Cholas: Encyclopedia - Cholas

Cholas

The Chola Empire rose to power in the 9th century in the Tamil speaking districts of Southern India. Although the Chola Dynasty existed since at least 100 BCE., it was during the 9th Century CE that it began its rise into a major world power. Under Rajaraja Chola (Rajaraja The Great) and his son Rajendra Chola, the Cholas rose as a notable military, economic and cultural power in Asia. The Chola Empire stretched from southern Maldives as far north as the Himalaya Mountains and West Bengal in North India. Rajaraja Chola conquered peninsular South India, and annexed parts of Sri Lanka by defeating the Pandyas. Rajendra Chola went beyond, occupying coastal Burma, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Sumatra, Java, Malaya in South East Asia and Pegu islands with his fleet of ships. He defeated Mahipala, the king of Bihar and Bengal, and to commemorate his victory he built a new capital called Gangaikonda Cholapuram. Tamil Chola armies exacted tribute from Thailand and Cambodia. The power of the Cholas declined around the 13th century. The Cholas were the first Indian empire to engage in naval conquest overseas.

Cholas - The Capital cities of the Cholas

Uraiyur was the capital of the Sangam or Early Cholas (1st - 4th centuries CE). Pazhaiyaarai (under Vijayalaya), and later, Thanjavur, was the capital of the Chola Empire from the 9th-11th Centuries. Rajendra Chola moved the capital to Gangaikonda Cholapuram in the 11th Century, where it remained till the 13th Century, by which time the empire had declined and shrunk to the Cauvery delta. It was taken over by the medieval Pandyan kingdom.

Cholas - Legacy of the Medieval Cholas

The Great Chola Empire which spanned most of South and South East Asia led to a flowering of Tamil Hindu architecture, dance, music, literature, religion and arts throughout the littoral of the Indian Ocean. It's legacy can be seen in the monumental temples of the Chola heartland, the deep South of India, and the Hindu festivals and temples of Bali, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Cholas - Early Cholas or Sangam Cholas

The early Cholas ruled between the 1st and the 4th centuries CE. The most famous king of the early Cholas was Karikalan (2nd century CE). He is well known for his great engineering marvel, "Kallanai", a great anaikut (dam used for irrigation) across the Kaveri River. Kallanai is considered the oldest water-diversion structure in the world still in use. Karikalan is said to have invaded Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and used his captives as slave labor. He was succeeded by his grandson Nedumudikilli.

The port city of Puhar flourished during the time of the early Cholas. Puhar was a major port on the trade routes between the Middle East and East Asia. It is mentioned in the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea and the Tamil epic, Cilappathikaram

From the 3rd century, the Cholas' power declined under the pressure of frequent attacks by the Cheras and later the Pallavas and Pandyas, but with the weakening of the Pallavas, they recovered their position by the mid-9th century.

Cholas - Medieval Cholas

The Medieval Cholas rose to prominence when King Vijayalaya defeated the Pallavas and captured Thanjavur. In the early 10th century King Paranthaka I defeated the Pandyan king Rajasimha and also invaded Ceylon (Sri Lanka). Though his son, Rajaditya, was defeated and killed by the Rashtrakuta ruler Krishna III (c.949 CE), the setback proved only temporary. The Medieval Chola kings would go on to capture most of South India, Bengal, and some overseas territories in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and Indonesia. Until the later 13th century, the Chola Empire was the most powerful in South India.

The greatest kings among the Medieval Cholas were Rajaraja Chola I (reigned 985-1014 CE) and his son Rajendra Chola I (reigned 1014-42 CE). Under them, Chola power reached its zenith. Rajaraja conquered Kerala and a part of Ceylon (Sri Lanka). Rajendra later completed the conquest of Sri Lanka, crossed the Ganges and marched across Kalinga to Bengal, and sent out a great naval expedition that occupied parts of Burma (Myanmar), Malaya, Java and Sumatra. Later Chola armies also made raids into what is now Cambodia and Thailand.

For 300 years the Chola kingdom supported a flourishing social and economic life, marked by a flowering of Dravidian culture. Rajendra, to commemorate his victory beyond the Ganges, created a new capital and named it Gangaikonda Cholapuram. And it is noteworthy that the Cholas were the first rulers in the Indian subcontinent to maintain a fleet and use it to expand their dominion overseas.

By the 13th century, however, the Chola kingdom had exhausted its resources and was on the decline. It succumbed to an attack by the Hoysalas from the west and the Pandyas from the south. The last king of the Medieval Cholas was Rajendra Chola IV (d. 1279).

The emblem of the Chola empire was the tiger, which was featured on the Chola flag, on coins, and in other contexts of political significance.

Cholas - Chola Navy

The Cholas are attributed to be amongst the earliest kingdoms to posses a powerful navy that could threaten neighbouring countries. The first of these was Karikalan who attacked the nearby island of Ceylon and defeating the army. He was also instrumental in occupying the Lakshadweep islands. Another King with many more maritime victories was Raja Rajan Cholan who is arguably responsible for leading the 2nd Golden Age of Tamil Nadu. After his decisive victories over the Cheras and Pandias, he turned his attention to the Sinhalese King Mahinda V. He assembled the navy and sent it on a conquest to Sri Lanka. The Chola Navy defeated King Mahinda. After the military victory Raja Rajan built a Hindu temple there in Polonnaruva. In the period 984-1042 CE, the Chola kings also despatched great naval expeditions which occupied parts of Burma, Malaya and Sumatra, while suppressing piracy by the Sumatran warlords.

Apart from the royal navy, a consortium of powerful Chola merchants known as the Nootruvar Kuzhaam (Group of One Hundred) were allowed by the king to operate their own navy in order to protect their merchant vessels from pirates.

Cholas - List of Chola Kings

Cholas - Early Sangam Cholas

• Veliyan Tittan (50 B.C.E- 25 B.C.E)
• Porvaikko-Perunarkilli (25 B.C.E-1 B.C.E)
• Mudittalaiko-Perunarkilli a.k.a Ilan-set-Senni (1 B.C.E-25)
• Karikalan I (1-25 C.E)
• Velpahtadakkai-Perunarkilli (25-50 C.E)
• Uruva-pahter-Ilan-id-Senni (50-75 C.E)
• Karikalan II (75-100 C.E)
• Sed-Senni-Nalankilli (100-125 C.E)
• Kulamurrattu-tunciya-Killivalavan (125-150 C.E)
• Rajasuyam-Vetta-Perunarkilli (150-175 C.E)
• Cholan Ko-Cenkannan (175-200 C.E)

Cholas - Medeival Cholas

Cholas - Reference

• Venkata Ramanappa, M. N. (1987). Outlines of South Indian History. (Rev. edn.) New Delhi: Vikram.

Categories: Ruling clans of India | Historical Indian empires | Historical Hindu empires | Cholas

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Cholas", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki