vi
Kalathi in the Chittoor District. Prof. Nilakanta Sastri states that Parantaka made there provision for the feeding of 1000 Brahmins. Chittoor of some commercial importance was the rendezvous of all kinds of people and the Professor's statement may mislead one to think that the King had not cared for others. Tiru. Pandarattar in this book points out with the help of the inscription, the catholicity of Parantaka in providing not only for 300 Brahmins, but for 200 followers of the six sects and 500 people of other sects, holding thus the scale even amidst those warring sects. The next point is about the murder of Aditta Karikalan which is often surmised to have been engineered by Uttama Cola. Our author points out that this conclusion is incompatible with the subsequent behaviour of the members of the Cola family and suggests that this murder was brought about by a conspiracy of the high officials of the state. He tries to prove further that Rajamahendra was the elder brother of Vira Rajendra and the younger brother of Rajendra II and not the latter's son as assumed by some. He also attempts to disprove the theory of Prof. Nilakanta Sastri that Adhi Rajendra was killed in a rebellion organised against him by the oppressed Vaishnavites.
Even if the authors's conclusions are not all decisive he has certainly given the research scholars enough food for futher thought. Probably this is the first original work of this kind in Tamil distinguished from mere text books and the author and the Annamalai University deserve to be congratulated on the production of this monumental work in chaste and lucid Tamil.
Having had something to do with the book I am personally glad that this book is seeing the light of the day at least now. I deem it a great privilege to introduce, at the instance of the author, with these few words the valuable work to the Tamil world with heartfelt thanks to the author and the University.
TAMILAGAM,
CHINTADRIPET, T. P. MEENAKSHISUNDARAN
MADRAS, 29-7-1949.
