History not only defines the culture and heritage of a country. It also serves as an inspiration for many authors to write novels based on historical fiction. Kalki’s Ponniyin Selvan is a reasonable example to prove the above statement. The conspiracy theories of Aditya Karikalan’s assassination and Madhurandhagan’s Fortnite play to capture the throne serve as the plot for Ponniyin Selvan’s novel. The story of Aditya karikalan is still a mystery in the real world, even though the author glorified the fame of Aditya karikalan.
Who is Aditha karikalan:
Aditiya karikalan was born to Sundara Chozhan and Vanamadevi in the year 942 CE at thirukovilur. In addition, the inscriptions state that he was referred to as Veerapandiya Thalaikonda Kopara Kesari Varman because he killed Pandya king Veerapandiyan by cutting off his head in the battle of Chevur.
Conspiracy in killing Veerapandya:
As per the inscriptions from the parts of Chengalpatuh and north–south Arcot districts, Historians identified that two kings, Parthivendra varman and Aditha karikalan owned the title of Veera Pandya Thalaikonda Parakesari Varman. On considering the inscriptions of the south and thondaimandalam region, historians perceive that the excavation area is the only dissimilarity between the epitaphs of the kings (Parthivendra varman and Aditha karikalan). To identify who is Parthivendra varman these inscriptions play a vital role.
The epigraph states that the king is parakesari (Lion to his opponents). He was known as Goviraja Marayar and Parthivendra Aditha Parmar. It also states that his spouse owned Udaiyaar deviyaar, Vilavan madeviyaar, and Perumanadigal deviyaar titles. We can identify Parthivendran as the Chola king through the above cues, says K.A. Neelakanda Sastri. He also states that Parthivendran is Aditha karikalan because there are merely minute differences in the inscriptions of both kings. He also mentions that Cholas took titles for fame.
Hence, he holds the title Parthivendran. From the 956 CE inscriptions, we can identify that Adithan would have been the prince during the reign of Sundara chozhan. From the leden inscriptions, we can find that Adithan killed Veerapandya in his teenage, ruled the northern part of the Chola dynasty, and died during the tenure of Sundara chozha itself.
The Murderers:
The engravings of the udayaarkudi temple state that Soman, Parameshwaran aka Irumudi Chozha Bramadhirajan, Ravidasan alias Panjavan Bramadirajan assassinated King Aditha Karikalan. King Raja Raja Chola ceased their properties and sent them out of the kingdom during his reign. We can conclude that Ravidasan, Soman, and parameshwaran killed the prince. But the names of the murders raise an interrogation, do they belong to the chola family?
The Tamil sovereigns bestowed the title on high-ranking Brahmin Officials in the Royal Service. Only the Cholans used the term Panjavan.
Cholas and other assassinations:
The slayings of Kandaradhitan and Arinjayan were merely alluded in history, Unlike Aditya Karikalan. There exists zero evidence of what happened after the death of Sundara Chozhan and How Raja Raja Chola captured the throne. But this estimated thirty years is the subtle period of the chola dynasty. Cholas not only left us beautiful art and architecture. They also left us with so many mysteries that are unsolved and hidden. The slaughter of Aditha karikalan got spotlighted among people only because of Kalki’s ponniyin selvan.
What Happened to Aditha Karikalan: Unraveling the Conspiracies
