I found a similar event in alexander's history and the history of tanjore.
The year, (335 BC), Alexander was triumphantly campaigning north, the Thebans rebelled . Alexander reacted immediately while Thebes decided this time to resist with the utmost vigor. The resistance was useless; in the end, the city was conquered with great bloodshed. The Thebans encountered an harsh fate when their city was razed to the ground except the house of Pindar, (perhaps the greatest of the nine lyric poets of ancient Greece) whose house was the only one left standing.
when the pandyas razed tanjore to the ground they similarly left only the mandapam dedicated to a poet standing.
I was under impression that Sundara pandian, did not do much injustice to Tanjore, because of Raja Rajan, as it was Rajendhra I, to have gained control over Pandia country directly. I guess, I read this in a book by Rasamanikanar, 'Cholar Varalaru'. May be the great Sundara Pandian, like many other great tamil kings, did not bring down the Temples.
There is a always an event I used to imagine about Sundara Pandian.
He gave the kingdom back to Raja Raja III, when his family was requesting for it, though under certain conditions.
Let it be Cheras, Cholas or Pandia's, tamil kings are great.
Greatness is often enrobed in humility and sincere humbleness. To conquere another land and expand one's kingdom seemed a natural aim those days. Probably all the kings heart of heart wanted to build a "United Tamil Kingdom" but war superceded thoughts of a multilateral govenment.
Greatness is often enrobed in humility and sincere humblenss.In our lives today we meet people who are successful yet kind, powerful yet humble......attavism from history.
akanda thamizhagam is what most of the great kings visualised. one united front against a future invader. kalki explains it thro the words of the pallava king in parthiban kanavu.
but this strategy failed miserably in 1312. one united tamil kingdom failed to stop the khilghi invader. infact it was a miserable flop. till the invader came upto srirangam news did not reach the king at madurai. there were no vassals to stop the invader or atleast delay him till the emperor got his battle fatigues ready.
whereas on the contrary if a pallava had stopped malik kafur in thindivanam, chola stopped him in srirangam the madurai war might have been different.