Boothi Vikramakesari was a

Velir The Velir (also known as Vellalar) were a royal house of minor dynastic kings and aristocratic chieftains in Tamilakam in the early historic period of South India. They had close relations with Chera, Chola and Pandya rulers through ruling an ...

Irukkuvel commander of the

Chola Empire The Chola dynasty was a Tamil thalassocratic empire of southern India and one of the longest-ruling dynasties in the history of the world. The earliest datable references to the Chola are from inscriptions dated to the 3rd century BCE d ...

. He is best remembered for building the

Moovar Koil Moovar Koil or "The Three temples" is a Hindu temple complex situated in the village of Kodumbalur, 36 kilometres from Pudukkottai in Tamil Nadu, India. These temples were constructed by the Chola Dynasty, Chola feudatory and Irukkuvel chieftain ...

temple complex, a collection of "Three temples" in the village of

Kodumbalur Kodumbalur is a village in Tamil Nadu, India. It is the site of the Moovar Koil temple complex. Location It is located at a distance of 35km from Trichy and 40km from Pudukkottai. The name Kodumbalur has been mentioned in the Tamil epic Cilappa ...

, 36 kilometres from

Pudukkottai Pudukkottai is the administrative headquarters of Pudukkottai District in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a large city located on the banks of the Vellar River. It has been ruled, at different times, by the mutharaiyar dynasty , Cholas, ...

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. His family was related to the Cholas by marriage. His mother was a Chola princess Anupama. She is the younger sister of Chola prince Arindama.

Dating

Some scholars and historians identify him as a contemporary of

Parantaka I Parantaka Chola I (Tamil : பராந்தக சோழன் I) (873 CE–955 CE) was a Chola emperor who ruled for forty-eight years, annexing Pandya by defeating Rajasimhan II. The best part of his reign was marked by increasing success ...

while some others like Venkayya identify him as a sub-ordinate of

Parantaka II Parantaka Chola II (Tamil: இரண்டாம் பராந்தக சோழன்) (r. 958 – 973 CE) was a Chola emperor. He is also known as Sundara Chola as he was considered an epitome of male beauty.''Early Chola temples:Parantak ...

. It is more likely that he was a feudatory of

as a daughter of his, namely Boothi Aditya Pidaari was married to Arikulakesari, the younger son of

. Moreover, the chief and his family members figure in inscriptions of the

Pallava The Pallava dynasty existed from 275 CE to 897 CE, ruling a significant portion of the Deccan, also known as Tondaimandalam. The dynasty rose to prominence after the downfall of the Satavahana dynasty, with whom they had formerly served as fe ...

King Nandivarman III and later in inscriptions of

Aditya I Aditya I (Tamil: ஆதித்த சோழன்) (c. 870/71 – c. 907 CE), the son of Vijayalaya, was the Chola king who extended the Chola dominions by the conquest of the Pallavas and occupied the Western Ganga Kingdom. Relations with ...

, so he seems to have initially been a sub-ordinate of the

King and then a feudatory of the

Chola The Chola dynasty was a Tamils, Tamil thalassocratic Tamil Dynasties, empire of southern India and one of the longest-ruling dynasties in the history of the world. The earliest datable references to the Chola are from inscriptions dated ...

King

after the latter overthrew the former's son

Aparajita Aparajita was an able Shilahara ruler of north Konkan branch from 975 CE – 1010 CE. Chhadvaideva was followed by his nephew Aparajita, the son of Vajjada. Aparajita was an ambitious king. He sought to extend his sphere of influence by ...

. Subsequently, he seems to have continued in service of

's son

. Consequently, his period can be fixed between the latter half of 9th century and beginning of the 10th century.

Personal life

The chief's given name was Boothi and he earned the title ''Vikramakesari'' through his exploits. He is also called as ''Tennavan Ilangovel'' and ''Parantaka Ilangovelir'' in inscriptions. He was born to Irukkuvel chieftain Samarabirama and

princess Anupama. Samarabirama is called ''Yadu vamsa kethu'' that is the ''Banner of the Yadu race'' in the

inscription Two queens of his are known from the same inscription, namely, Nangai Varaguna Perumanar and Karrali. As mentioned earlier, a daughter of his, namely Boothi Aditya Pidaari was married to Arikulakesari, the younger son of

. She is known from an inscription from a temple at

Tiruchendurai Tiruchendurai is a village in the Srirangam taluk of Tiruchirappalli district in Tamil Nadu, India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, sev ...

Inscriptions

An excerpt of the

inscription is as follows, Another inscription from the period of

King Ko-vijaya-Nandivikramavarman from Kilur, Tirukovilur taluk, South

Arcot Arcot (natively spelt as Ārkāḍu) is a town and urban area of Ranipet district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. Located on the southern banks of Palar River, the city straddles a trade route between Chennai and Bangalore or Salem, between t ...

district. The script and language of the inscription is in

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...

and paleographically the inscription can be dated to the 9th century, The following is another inscription from Ghrithasthaneswara temple in Tillasthanam, figuring the queen of Boothi Vikramakesari from the period of

, It is of interest to note that among the boundaries mentioned in the above inscription there is an embankment called Karikala-karai.

References

{{reflist Tamil history History of Tamil Nadu Tamil monarchs 10th-century Indian monarchs