Pandyan Civil War (1169–1177)

Pandyan Civil War
	; Sinhalese troops ride into Southern India
Date	1169–1177
Location	Southern India and Sri Lanka
Result	Pandyan civil conflict ends. Rival kingdoms abandon military intervention; Sinhalese-Vira Pandya alliance lost the war against Cholas ;
Territorial; changes	Polonnaruwa kingdom and Vira Pandya III kingdom Alliance occupy Rameshwaram until 1182; Chola backed-faction controls the majority of Pandya Nadu.; Pandya Nadu re-established;
Belligerents
Chola dynasty Pandya dynasty	Kingdom of Polonnaruwa Pandya dynasty
Commanders and leaders
Kings Rajaraja II; (1166–1168); Rajadhiraja II; (1174–1177); Kulothunga Chola III; (1179–1182); Kulasekara Pandyan; (1166-1168); Jatavarman Vira Pandyan; (1174–1177); Vikrama Pandiyan; (1179–1182); Commanders Peruman Nambi Pallavarayan (supreme); (1166–1168); Anna Pallavarayan (supreme); (1174–1182); Narasinga Varmarayan; (1166–1168); Kandan Suryan Rajaraja Sambuvarayan (1174–1182); Kandadeva Mazhavan; Mazhava Chakkaravrti;	Kings Parakramabahu I; Parakrama I †; (1166–1168); Kulasekara Pandyan; (1174–1177); Jatavarman Vira Pandyan; (1179–1182); Commanders Lankapura Dandanatha (supreme) †; Jagath Vijaya †; Lankapura Deva; Lankagiri Sora; Kesadathu Kitti; Gokanna; Kandadeva Mazhavan; Mazhava Chakkaravarti;
Units involved
Chola Army ; Chola Navy; Pandyan auxiliaries of Kongu	Polonnaruwa Army; Polonnaruwa Navy ; Pandyan auxiliaries
Casualties and losses
Unknown number of casualties	Sinhala commanders Lankapura Dandanatha, Jagath Vijaya and their officers and soldiers were killed ; King Parakrama Pandyan I with many number of his soldiers and many number of Sinhalese Soldiers were killed.
	Some Tamils captured from the war were brought to Sri Lanka to renovate the Ruwanwelisaya;; Ramanathaswamy temple plundered by Sinhala army.
	The Cholas killed some Sinhalese and took others captive during the counter invasion in Sri Lanka.

The Pandyan Civil War from 1169 to 1177 was precipitated by rival claims of succession to the Pandyan throne. The Civil War began between Parakrama Pandyan and his nephew Kulasekhara Pandyan and lasted for the next 15 years between successive Pandyan kings. The war gradually spread to the rest of Southern India when the Chola King Rajadhiraja II and the Sinhalese King Parakramabahu I of Polonnaruwa entered the fray and took opposing sides in the conflict, eager to increase their influence in the Pandyan kingdom.

In about 1169, Kulasekhara besieged Madurai, forcing the Pandyan king Parakrama I to appeal to the Sinhalese King Parakramabahu I for assistance. But before Parakramabahu I's army could reach Madurai, Parakrama I had been executed, and Kulasekhara Pandyan had ascended the throne. However, Parakrama's son, Vira Pandyan III, sided with the Polonnaruwa forces led by General Lankapura Dandanatha. The Polonnaruwa Army invaded the Pandyan kingdom and, Kulasekhara Pandyan was forced into exile.