About 16 miles long, it was provided with sluices and canals for irrigating the lands in the neighbouring areas. Military Administration:The Cholas maintained a large army consisting o… The guild was one of the most significant institutions of south India and merchants organised themselves into guilds. Scholars generally agree that this literature belongs to the late centuries before the common era and the early centuries of the common era. [133] During the Chola period silk weaving attained a high degree and Kanchipuram became one of the main centres for silk. Vijayalaya was the founder of the Imperial Chola dynasty which was the beginning of one of the most splendid Empires in Indian history. [95], According to Tamil tradition, the Chola country comprised the region that includes the modern-day Tiruchirapalli District, Tiruvarur District, Nagapattinam District, Ariyalur District, Perambalur district, Pudukkottai district, Thanjavur District in Tamil Nadu and Karaikal District. [146], The Chola queen Kundavai also established a hospital at Tanjavur and gave land for the perpetual maintenance of it. Uraiyur served as the early Chola capital, then medieval Cholas shifted to Thanjavur and later cholas king Rajendra Chola I moved the capital … [31][e] Urayur (now a part of Thiruchirapalli) was their oldest capital. [129] The vellan-vagai villages fell into two broad classes- one directly remitting a variable annual revenue to the state and the other paying dues of a more or less fixed character to the public [201][202][203] Periapuranam was another remarkable literary piece of this period. Your email address will not be published. He also successfully invaded kingdoms of the Malay Archipelago. Rajaraja Chola conquered peninsular South India, annexed parts of what is now Sri Lanka and occupied the islands of the Maldives. A martial art called Silambam was patronised by the Chola rulers. [188], The Chola period is also remarkable for its sculptures and bronzes. He also invaded Ceylon in … After this, he entered into a marital alliance with Veera Ballala II (with Ballala's marriage to a Chola princess) and his relationship with Hoysalas seems to have become friendlier.[67][j]. [151] During the reign of the Imperial Chola rulers (10th-13th century) there were major changes in the temple administration and land ownership. [56] Rajendra Chola I built a new capital called Gangaikonda Cholapuram to celebrate his victories in northern India. [139][140] The Vellalar community was the dominant secular aristocratic caste under the Chola rulers, providing the courtiers, most of the army officers, the lower ranks of the bureaucracy and the upper layer of the peasantry. [69], The Cholas under Kulothunga Chola III collaborated to the herald the dissolution of the Chalukyas by aiding Hoysalas under Veera Ballala II, the son-in-law of the Chola monarch, and defeated the Western Chalukyas in a series of wars with Someshvara IV between 1185–1190. The Chola dynasty (Tamil: சோழர்) ... After Rajendra Chola moved his capital to Gangaikonda Cholapuram, Thanjavur lost its importance The later Chola kings moved around their capitals frequently and made cities such as Chidambaram, Madurai and Kanchipuram their regional capitals. [119][120][need quotation to verify], The soldiers of the Chola dynasty used weapons such as swords, bows, javelins, spears and shields which were made up of steel. The king then granted the management of the Ranganathaswamy temple to Dasarathi and his descendants as per the wish of Ramanuja. [220] Parantaka I and Parantaka Chola II endowed and built temples for Shiva and Vishnu. The Chola Navy (Tamil: சோழர் கடற்படை; Transliteration: Cōḻar kadatpadai) comprised the naval forces of the Chola Empire (4th Century BCE - 1279 CE), a Tamil thalassocratic empire of southern India, one of the longest-ruling dynasties in the world. The temple of Gangaikondacholisvaram at Gangaikondacholapuram, the creation of Rajendra Chola, was intended to excel its predecessor. [192][m], The Imperial Chola era was the golden age of Tamil culture, marked by the importance of literature. The Tirumukkudal inscription shows that a hospital was named after Vira Chola. [83][84] At the close of the 12th century, the growing influence of the Hoysalas replaced the declining Chalukyas as the main player in the Kannada country, but they too faced constant trouble from the Seunas and the Kalachuris, who were occupying Chalukya capital because those empires were their new rivals. [130] Uraiyur, the capital of the early Chola rulers, was a famous centre for cotton textiles which were praised by Tamil poets. We recommend staying at Svatma, while you plan to visit Tanjore for an aesthetic Tamil experience. There was a well-developed and highly efficient system of water management from the village level upwards. [34][35][36] They were displaced by the Pallava dynasty and the Pandyan dynasty in the 6th century. [161][162] The Tang dynasty of China, the Srivijaya empire under the Sailendras, and the Abbasid Kalifat at Baghdad were the main trading partners. The heartland of the Cholas was the fertile valley of the Kaveri River, but they ruled a significantly larger area at the height of their power from the later half of the 9th century till the beginning of the 13th century. [30], While the Cholas did build their largest and most important temple dedicated to Shiva, it can be by no means concluded that either they were followers of Shaivism only or that they were not favourably disposed to other faiths. The fortifications were mostly made up of bricks but other materials like stone, wood and mud were also used. However, this invasion gravely weakened the Srivijayan hegemony and enabled the formation of regional kingdoms. Rajendra Chola-I also constructed new capital for Chola Empire, called Gangaikonda Cholapuram to commemorate his victories over Kalinga, Pal and Gangas. [211], Nannul is a Chola era work on Tamil grammar. Other names in common use for the Cholas are Killi (கிள்ளி), Valavan (வளவன்), Sembiyan (செம்பியன்) and Cenni. [citation needed], Kaveripoompattinam on the coast near the Kaveri delta was a major port town. [105], In almost all villages the distinction between persons paying the land-tax (iraikudigal) and those who did not was clearly established. [125] The navy grew both in size and status during the medieval Cholas reign. [133] During this period the weavers started to organise themselves into guilds. [170] In all of these spheres, the Chola period marked the culmination of movements that had begun in an earlier age under the Pallavas. His administrative role consisted of issuing oral commands to responsible officers when representations were made to him. During the past 150 years, historians have gleaned significant knowledge on the subject from a variety of sources such as ancient Tamil Sangam literature, oral traditions, religious texts, temple and copperplate inscriptions. [197][198][199] The grammarian Buddhamitra wrote a text on Tamil grammar called Virasoliyam. A. L. Frothingham, Jr. Kalā: The Journal of Indian Art History Congress, The Congress, 1995, p.31, ndia: The Most Dangerous Decades by Selig S. Harrison p.31, Between 2 Oceans (2nd Edn): A Military History of Singapore from 1275 to 1971 by Malcolm H. Murfett, John Miksic, Brian Farell, Chiang Ming Shun p.16, South India and Her Muhammadan Invaders by S. Krishnaswami Aiyangar p.40-41, A Global History of Architecture by Francis D. K. Ching, Mark M. Jarzombek, Vikramaditya Prakash p.338, Technology and Society by Menon R.V.G. The history of the Cholas falls into four periods: the Early Cholas of the Sangam literature, the interregnum between the fall of the Sangam Cholas and the rise of the Imperial medieval Cholas under Vijayalaya (c. 848), the dynasty of Vijayalaya, and finally the Later Chola dynasty of Kulothunga Chola I from the third quarter of the 11th century. [218], In general, Cholas were followers of Hinduism. Kadal Pura is set during the period when Kulothunga Chola I was in exile from the Vengi kingdom after he was denied the throne. [i] The Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang, who spent several months in Kanchipuram during 639–640 writes about the "kingdom of Culi-ya", in an apparent reference to these Telugu Cholas. [26] Kaveripattinam also served as an early Chola capital. One of the Three Crowned Kings (dynasties) of Tamilakam, "Chola" redirects here. Due to the lack of a legislature or a legislative system in the modern sense, the fairness of king's orders dependent on his morality and belief in Dharma. [205][page needed] He imports into his narration the colour and landscape of his own time; his description of Kosala is an idealised account of the features of the Chola country. The king was aided and advised by a council of ministers who held office at the pleasure of the king. [116], The Chola rulers built several palaces and fortifications to protect their cities. Driving into the interior, the next stop is at Gangaikondacholapuram, another of the erstwhile Chola dynasty capitals from the 11th century CE, commemorating a military quest that reached the Ganges and brought back pots of sacred water. [40] At its peak, the Chola Empire stretched from the island of Sri Lanka in the south to the Godavari-Krishna river basin in the north, up to the Konkan coast in Bhatkal, the entire Malabar Coast (the Chea country) in addition to Lakshadweep, and Maldives. The best known of these were the Manigramam and Ayyavole guilds though other guilds such as Anjuvannam and Valanjiyar were also in existence. Despite these ancient origins, the period when it is appropriate to speak of a "Chola Empire" only begins with the medieval Cholas in the mid-9th century CE. [94] He was sent by the Maharajah to establish a base for expeditionary forces, but he rebelled and established his own independent rajahnate. [177][full citation needed][178][full citation needed], The Cholas continued the temple-building traditions of the Pallava dynasty and contributed significantly to the Dravidian temple design. It served as the capital city for a span of 250 years. p.15, The State at War in South Asia by Pradeep Barua p.17, Temple art under the Chola queens by Balasubrahmanyam Venkataraman p.72, Buddhism, Diplomacy, and Trade: The Realignment of Sino-Indian Relations by Tansen Sen p.159, A History of Early Southeast Asia: Maritime Trade and Societal Development by Kenneth R. Hall, Aryatarangini, the Saga of the Indo-Aryans, by A. Kalyanaraman p.158, India and Malaya Through the Ages: by S. Durai Raja Singam, sfnp error: no target: CITEREFIsmail1988 (, Relationship of the Cholas with the Chinese, Looking for the Prehispanic Filipino: and other essays in Philippine history, "The Telugu Cholas of Konidena (A.D. 1050-1300) [Part 1]", UNESCO World Heritage sites – Chola temples, South-East Asia campaign of Rajendra Chola I, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chola_dynasty&oldid=994201492, 1st-millennium BC establishments in India, States and territories disestablished in 1279, States and territories established in the 4th century BC, Articles with unsourced statements from April 2015, Wikipedia indefinitely semi-protected pages, All Wikipedia articles written in Indian English, Articles with unsourced statements from June 2016, Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from April 2015, Wikipedia articles needing factual verification from April 2015, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from April 2015, Articles with incomplete citations from April 2015, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, "Empire" as a description of foreign policy, This page was last edited on 14 December 2020, at 15:58. The Cholas are featured in the History of the World board game, produced by Avalon Hill. The Chola Empire, though not as strong as between 850–1150, was still largely territorially intact under Rajaraja Chola II (1146–1175) a fact attested by the construction and completion of the third grand Chola architectural marvel, the chariot-shaped Airavatesvara Temple at Dharasuram on the outskirts of modern Kumbakonam. Some scholars identify Kulothunga Chola II with Krimikanta Chola or worm-necked Chola, so called as he is said to have suffered from cancer of the throat or neck. Kocengannan, an Early Chola, was celebrated in both Sangam literature and in the Shaivite canon as a Hindu saint. But the Cholas remained stable until 1215, were absorbed by the Pandyan empire and ceased to exist by 1279. [209][210] Ottakuttan wrote Kulothunga Cholan Ula, a poem extolling the virtues of the Chola king. It records the names of the kings and the princes, and of the poets who extolled them. All authority rested in his hands. Copperplate grants of the Pallava Buddhavarman (late 4th century) mention that the king as the "underwater fire that destroyed the ocean of the Chola army". [160] The Cholas, being in possession of parts of both the west and the east coasts of peninsular India, were at the forefront of these ventures. [207][208] The Tamil poet Ottakuttan was a contemporary of Kulothunga Chola I and served at the courts of three of Kulothunga's successors. The elephants played a major role in the army and the dynasty had numerous war elephants. institutions like temples to which they were assigned. However, his successor, the last great Chola monarch Kulottunga Chola III reinforced the hold of the Cholas by quelling rebellion and disturbances in Lanka and Madurai, defeated Hoysala generals under Veera Ballala II in Karuvur, in addition to holding on to his traditional territories in Tamil country, Eastern Gangavadi, Draksharama, Vengi and Kalinga. [122] The army consisted of people from different castes but the warriors of the Kaikolar and Vellalar castes played a prominent role. [212], The period was in particular significant for the development of Telugu literature under the patronage of the rulers. The increase in the royal patronage and also the number of devadana and bramadeya lands which increased the role of the temples and village assemblies in the field. According to Cebuano oral legends, a rebel branch of the Chola dynasty continued to survive in the Philippines up until the 16th Century, a local Malayo-Tamil Indianized kingdom called the Rajahnate of Cebu which settled in the island of Cebu which was founded by Rajamuda Sri Lumay who was half Tamil, half Malay. The Pandyas first steadily gained control of the Tamil country as well as territories in Sri Lanka, southern Chera country, Telugu country under Maravarman Sundara Pandiyan II and his able successor Jatavarman Sundara Pandyan before inflicting several defeats on the joint forces of the Cholas under Rajaraja Chola III, and the Hoysalas under Someshwara, his son Ramanatha[80] The Pandyans gradually became major players in the Tamil country from 1215 and intelligently consolidated their position in Madurai-Rameswaram-Ilam-southern Chera country and Kanyakumari belt, and had been steadily increasing their territories in the Kaveri belt between Dindigul-Tiruchy-Karur-Satyamangalam as well as in the Kaveri Delta i.e., Thanjavur-Mayuram-Chidambaram-Vriddhachalam-Kanchi, finally marching all the way up to Arcot—Tirumalai-Nellore-Visayawadai-Vengi-Kalingam belt by 1250. [41][43], Around the 7th century, a Chola kingdom flourished in present-day Andhra Pradesh. They established educational institutions and hospitals around the temple, enhanced the beneficial aspects of the role of the temple, and projected the royalty as a very powerful and genial presence. Chola administration and territorial integrity until the rule of Kulothunga Chola III was stable and very prosperous up to 1215, but during his rule itself, the decline of the Chola power started following his defeat by Maravarman Sundara Pandiyan II in 1215–16. The earliest datable references to this Tamil dynasty are in inscriptions from the 3rd Rajendra Chola I or Rajendra I was a Tamil Chola emperor of South India who succeeded his father Rajaraja Chola I to the throne in 1014 CE.During his reign, he extended the influence of the Chola empire to the banks of the river Ganga in North India and across the Indian ocean to the West and South East Asia, making the Chola Empire one of the most powerful maritime empires of India. [7] The Chola fleet represented the zenith of ancient Indian sea power. The Cholas are also known as the Choda. [199][206][page needed][207], Jayamkondar's masterpiece, Kalingattuparani, is an example of narrative poetry that draws a clear boundary between history and fictitious conventions. [81][82], The Cholas, under Rajaraja Chola III and later, his successor Rajendra Chola III, were quite weak and therefore, experienced continuous trouble. The best example of this can be seen in the form of Nataraja the Divine Dancer. Completed around 1030, only two decades after the temple at Thanjavur and in the same style, the greater elaboration in its appearance attests the more affluent state of the Chola Empire under Rajendra. I was in particular significant for the longest period of time [ 225 ] a number villages... Literature belongs to this period the weavers and the region was unchanged geographically, there were than... 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Asia owe much to the rise of the time of Rajaraja following his invasion of Vengi the Brahmins ( caste. Speculates the whereabouts of Kulothunga Chola I and Parantaka Chola II and military roles then granted the of. Was drawn up and attested by a number of similarities with the administration evidence are mentioned the! Elements in the Western Chalukya empire and made an alliance with Prince Vikramaditya.... This period e.g., Uyyakondan canal, Rajendran vaykkal, Sembian Mahadegvi vaykkal banks the! For whom there is no evidence that Rajendra was followed immediately by another Chola Prince that a hospital Virasolan... Father Rajaraja Chola I was in the culture of Cholas Telugu Cholas traced their descent the., southern India, one of the Imperial Chola dynasty was a Tamil dynasty of southern India of... Throughout Southeast Asia and influenced the architecture and art of Southeast Asia influenced! Were working in the history of the merchants ' interests villages constituted a valanadu former unlike... [ 218 ], in his capital to Gangaikonda Cholapuram, Thanjavur lost its importance literature... Other remunerated staff included a nurse, barber ( who performed minor operations ) and a.. Vellalar land owners 1279 CE—more than 1,500 years antiquity is evident from the 3rd century left! Century and led to the growth of Hoysala power in that quarter [ 147 ] [ 110 [!