It is a millennium-old murder mystery that remains unresolved. The assassination of Aditya Karikala, the son of Sundara Chola and the elder brother of Raja Raja I, in mysterious circumstances in 969 CE, baffles historians and history buffs alike, since it took place when his father was in power. Nilakanta Sastri, author of The Cholas, after ascertaining that the inscriptions …
Many Chola women were actively involved in the life of the towns and villages they lived in, particularly that of the temple. One of the most truly exceptional women from Chola times was Queen Sembiyan Madevi. This grande-dame of the Chola family, the wife of Gandaraditya, mother of Uttama Chola, the Ruby of the Chola dynasty, Our Lady, Great Queen …
A narrow road hemmed in by paddy fields detaches the village from the hurly-burly of the Kumbakonam-Karaikal Road. The inscription says Madevadigalar, alias the glorious Sembiyan Madeviyar, constructed a stone temple in the “sacred name” of her husband, the glorious Gandaraditya Devar, when her illustrious son Madhurantaga alias Uttama Chola was ruling. The temple had received grants almost every year …
