6_Glorious_Epochs_of_Indian_History

STH GLORIOUS EPOCH 285
and have left behind them some account of their travels^
which, along with that of Marco Polo, bear important and
independent witness to the fact of the complete political
freedom of the Southern Hindu states, of their political,
commercial and religious supremacy over many other nations
around them, of their overlordship of the Eastern, Western and
Southern Seas, of their powerful navies and merchant-marine
which traversed the tides of the three seas unopposed, and
of the unrivalled title of 'Trisamudreshwar' which these
.southern Hindu kings proudly took for themselves.
717. 'Trisamudreshwar' emperor Rajendra Chowl died
in A.D. 1042 and after one or two powerful kings after him
the Chowl dynasty and the Chowl empire perished at the end
of the 13th century.
RELIGIOUS PREACHERS LIKE SHANKARACHARYA
AND OTHERS
718. During these years South India saw not only the
rise ofroyal heroes like Rajendra Chowl, but also the glorious
heights reached by religious heroes, the foremost among them
being Shreemat Shankarcharya, defeating the various so
called heretical views which were being advocated throughout
India against the Vedic religion. At Kaladi in Karal was
born this great personality of Shankaracharya in a Nambudri
Brahmin family. Being well versed in the Vedic lore and
having taken the vow of Sanyas (having renounced the
worldly life) even before the tender age of sixteen, he began
to preach and conquer the heretics in all quarters^". Kumaril-
bhatta, the well-known exponent of the Karma theory, who
successfully refuted the Buddhist religious opinions was also
preaching throughout the four corners of India round about
this time. Another preacher Diggaja (f^nsi)—(the elephant
defending the directions)—Mandanmishraii was also the
contemporary of this young Shankaracharya. In order to
establish his theory of Sig;*s (the non-existence of duality
between—the unison (unity) of—Jeevatma and Paramatma)
and to hoist the victorious banner of Vedic religion through-