ships to South- East Asia in the year A.D.1022.
The Cholas defeated Sri Vijaya, Kadarem, and many other kingdoms in the present Malaysia, and in Sumatra of Indonesia, and it appears eventually the Cholas handed back the kingdoms to the respective rulers on they accepting the authority and agreeing to pay tributes.
However over a period of time gradually the good relations between the Chola country and Kadarem was re-established. During the rule of Kulothunga Chola - 1 (A.D.1071-1120) the king of Kadarem through his envoys Rajavidyadara Sri Samandan and Abimanothunga Samanthan in the year A.D.1091 requested him to reconfirm on copper plates the earlier grants made to the Buddhist temples Rajendra Chola Perumpalli and Rajaraja Perumpalli alias Sailendra Chulamanivarma Vihare built by his predecessors at Nagapattinam in Shythiriya Shihamani Valanadu of the Chola country.
This request was granted by Kulothunga Chola, and in the year A.D.1090 the officers Rajavallaba Pallavaraiyan and Rajendrasinga Muvendavelan arranged confirmation of same on copper plates.
Towards this period the seaport city of Nagapattinam was renamed as Cholakulavalli Pattinam after one of Kulothunga's consorts, and Shythiriya Shihamani valanadu as Keyamanikka valanadu.
These temples no longer exist today. However among the Bronze Buddha Statues excavated in this area by the Archaeological Department. two of them have the following inscribed words on their pedestal confirming the location of the Chulamanipanma Vih
somehow cant come to address you as in singular...thalaiva or thala seems overdoing it a bit...anyway will compress all this into a word file and put it into the file sections...least we can do. in modern times with all latest technology...a regime cannot even complete flyovers in one tenure. (some fall even as they are being built)..the fact that ours heros have left behind lasting works that have stood the test of time, bear witness to their devotion to detail, quality, art, perfection, stability of office, economy( justifies the constant campaigns to enrich the coffers), ability to harness resources ( our ponni included) running short of expelitives now..
Have a doubt - myanmmar was overrun by chola forces thrice..once under Rjc 1 1024 and the second time by Virarajendra Chola -1068 ( army led by his nephew (sister's son) Kulothunga ) and third time in 1084 Kulothunga Chola ( this time apparently led by a chola prince -who brokers peace and marries a chola princess to them!! whose identities are not known - looks like a good plot for another novel)
On the Pegu-Thanatpin road two octagonal granite pillars, measuring about 11 and 5 feet, respectively, were found and one of them has been re-erected on a masonry plinth in the compound of the district court at Pegu. They may be identified with the Jayastambha or Pillars of Victory set up by Rajendra Chola I., who overran Pegu in 1025-1027 A. D., that is to say, a few years before the conquest of Thaton by Anawrata, King of Pagan
reproducing from an earlier post ( the entire post of viraranjendra) down below ( full post further down)
King Anuruddha chose > Tharehkiltara (present Prome) in the Pegu region as his new capital > of Rammanadesa in place of Thaton, which has now lost it's > importance with it's destruction by his forces and with the capture > of it's king Manuha.
> whose identities are not known - looks like a good plot for another > novel)
I hope this line triggered your attention!
Thinking of all these battles, it is amazing to see their ability to plan and execute these battles. They must be having good spies and persons who knows those places very well to plan the attack that too far away from the capital...
> > whose identities are not known - looks like a good plot for another > > novel) > > I hope this line triggered your attention!
not actually. i was in the andamans very recently and learnt that burma was so close. it was just an inkling . but on second thought i feel the invasion must have been using naval power travelling along the coramandel coast, not far from the shoreline. this was precisely the route taken by 19th century tamil traders. ships from burma used to come back and behind them were tied logs of burma tea. the wood got a special seasoning in the seawater and were pliable for excellent finishing. entire chettinad teak pillars, roofs and furniture travelled this soaking route. they still survive today.