in 1118 CE. According to the Pithapuram pillar inscription of Mallapadeva, dated 1202 CE, the Vengi province became devoid of a ruler and fell into a state of anarchy when Vikrama Chola left for the Chola dominions in the south towards the end of Kulottunga's reign. Vikramaditya VI used this opportunity to occupy Vengi during this period. However, this invasion was short lived and Vikrama Chola recaptured the province and annexed it to the Chola empire as soon as he ascended the throne. Kalinga wars { "type": "FeatureCollection", "features": [ { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "marker-symbol": "monument", "title": "Amarakantaka" }, "geometry": { "type": "Point", "coordinates": [81.753221, 22.682229] } }, { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "marker-symbol": "monument", "title": "Mouth of Godavari" }, "geometry": { "type": "Point", "coordinates": [82.343778, 16.729472] } }, { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "marker-symbol": "monument", "title": "Mouth of Mahanadi" }, "geometry": { "type": "Point", "coordinates": [86.708896, 20.295211] } } ] } The kingdom of Kalinga was not a single region but rather three distinct countries called Utkala or Odra (north and north-eastern parts of Odisha), Kosala or Dakshina Kosala (south-west Odisha and Chhattisgarh) and Kalinga proper. This region comprised the whole of present-day Odisha and northern part of Andhra Pradesh. These three regions together were referred to as Trikalinga. The Kalinga kingdom bordered the northern part of Vengi and therefore it was only natural for the different rulers of Kalinga to try and expand into the Eastern Chalukya territory or in the case of Kulottunga, the northern-eastern part of the Chola dominions. During the 11th century, the Kalinga kingdom was ruled by the Eastern Ganga dynasty who invariably became involved in Vengi and thereby indirectly in the Chola politics. The records of Kulottunga contain descriptions of two Kalinga wars. Prior to these wars, Kulottunga's forces was decimated by Rajaraja Deva of the Eastern Ganga dynasty and Kulottunga was forced to marry his daughter (or sister) to Rajaraja Deva. Kulottunga was also forced to put his sons as the Viceroy of Kalinga. Rajaraja Deva died in 1078 and Kulottunga's sons were in-charge of the adolescent Anantavarman Chodaganga, Rajaraja Deva's son. The first war seems to have occurred before 1096 CE as Kulottunga first claims to have conquered Kalinga in a record dated in the 26th year of his reign. The first Kalinga war seems to have been brought about by Kalinga's aggression against Vengi. The war resulted in the