Thirupurambiyam Battle

The famous Thirupurambiyam battle hapenned during the period of Vijayalaya Chola king. Thirupurambiyam is a small town near Tanjore in Tamil Nadu state of India. The battle was mainly between the Pallava king Aparajit and Pandia king Varaguna Pandian aka Varagunavarman II. After the Pallava king Nandivarman III died in 869 AD, the differences arose between his eldest son Nripatunga and another son Aparajit. Nripatunga was supported by Pandians whereas Aparajit was supported by Pallavas. Aparajit also got the support of Ganga king Prithvipathi I and Aditya Chola I. This battle should have hapenned in 879 AD. The Pandians were defeated in this battle. Although Pallavas won the battle, the Ganga king Prithvipathi was killed in the battle. Hence, the maximum benefit of victory went to the Chola king. Pallavas gave many regions around Tanjore from Mutharaiyars to Chola king as the token of appreciation.

After Thirupurambiyam battle, the Pandyas wanted to reduce the importance of Cholas. They even invaded Cholas and camped at a place called Idavai in the northern part of Chola kingdom. However, nothing much is known about this incident.

The battle of Venni

The battle of Venni is one of the popular battles of ancient Tamil history. The exact year of the battle is unknown. It hapenned during the Tamil Sangam period in a place named Venni near today's Tanjore city in Tamil Nadu, South India. This battle should have hapenned between 2nd century BC and 2nd century AD.

The ancient Tamil literature 'Pattinaththu Palai' talks about Karikala Chola and his great victory in the battle of Venni. In the battle of Venni, it is evident that Karikala Chola won Chera king, Pandya king and 11 other small princes together. The reason for this battle is unknown. In this battle, the Chera king got hurt on his back. The Chera king being the legendary ancient Tamil king and being the one who followed the culture of ancient Tamil warrior, committed suicide due to this. The poet Venni Kuyaththiyar, a friend of Karikalan, witnessed this battle and sung about the same.