Page:The Tamils Eighteen Hundred Years Ago.djvu/104

Rh day before the Pandya could drive them from the field. All the kings and chieftains in the Tamil land and the flower of their troops had been engaged in this battle, and hence the victory gained by the Pandyan king was considered the most brilliant feat of arms of this period. The joy of his subjects knew no bounds. The poets and minstrels who crowded in his court extolled him as the greatest warrior of the age.

The Pandya next conducted an expedition personally into the Chèra territory and succeeded in capturing the king Chêy who was surnamed Yanaik-kan or “the elephant eye” from the peculiar form of his eyes. The Chêra king managed however to escape from custody and Nedunj-Cheliyan pursued him up to the shores of the Western sea, and defeated the Chêra army again in a battle near the town Muchiri. Alumbil Vel, one of the fudatory chiefs of the Chêra was dispossessed of his lands. The Pandya defeated also the chiefs of Kudda-nad and annexed the Nad to his kingdom. He captured the sea-port of Muthu-vellil from a tribe called “Tholuvar” and the famous emporium of Saliyur (in the Gulf of Manaar) from the Nagas.

Nedunj-Chelyan II ascended the throne a few years before the death of Karikal Chola. After his victory at Tnalai-alankânam, he appears to have been on terms of friendship with the great Chola, as may be seen from the stanza composed by the poet Karik-kannan of Kavirippaddinam, a translation of which has been already given in my account of Karikal Nedunj Cheliyan died in the Siva temple at Madura which was called the “silver shrine,” and he was therefore known in subsequent literature as Velli-amballathu-thunjchiya Peru Valuthi or “the great Valuthi who died in the silver shrine.” The period of his reign was most probably from about A.D. 90 to A.D. 128.

The poet whom Nedunj-Cheliyan II honored most was Maruthanar of Mankudi who composed the Idyll "Maduraik-kanchi" in his praise. The poet gives an excellent character of his patron :-

"Sincere art thou ever in thy friendship, though the gods themselves may tempt thee to be false offering thee paradise and ambrosia: thou wilt not obey another’s command though the most