Prior to the war Images of various gateway towers in the temple in 1169, Kulasekhara Pandyan, a rival claimant of the Pandyan throne, besieged the Pandyan capital at
Madurai. Pandyan king, Parakrama Pandyan I, had to call for military support from the King of
Polonnaruwa,
Parakramabahu I. By the time the Polonnaruwa Army was assembled for an invasion, it was too late. Parakrama Pandyan's position was overrun, and Kulasekhara ascended the throne as Kulasekhara Pandya I. Parakramabahu I instructed his general
Lankapura Dandanatha to invade Pandya and besiege Madurai, thus overthrowing Kulasekhara and place Vira Pandya III on the throne.
Sinhalese offensive in
Rameswaram was sacked by the
Polonnaruwa Army. The offensive began in 1171 or 1172; the Sinhalese Army and other units of Polonnaruwa led by Lankapura launched the attack on
Ramesvaram. After sailing around the
Palk strait for a day, Lankapura landed at
Ramesvaram (Ramissara in Old Sinhala) with the Polonnaruwa forces. However, he plundered the
Rameshvaram temple's treasury prior to taking position. Afterwards they took up defensive positions in a nearby place called Kundukala, Lankapura named this place
Parakramapura (in
Sinhala). meaning the Land of Parakrama). Lankapura received a message from Vira Pandya III, the surviving son of Parakrama Pandyan; after being aware that he was alive, Lankapura allied with him. Prisoners of Lankapura were sent to repair the
Ruwanwelisaya, which was damaged by the Cholas a century prior. Lankapura defeated the chieftains, who were apparently loyal to Kulasekhara, at Madamdura; and later took possession of Patapatha, defeating its chieftains. Kulasekhara Pandya put up a fierce resistance against the invasion and appealed to the Chola King Rajadhiraja II for military support. Rajadhiraja responded by sending a powerful force led by commander Pallavarayar. The Chola Army met the Polonnaruwa forces in a couple of pitched battles at Kilenilaya (identified with the modern-day Kilnilai) and Pon-Amaravathi. In addition to the Cholas, Kulasekhara appealed to some Kongu chieftains, who helped him mobilize his forces. The army led by Lankapura advanced to Madurai, defeating the defenses deployed by the Chola army. Kulasekhara fled Madurai in panic as Vira Pandya was installed on the throne. Then Cholas decided to fight against the Lankapura's army again, then came news from Pilai Pallavarayar that the commanders including Jayadratha (Jagath Vijaya) and Lankapura Dandanatha and the entire army from Sri Lanka had sustained defeat.
Chola Offensive Rajadhiraja II then responded by sending his commander Thiruchitrambalamudaiyan Perumanambi along, with a strong army with specific instructions to kill Lankapura and Jagath Vijaya of the Polonnaruwa Army and hang their heads from the gates of the palace of Madurai. Pallavarayar alias Tirucirrambalamudaiyan Perumanambi, who was entrusted with these tasks, entertained Kulasekhara suitably during his stay in the Chola country and having with his army, resources and zeal, brought about the reconquest of the Pandyan kingdom. He carried out his master's orders to the letter by nailing the heads of Lankapura Dandanatha and others (other Soldiers) to the gates of Madurai. Annan Pallavarayan invaded Polonnaruwa and destroyed Parakramabahu's preparations for the invasion. The Cholas also provided support to Sinhalese Prince Sri Vallabha, nephew of Parakramabahu and a rival claimant to the Polonnaruwa throne. The expedition that was sent with Srivallabha at its head captured and destroyed several places in Sri Lanka, including Pulaiccēri and Mahathiththa, where Parakramabahu was gathering his forces; it seized many elephants and set fire to a considerable area extending over twenty kādams from east to west and seventy kādams from north to south, killing some of the Sinhalese chieftains of the locality and taking others(soldiers) captive as
prisoners of war. The booty captured in the course of the expedition was then duly presented to the Chola king by Annan Pallavarayan, who thus successfully counteracted all the machinations of the Sinhalese ruler. According to
K. A. Nilakanta Sastri, Parakramabahu made a
volte-face by sending costly gifts such as jewels and gold to Kulasekhara convincing him to invade the Chola Kingdom. Kulasekhara invaded the Cholas but was defeated and driven out. Chola forces then successfully invaded the Pandya kingdom and reinstalled Prince Vira Pandya on the throne. However,
S. K. Aiyangar notes that Kulasekhara died in the course of the war, and his son Vickrama Pandya kept rebelling against the occupying forces.
Aftermath to repair the
stupa previously damaged by
Chola Invasions. Vira Pandya remained a client of the Cholas, however, he decided to grant independence to the Pandya country. His hostilities against the Cholas begun at a time when Kulasekhara's son, Vickrama was rebelling against him. Despite receiving assistance from Parakramabahu, he was defeated and Vickrama ascended the throne. The armies of Parakramabahu and Vira Pandyan controlled Rameswaram until 1182. ==Legacy==