Page:The Tamils Eighteen Hundred Years Ago.djvu/86

Rh unusually long period. The period of his reign may therefore be fixed about A. D. 50 to A. D. 95.

Karikal was the son of the Chola Prince Uruvap-Pahrêr-Ilayon or Ilanj-chêd-chenni. His father had died before he was born, and rival claimants seized the Chola throne, and conspired to cause his death by fire. He escaped however, but his feet were scorched and blackened, and henceforth, he was known as Karikal or “Black foot.” His uncle Pidarth-Thalayan assisted him in regaining the throne of his ancestors. Brought up in adversity, he had early learned lessons of wisdom, and proved to be one of the wisest and most powerful of the Kings of his period. An anecdote of his youth is recorded which shows his ready wit and independence of mind. In those days the King was also the supreme judge in all Civil and Criminal cases. An intricate case had come up to Karikal for decision. His aged ministers appeared anxious about the result The youthful king understood the meaning of their looks. He retired at once into his private apartments, and there, tied false grey hair on his head, and appeared back in Court, in the disguise of an old man. Resuming his seat on the throne he examined the parties so skilfully that from their own answers he was able to pronounce a correct judgment, which elicited the applause of his grey-headed ministers.

Karikal was a great warrior. In his first battle on the plain of Vennil, he defeated the combined armies of the Pandya and Chera. The Chera King Athan I who commanded his own forces, was wounded on the back. As this was considered in those days an indelible mark of cowardice, the valiant Chera unable to bear the disgrace, sought a voluntary death. The bard Kalath-thalaiyar who was with the Chera army at the engagement, mourns over the defeat of his King, and describes the gloom of his sorrowing subjects, in the following verse.

“The drum no longer thunders. The lute has forgotten its music. - The large milk pans now lie empty. None tastes the