Asiatic Quarterly Review (Full Title: The Imperial and Asiatic Quarterly Review, and Oriental and Colonial Record): Volume XIII, No. 26 [‎494r] (112/238)

The Age of Mdnikka Vdfagar. 325
who was a noted member of the so-called third and last
Sangam.
This poem, therefore, was of that period, and in it
TiruvaHuvar is quoted. This affords confirmation of the
tradition that Tiruvaljuvar’s period was not later than the
last Sangam.
Now as to the date of this Sangam. There were, as
appears from the Mahawansa, the great chronicle of Ceylon
history, two Ceylon Kings of the name of Gajabahu, one of
the date of 113 a.d. and the other of the date of 1142 a.d. “
Now it is said in the Mahawansa that Gajabahu (the King
of Ceylon who was a contemporary of Senguttavan Chera,
and was present on one occasion at his court, as is
mentioned in the Silappadhikaram)f invaded the Chola
Kingdom in revenge for the Chdlas having invaded Ceylon.
Mr. Tirumalai Kolundu considers that this event must have
occurred in the reign of the earlier Gajabdhu (113 a.d.), as,
if we adopt the later date, we should have to place Kambar,
the great Tamil epic poet, already referred to, before the
period of the last Sangam, whereas he is known to have
lived later.J He therefore places the Sangam in about the
second century.
Mr. Seshagiri Sastriydr had arrived at the same conclusion
as Mr. Tirumalai Kolundu Pillai, that the period of the
Sangam, if it had an actual existence, coincided with the
reign of the earlier Gajabahu, and for this view the following
reasons are assigned : Ilangovadial, the author of the
Silappadhikaram, and Karikala Chbla, and one of the two
Kings of Ceylon, named Gajabahu, were all contemporaries.
Mr. Seshagiri Sastriyar assumes, on the authority of the
“ Madras Archaeological Reports,” vol. iv., that the first
Karikdla Chbla preceded Kulatonga Chbla (1064 to 1113)
* Not 1127 a.d., as stated p. 101 of Tirumalai Kolundu’s work. The
King of Ceylon in 1127 a.d. was “ Jayabahu.’’ The second Gajabahu
reigned 1142 a.d. See Duff’s “ Indian Chronology,’’ p. 321.
I See p. 100, Tirumalai Kolundu’s work.
f See p. 101, Tirumalai Kolundu’s work.