The First Battle/War of Rajendra Chola

THE FIRST BATTLE OF RAJENDRA CHOLAN-1

A rider approaches to the camp. He carries intelligence of the incoming enemy forces. He reports to the king and his eighteen generals about the incoming army.
The Generals l augh aloud. “The tiger cub is leading the army” they say mocking. They turn to their king asking why he gathered all of them to fight against a teenager. All the eighteen Generals have never been beaten in battle before.

The Western Chalukya king Satyashrayan has assembled his army to stop the advance of the Imperial Chola army from reaching the territories of their allies, the Cheras. The Cheras have imprisoned a Chola emissary. Assuming the Great Tiger himself will come to rescue his emissary, assembles an army so massive it is commanded by eighteen generals near the kaveri river. On the other bank of the river lies his capital thalakkad.

The rider brought the news that instead the Great Tiger Raja raja cholan, his son Rajendra cholan leads the imperial chola army. The loyal general Abramayan rides alongside him. The king replies to his generals saying “The Cheras captured the emissary; now let us capture the tiger cub atleast then the tiger has to come, we’ll finish their army within a day”.

The Imperial Chola army marches like the wind to save their comrade in distress. In the first line marches the experienced general Abramayan. Followed by the young tiger atop a war elephant alongside troops matching his age; young and ferocious. A soldier asks the prince why we are going to war for a single person. The prince asks “What would you do if someone mistreats your family?”. “I’ll kill him” the soldier replies.” It’s the same for our king, all the cholas are one family.” replies the prince.

The next day morning the Chola army gets sight of the chalukya army. The general Abramayan asks Rajendra on how to attack. The young tiger observes the enemies and says” They seem confident; its because they outnumber us; we’ll use their overconfidence against them. Have to seen light passing through small packet general?”. “IT’s sharp when it enters and spreads as it passes but seems like it goes straight” says Abramayan. ”Exactly”, replies the prince ”We’ll use our elephants making a way through the enemy and spread al over their troops with the infantry and encircle them with the horses”. Abramayan asks which contigent he wants to lead. The prince replies saying” It’ll be fun encircling the enemy and cutting through their generals, so I’ll lead the horses”. Abramayan proud and impressed by the prince thinks “No wonder; he’s the great king’s son afterall”.

The chola army charges the enemies with war-cries even feared by the massive war-elephants of the enemies.  Abramayan leads the elephants straight through to the enemy king Satyashrayan. There was no need to search for Rajendran in the battle. Wherever there was path of dead bodies lie; wherever there are vultures flying above to eat the flesh of the dead that is where Rajendran was. He rode like the wind making a pile of bodies on the way he went. Enemies saw the young tiger coming and before they could react they saw their headless body falling in the ground. Soldiers, captains, generals, horses, elephants all lie dead behind him. They saw the wrath of Lord Shiva himself in his eyes. That day the chalukyas realized that a sword in rajendra’s hand and Lord Vishnu’s chakra are the same. One by the generals lay dead by the sword of Rajendra, the same tiger cub they had mocked the previous day. Soldiers chose to flee through the river but ponni (kaveri river) drowned them for challenging her king’s son. Satyashrayan fled the battle to save his life. His capital of thalakkad was razed to the ground and a new town was built by Rajendra.