Varagunavarman II, also described as Varaguna II, was a king of the Pandya dynasty in south India whose reign lasted from c. 862 until c. 879 CE.Sastri, K. A. Nilakanta. (1958, second ed.) ''A History of South India from Prehistoric Times to the Fall of Vijayanagar.'' Madras, Oxford University Press. 165. Varaguna II was famously defeated by a contingent of troops led by Pallava king

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 ...

around 879 CE.

Background

Srimara Srivallabha Srimara Srivallabha (r. c. 815–c. 862 ADSastri, K. A. Nilakanta. (1958, second ed.) ''A History of South India from Prehistoric Times to the Fall of Vijayanagar''. Madras, Oxford University Press. 165.) was a Pandya king of early medieval sou ...

(r. c. 815—862 AD), the predecessor of Varaguna II, was defeated by the Rashtrakuta king

Amoghavarsha Amoghavarsha I (also known as Amoghavarsha Nrupathunga I) (r.814–878 CE) was the greatest emperor of the Rashtrakuta dynasty, and one of the most notable rulers of Ancient India. His reign of 64 years is one of the longest precisely dated mo ...

(the battle of Arisil).Sastri, K. A. Nilakanta. (1958, second ed.) ''A History of South India from Prehistoric Times to the Fall of Vijayanagar.'' Madras, Oxford University Press. 153-54. Madurai was then sacked by the forces of the Lankan ruler Sena II.Noburu Karashima (ed.), ''A Concise History of South India: Issues and Interpretations.'' New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2014. 88-89. Maya Pandya was installed on the Pandya throne by the Sri Lankan army commanders.

Battle of Sri Purambiyam

Battle of thirupurambiyam Battle of Thirupurambiyam was fought between the Pandya king Varagunavarman II and a confederacy of the Pallavas, Western Ganga Dynasty and the Medieval Cholas in about 879 CE near modern-day Kumbakonam. The Pandyas lost the battle with Varagun ...

, Varaguna tried to check the Pallava influence by marching north (and even crossing the

Kaveri The Kaveri (also known as Cauvery, the anglicized name) is one of the major Indian rivers flowing through the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The Kaveri river rises at Talakaveri in the Brahmagiri range in the Western Ghats, Kodagu dis ...

in the Chola country by c. 879 AD).Sastri, K. A. Nilakanta. (1958, second ed.) ''A History of South India from Prehistoric Times to the Fall of Vijayanagar.'' Madras, Oxford University Press. 167-68. The northern expedition may well have been directed against the rising power of the Cholas. A decisive battle was fought at Sri Purambiyam (Tiruppurambiyam near

Kumbakonam Kumbakonam (formerly spelt as Coombaconum or Combaconum) or Kudanthai is a city municipal corporation in the Thanjavur district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located from Thanjavur and from Chennai and is the headquarters of the ...

) in c. 880 AD. An alliance led by the Pallava Aparajita, supported by Chola

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 ...

and Ganga Prithvipati I, opposed and defeated the Pandya king (although Prithvipati I lost his life in the battle). The Pandya advance was rolled back.Sastri, K. A. Nilakanta. (1929) ''The Pandyan Kingdom.'' London, Luzac and Company. 78-79. The Chola king subsequently invaded the Pallava country and defeated Aparajita. Varaguna was succeeded by his younger brother Parantaka Viranarayana around 880 AD.

References

Pandyan kings 880 deaths Year of birth unknown 9th-century Indian monarchs {{India-royal-stub