Upon ascending the throne, the young Raja's first act was to imprison his nephew Varakunavarman, Thakur of Kanchipuram for his plotting to claim the Raj. Upon seeing Katunkon's armies preparing to capture him, Varakunavarman willingly submitted to imprisonment. Raja Katunkon set a small fine for his cousin before releasing him, in what many consider an act of kindness. Many at the time considered Katunkon a particularly diplomatic Raja, and in July of 791 he was able to negotiate the betrothal of his sister Taturântakiyâr to the heir of Rajputana, Rajkumar Alsi.
As these negotiations occurred, the young Raja's mother attempted to regain power by convincing him to remove Irâcâcekara from his post as Chancellor, but the young Raja refused. This incident soured the relationship between Irâcâcekara and Akkadevi, and this show of independence is why some consider 791 the year Katunkon's regency truly ended. In 792 Raja Katunkon had his famous scimitar forged. Many legends have been written about it, but most consider the scimitar to be relatively average workmanship for the era, kept by his descendents more out of respect for the Raja than for its value as a weapon.
Another possible reason for its persistence in popular memory may be the legend that upon receiving his scimitar, the Raja spontaneously felt greater ambition and a desire to be more than he already was. Most serious historians will point out that the legend wasn't codified for at least another couple of centuries after his time, but the theory persists because it makes for such a good story.
While it was of little concern to the Raja in 793, it makes a good point of reference to remark that this was the period in which Iconoclasm replaced Orthodoxy in the Byzantine Empire. What did concern the Raja was a request from the Tang Emperor for heavenly horses. While the demand was expensive, the Tang Empire had been quite stable for some time and had been demanding tribute from a number of northern hordes. Soon after the emperor received Raja Katunkon's horses, he sent a gift back in the form of Mi Hong, a 34-year-old man who would aid Katunkon in ruling Tondai Nadu for decades to come.
To show his respect for Mi Hong, Katunkon quickly arranged for a woman from Tibet to marry him. Later that year the Raja's betrothed Prasadhanadevi arrived, and the two were officially married. The following March, Katunkon held a feast in honor of the Chinese Emperor thanking him for the fine calligraphy which had been sent.
In January of 796, the loyal Mayor Makêntiravarman passed away, and Raja Katunkon was forced to find a new steward. Though many expected Katunkon to select Varakunavarman in order to keep him from joining any factions, the young Raja chose instead to make Mi Hong his Steward. Though an unexpected choice, nobody could deny that Hong was the greatest administrator in the realm at the time.
Unfortunately, the simple relationship with China was not long for this world. In May of 797, the Jurchens began to invade the Tang Empire, throwing China into chaos.
In June of 797, Raja Katunkon began construction of a temple in Vijayawada as his Upadhyaya Atirâcêntira lay on his deathbed. Katunkon's physician, Âccinataratippan "the Affable" was selected as his replacement, but for all his learning Katunkon's court never considered him a true replacement for the spiritual leader Atirâcêntira had been. This was also the year Raja Katunkon's first son was born in. Named Katunkon after his father, he would be the elder Katunkon's pride and joy. It is said that Raja Katunkon held a great feast in honor of his son's first birthday, and many of his vassals came to celebrate with him. Many say that the Raja began to trust his mother once again after seeing how she treated her new grandchild.
In 799, the temple of Chebrolu was completed, and Raja Katunkon had a second son named Varakunan. This led the Raja to realize that his realm would likely be divided between his sons, and that this could threaten his project to make Tondai Nadu a regional force to be reckoned with. He would search for a means of consolidating his power for much of his life. In the meantime, he sent a request to the Emperor of China asking for an artifact to remember the Tang by. What he received was a Ji, a spear which Raja Katunkon and his descendants would carry into battle for centuries to follow. As the Raja practiced with his new Ji, he also began to take up falconry, a talent which earned him considerable fame for a time. However as 799 ended his Spymaster Atitta died, leaving the Raja without anyone sniffing out plots against him. The Raja quickly determined that the Thakur of Potapi, Nantivarman (one of Katunkon's nephews) was both a potentially dangerous vassal as well as a skilled one, and a man he could trust enough to put in charge of the realm's intrigue. Nantivarman was swiftly put to work breaking up factions trying to destabilize the Raj.
Many legends surround Raja Katunkon, but one which many think was inspired by real events is the tale of his expulsion of bandits from his lands. As the story goes a group of caravan raiders began to cause trouble in Vijayawada, and as this disruption was occurring in the Raja's own capital he snuck inside their camp and found their leader. With his scimitar at the bandit's throat, Katunkon demanded that the entire group of bandits leave at once or face terrible deaths. Needless to say, the bandits required little additional convincing.
In March of 801, the third son of Katunkon was born. Named Cataiyavarman, he would prove himself quite skilled when he grew up, as would his twin sister Varakuni. The next month Katunkon's concubine would bear him a fourth son, Perumâl, complicating succession further than it already was. You see, the Raja held three Thikanas personally, which could reasonably be split among three sons. But when a fourth son comes along, the division of titles leaves this youngster out. This meant that Raja Katunkon would have to find a way to get a fourth title for his sons to each be treated well. Some think that this is why Katunkon chose to act on the reports he was receiving suggesting that Nantivarman the Spymaster was trying to fabricate a claim on the Raj of Tondai Nadu. Nantivarman, seeing his liege's large army and how he had treated Varakunavarman, submitted to imprisonment willingly. Knowing that his vassals would object to title revocation when Nantivarman had put up no resistance, Katunkon instead decided to leave Nantivarman in his dungeons. As Nantivarman's replacement, Katunkon selected Vellantânkinân, the Pujari in Chebrolu, for his loyalty and skill.
Around 802-803, the Raja is said to have noticed that the wealth he and his wife were basking in was leading them to gain weight as they lounged and gorged themselves within Kondavidu. He resolved that the two of them should try harder to stay fit, and once he had worked himself to the weight he wanted he carefully encouraged his wife to follow suit. This story is most often considered a legend, used within southern India to teach the challenge of improving oneself as a lengthy process, and a path you cannot abandon without losing progress. According to the tale, Katunkon and his wife would both find themselves battling their base desires for the rest of their lives.
In March of 803 the leader of the council Irâcâcekara died, leaving his Thikana of Cholamandalam to his son, Vicayâlaya. Irâcâcekara had made plans in life, and ensured that his descendants would continue to hold the ear of the Raja by adding to his son's intrigue education with his own diplomatic insights. Throughout the lands, it was largely agreed that this endeavor had been successful and that Vicayâlaya was the greatest diplomat the realm could hope for. Katunkon readily placed Irâcâcekara's son on his council as his chancellor.
This left him without a designated regent, and in a move that made some within his family worried, he chose his concubine Jira Rothsaid. She was the mother of his second daughter only, and the Raja insisted that her broad education would be more effective in maintaining the realm would he die than any other candidate. In an effort to appease his wife and other children, he supposedly agreed to refrain from laying with her, which is why he never bore another child through her.
In July of 803, Katunkon's eldest son began his education in Thrift. Katunkon had felt well-prepared by the education his regency had given him, and wanted to ensure his heir would receive that same education. It was also around this time that Katunkon sent Vellantânkinân to study the technology of the Abbasids in Samarra. This province would prove to be a gold mine of technology foreign to Tondai Nadu, and Vellantânkinân would soon send back progress in his studies. Unfortunately, he was unable to work for long as he died in February of 804.
Without the skilled Vellantânkinân, Raja Katunkon felt as though no man seemed effective enough to replace him. Many see this as the start of the political selection of councilors instead of merit-based selection within Katunkon's rule, as Varakunavarman was selected as the replacement spymaster. It was broadly recognized that while no man was a replacement for Vellantânkinân, Varakunavarman was a poor schemer at best. It is considered factual that Katunkon selected Varakunavarman solely because, as Thakur of Kanchipuram, he was an influential vassal and could pose a threat without the binding obligations of being a councillor. With this view, it makes plenty of sense that the Thakur was chosen. Katunkon still felt that Tondai Nadu required the advanced technology of distant lands, but decided that the military power of China was more important than the minor castle building of the Arabian Empire, and as a result Varakunavarman was sent to Kara Khoja to study technology in the land claimed by China's "Western Protectorate". In January of 805, the Raja received news that the Tang Emperor Li Dingzong had died and left the throne to his son, Li Aizong. The new emperor was supposedly trying to maintain contact with the world to its west, but the Jurchen invasion continued to sap the nation's strength and public opinion in Tondai Nadu agreed that the Tang Dynasty was not long for this world.
In June of 805, Varakunan became 6 years old. As Katunkon's second child, it was unlikely that he would rule the Raj. Katunkon subsequently decided that his remaining sons, likely to become powerful vassals under his eldest son, should at least be well educated in a variety of subjects. It is for this reason that Varakunan was taught Humility, in the hope that he would be a useful and docile vassal for his brother.
In July, unexpected news reached the Raja: the Tang, after decades of warfare, had successfully repulsed the Jurchen invasion. With their invaders crushed, China was once again stable, and the silk road would once again become a reliable source of wealth for the Raj.
In October, Lanka suffered a revolt. Though Katunkon searched and searched, he could not find a way to take advantage of this instability. The councilors of the realm were unable to give any reason to invade the island, and Katunkon was told that none would willingly supply troops for a war without cause. With his desire stymied, he was forced to watch the opportunity pass him by.
Near the end of March in 806, Katunkon had yet another son. Named Parânkucan, his existence brought the controversy of succession to Katunkon's mind once more. Without many personal holdings, he felt that whatever victories he may have in this life, his children would be too divided to continue his legacy. Some consider this dilemma to be the reason Thakur Nantivarman of Potapi was finally ransomed from prison. Under this hypothesis, Katunkon began to amass wealth in hopes of constructing more castles his children could inherit. Unfortunately for this goal, the situation in China would change once again.
In January of 807, famine and drought paralyzed China's economy. The artisans of China, unknowing supporters of the Tondai Nadu economy, were focused more on survival than on producing the silken wares that Katunkon and his Raj relied upon. Without the Silk Road, many feared that Tondai Nadu would be unable to hire mercenaries if they were invaded again, though the Raja's stockpiling of wealth meant that this would likely not be the case.
In March of 807 Katunkon's third son Cataiyavarman became old enough to consider his education. Katunkon decided that his third son should make a good commander, and began to focus on the struggle he would face as the third son and final to be granted a holding. A few months later, Perumâl began learning thrift. The thought process here was likely that his already apparent skill in mathematics meant he would become an effective administrator for his brothers, should he get the chance.
June of 807 marked a significant moment in Tondai Nadu. The powerful Maharaja Kaskutha of Rajputana demanded that Tondai Nadu honor the alliance they shared, and called on Katunkon to send support for his war against Bengal. Katunkon readily accepted this call to war, and gathered his troops to support Kaskutha's forces. In July, Katunkon personally led his force of some 1300 men on the long march to Rajputana. Reaching the border in October of 807, Katunkon urged his troops on to Kota so they could join Kaskutha's forces. They met the tail end of Kaskutha's army, and followed for the rest of the year until they reached the war goal: the Thikana of Gwalior, de jure part of Rajputana.
