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Rajendra Chola II reigned as the Chola king succeeding his elder brother Rajadhiraja Chola in the 11th century.[3] He is best remembered for his role in the battle of Koppam along with his elder brother where he dramatically turned the tables on the Chalukyan King Somesvara I.[4]During his early reign an expedition wasled to Sri Lanka, in the course of which the Sri Lanka army was routed and their king Vijayabahu I of Polonnaruwa was driven to take refuge in a mountain-fortress.[5] He maintained the Chola Empire well as the distribution of his records show that the Chola Empire did not suffer any loss of territory during his reign.[6]

The Chola forces were in battle with the Chalukyan army at Koppam (Koppal) locat

ed on the Tungabhadra River in 105354 AD.[7][8] Rajadhiraja was personally leading the Chola army from atop a war elephant to help rally the retreating Cholas. P

rince Rajendra, the younger brother of Rajadhiraja, was holding himself in reserve. The Chalukyan army then concentrated on the elephant on which the Chola kingwas riding and wounded him mortally. Seeing the emperor falling dead, the Cholaarmy retreated in disarray.[9] At that stage Rajendra entered the fray. Once again the Chalukya army concentrated on the leader. Rajendra-II was as valorous ashis brave father and was a born leader of men. He immediately sensed that withthe death of their King Rajadhiraja-I, the Chola army was in a disarray, he announced his taking over as the next Chola monarch and ordered the capable Chola army to continue fighting without letting up.[10] His unparalleled response and restoration of order by deciding to lead from the front on the battlefield simplyre-galvanized his army which had among its ranks, several generals serving the C

hola army from the times of Raja Raja I and Rajendra Chola I. He had many nephews and . Needless to add, the Chalukya army was simply unprepared for this kind of a reaction from any army which had lost its original leader and were simply nomatch. From inscriptions of Rajendra-II, we know that his elder brother Rajadhiraja-I was killed in the battle at Koppam in which Rajendra-II had participatedalong with his other brothers. Even Rajendra-II had been injured initially and had withdrawn from the battle, but he came back and turned the tables on the Ahavamalla (Somesvara-I, who called himself 'Trailokyamalla' lord of three worlds).At the end of the battle, the Chalukyas were defeated and a number of officers of their army lay dead on the field. In this battle multiple opponents viz. Jaysinghan, the younger brother of the Salukki, Pulikesi, Dasapanman etc., were killed by Rajendradeva.[11]

Here is an excerpt from an inscription (begins with Tiru-magal maruviya sengolavan..) of this king while he was still a co-regent of Rajadhiraja Chola I: (fromKolar in Karnataka, original in Tamil and Grantha alphabet);

In the 3rd year of the reign of Kopparakesarivanmar alias sri Rajendra Deva- whohaving conquered Irratapadi seven and a half lakh(country) and set up a pillarof victory in Kollapuram; having terrified Ahavamalla at Koppam on the bank of the great river and having taken possession of his elephants, horses, women and treasures; and having performed the anointment of victory, was graciously seatedon the throne of heroes-..On the 86th day of the 3rd year of the king's reign..the overseer of the dandanayakas, Vettan Panachanadi-Vanan alias Madurantaka-tTamil-pperaiyan of Tandangurai in Vilanadu belonging to the Pandikulasani valanadu

of Sola-mandalam, granted two perpetual lamps for the goddess Pidaraiyar of Kuvalalam in the Kuvalala-nadu of Vijaiya-Rajendra mandalam.[12]Kollapuram is identified with Kolhapur in present day Maharashtra.[13] Based upon other inscriptions of Rajendra, historian Hultzsch has proposed that the Kollapuram war was an earlier expedition, in which Rajendra had participated under his elder brother Rajdhiraja.[14] This view is also held by a few other historianswho credit the burning of Kalyanapuram, the capital of the Chalukyas and the planting of victory at Kollapuram, again two separate events, to Rajadhiraja CholaI.[

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