Parantaka I

Parantaka Chola I முதலாம் பராந்தக சோழன்
Parakesari
Chola Territories c. 915
Reign	c. 907 – c. 955
Predecessor	Aditya Chola
Successor	Gandaraditya
Born	Unknown
Died	955
Queen	Kōkilānadigal Villavan Mahadeviyar and others
Issue	Uttamasili Viramadevi Anupama.
Father	Aditya Chola

Parantaka Chola I (Tamil: முதலாம் பராந்தக சோழன்) (907–955) ruled the Chola kingdom in southern India for forty-eight years, annexing Pandya. The best part of his reign was marked by increasing success and prosperity.

Parantaka continuing the expansion started by his father, invaded the Pandya kingdom in 910. He captured the Pandyan capital Madurai and assumed the title Madurain-konda (Capturer of Madurai). The Pandyan ruler Maravarman Rajasinha II sought the help of Kassapa V, the king of Sri Lanka, who sent an army to his aid. Parantaka defeated the combined army at the battle of Vellore. The Pandya king fled into exile in Sri Lanka and Parantaka completed his conquest of the entire Pandya country.

Parantaka spent many years in the newly conquered country reducing it to subjugation, and when he felt he had at last achieved his aim, he wanted to celebrate his victory by a coronation in Madurai in which he was to invest himself with the insignia of Pandyan monarchy. However he was failed in this attempt by the Pandyan king carried them away and left in the safe custody of the Lankan king. Towards the end of his reign, Parantaka tried to capture them by invading Lanka. Mahavamsa records that the Lankan king Udaya IV took the Pandya crown and the jewels and hid himself in the Rohana hills. Parantaka’s armies had to return empty handed.

After his exploits in the Pandya country and in Lanka, Parantaka I took the title of Maduraiyum Elamum Konda Parakesarivarman – Parakesarivarman who conquered Madurai and Sri Lanka.

At the height of his successes, Parantaka I's dominions comprised almost the whole of the Tamil country right up to Nellore in Andhra Pradesh. It is clear from other chola grants that parantaka was a great militarist who had made extensive conquests. He may have had it recorded, but those records are lost to us. He is known to have defeated the kings of deccan kingdoms by 912.C.E and completed at least temporarily the conquests started by his father Aditya. He had the Cheras as his close ally and the relationship were further strengthened during this reign. Villavan Mahadeviyar, one of the queens of Parantaka who bore him the son Arinjaya was a daughter of the Chera prince Paluvettaraiyar.