Aditya II (942 CE - 971 CE), commonly known as Aditya Karikalan was a Chola prince who lived in the 10th century in India. He was born in Tirukoilur and was the eldest son of

Parantaka Chola 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 ...

. He was the elder brother of

Rajaraja Chola I Rajaraja I (947 CE – 1014 CE), born Arunmozhi Varman or Arulmozhi Varman and often described as Raja Raja the Great or Raja Raja Chozhan was a Chola emperor who reigned from 985 CE to 1014 CE. He was the most powerful Tamil king in South ...

and Kundavai. He was called as ''Virapandiyan Thalai Konda Koparakesari Varman Karikalan''. He led the Chola expedition against the Pandyas and defeated the Pandya king Veerapandyan at the Battle of Chevur. He killed Veerapandiyan after chasing him on the banks of

Vaigai river The Vaigai is a river in the Tamil Nadu state of southern India; it passes through the towns of Theni, Dindigul and Madurai. It originates in Varusanadu Hills, the Periyar Plateau of the Western Ghats range, and flows northeast through the ...

. Aditya was made the co-regent and heir apparent to the Chola throne even though Uttama Chola, the son of Gandaradita Chola, had more right to the throne. He was assassinated by the associates of Veerapandiyan in revenge for the defeat. Aditya was succeeded by Uttama Chola. As per epigraphs, the inquiry into the death was completed in the second year of

's reign and the lands of certain officials were confiscated for their complicity in the murder of "Karikala Chola who took the head of the Pandya".''Epigraphia Indica, Volume 21, page 167'' According to archaeologist

Kudavayil Balasubramanian Kudavayil Balasubramanian (born Kudavayil, Tiruvarur district) is an archaeologist from Tamil Nadu, India. He is former curator and publication manager at Saraswathi Mahal Library located at Thanjavur. He is credited with discovering more than ...

, "Dr K T Tirunavukkarasu in his collection of historical essays titled "Arunmozhi Aiyvu Thogudi", comprehensively ruled out Madurantaka Uttama's role in Aaditha Karikala's murder. In the said article, basing his view on a number of historical data points, Dr Tirunavukkarasu has gone on to explain that there was a delay in apprehending the perpetrators immediately thereafter and it was only during Rajaraja I's second regnal year that the culprits were brought to book . Suspicions were pointed to Uttama Chola but confiscations of land belonging to culprits started before Raja Raja's period suggesting that Uttama Chola did not spare the plotters. Among the punished were Ravidasan, Soman and Parameshwaran who were all government officials. They avenged for the decapitation of Veerapandyan by Aaditha Karikalan.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aaditha Karikalan Chola dynasty 10th-century Indian monarchs 942 births 969 deaths Murdered Indian royalty