Cholas

Chola’s
 After the decline of the Sangam period, the Cholas became
feudatories in Uraiyur.
 They became prominent in the ninth century and established an
empire comprising the major portion of South India.
 Their capital was Tanjore. The Cholas also extended their sway in Sri
Lanka and the Malay Peninsula.
 Therefore, they are called as the Imperial Cholas.
 Thousands of inscriptions found in the temples provide detailed
information regarding the administration, society, economy and
culture of the Chola period.
 cholas
 The founder of the Imperial Chola line was Vijayalaya. He
captured Tanjore from Muttaraiyars in 815 A.D. and built a temple
for Durga.
 Vijayalaya son Aditya I put an end to the Pallava kingdom by
defeating Aparajita and annexed Tondaimandalam.
 Parantaka I was one of the important early Chola rulers. He
defeated the Pandyas and the ruler of Ceylon.
 But he suffered a defeat at the hands of the Rashtrakutas king
Krishna III in the famous battle of Takkolam.
 cholas
 ParantakaI was a great builder of temples. He also provided the
Vimana of the famous Nataraja temple at Chidambaram with a golden
roof.
 The two famous Uttiramerur inscriptions that give a detailed account
of the village administration under the Cholas belong to his reign.
 Aftera gap of thirty years, the Cholas regained their supremacy under
Rajaraja I.
 Under Rajaraja I and his son Rajendra I the Chola power reached its
highest point of glory.
 Political History -Raja Raja I
 The
defeat of the Chera ruler Bhaskara Ravivarman in the naval battle of
Kandalur salai and the destruction of the Chera navy.
 Thedefeat of the Pandya ruler, Amarabhujanga and establishment of Chola
authority in the Pandya country.
 The
conquest of Gangapadi, Tadigaipadi and Nolambapadi located in the
Mysore region.
 The invasion of Sri Lanka which was entrusted to his son Rajendra I. As
the Sri Lankan king Mahinda V fled away from his country, the Cholas
annexed the northern Sri Lanka.
 Thecapital was shifted from Anuradha pura to Polan aruva where a Shiva
temple was built
 Political History
 The Chola victory over the growing power of the Western Chalukyas of
Kalyani was an important one
 Satyasraya was defeated and Rajaraja I captured the Raichur Doab,
Banavasi and other places.
 Hence the Chola power extended up to the river Tungabadhra.
 Therestoration of Vengi throne to its rulers Saktivarman and
Vimaladitya by defeating the Telugu Chodas.
 Rajaraja gave his daughter Kundavai in marriage to Vimaladitya.
 Rajaraja’slast military achievement was a naval expedition against the
Maldive Islands which were conquered.
 Political History
 By these conquests, the extent of the Chola empire under Rajaraja I
included the Pandya, Chera and the Tondaimandalam regions of Tamil
Nadu and the Gangavadi, Nolambapadi and the Telugu Choda territories
in the Deccan and the northern part of Ceylon and the Maldive Islands
beyond India.
 Rajarajaassumed a number of titles like Mummidi Chola, Jayankonda
and Sivapadasekara.
 Rajaraja was a devout follower of Saivism.
 Rajaraja completed the construction of the famous Rajarajeswara temple
or Brihadeswara temple at Tanjore in 1010 A.D.
 Rajarajaalso helped in the construction of a Buddhist monastery at
Nagapattinam.
 Rajendra I (1012-1044 A.D)
 Rajendra demonstrated his military ability by participating in his
father’s campaigns and continued his father’s policy of aggressive
conquests and expansion.
Important wars were:
 Mahinda V, the king of Sri Lanka attempted to recover from the Cholas
the northern part of Ceylon. Rajendra defeated him and seized the
southern Sri Lanka.
 Thus the whole of Sri Lanka was made part of the Chola Empire.
 He reasserted the Chola authority over the Chera and Pandya countries.
He defeated Jayasimha II, the Western Chalukya king.
Rajendra I (1012-1044 A.D)
 The river Tungabadhra was recognised as the boundary between the
Cholas and Chalukyas.
 His most famous military enterprise was his expedition to north India.
The Chola army crossed the Ganges by defeating a number of rulers on
its way.
 Rajendra defeated Mahipala I of Bengal.
 To commemorate this successful north-Indian campaign Rajendra
founded the city of Gangaikondacholapuram and constructed the
famous Rajesvaram temple in that city.
 He also excavated a large irrigation tank called Chola gangam on the
western side of the city.
 Rajendra I (1012-1044 A.D)
 Another famous venture of Rajendra was his naval expedition to Kadaram or Sri
Vijaya. It is difficult to pin point the real object of the expedition. Whatever its
objects were, the naval expedition was a complete success.
 A number of places were occupied by Chola forces. But it was only temporary and
no permanent annexation of these places was contemplated. He assumed the title
Kadaramkondan.
 Rajendra I had put down all rebellions and kept his empire intact and at the death
of Rajendra I the extent of the Chola Empire was at its peak.
 The river Tungabadhra was the northern boundary. The Pandya, Kerala and Mysore
regions and also Sri Lanka formed part of the empire.
 He gave his daughter Ammangadevi to the Vengi Chalukya prince and further
continued the matrimonial alliance initiated by his father.
 Rajendra I (1012-1044 A.D)
 Rajendra
I assumed a number of titles, the most famous being
Mudikondan, Gangaikondan, Kadaram Kondan and Pandita Cholan.
 Like his father he was also a devout Saiva and built a temple for that
god at the new capital Gangaikondacholapuram.
 He made liberal endowments to this temple and to the Lord Nataraja
temple at Chidambaram.
 He was also tolerant towards the Vaishnava and Buddhist sects.
 After Rajendra I, the greatness of the Chola power was preserved by
rulers like Kulottunga I and Kulottunga III.
 Kulottunga I and III
 During Kulottunga I reign Sri Lanka became independent..
 Kulottunga I sent a large embassy of 72 merchants to China and
maintained cordial relations with the kingdom of Sri Vijaya.
 Under Kulottunga III the central authority became weak. The rise of the
feudatories like the Kadava rayas and the emergence of the Pandya power
as a challenge to Chola supremacy contributed to the ultimate downfall of
the Chola Empire.
 Rajendra III was the last Chola king who was defeated by Jatavarman
Sundarapandya
 Chola Administration
 The Cholas had an excellent system of administration. The emperor or
king was at the top of the administration.
 The big capital cities like Tanjore and Gangaikondacholapuram, the
large royal courts and extensive grants to the temples reveal the
authority of the king.
 They undertook royal tours to increase the efficiency of the
administration.
 There was elaborate administrative machinery comprising various
officials called perundanam and sirudanam.
 Revenue
 The land revenue department was known as puravu vari thinaikkalam. All
lands were carefully surveyed and classified for assessment of revenue.
 The residential portion of the village was called ur nattam. These and other
lands such as the lands belonging to temples were exempted from tax.
 Besides land revenue, there were tolls and customs on goods taken from one
place to another, various kinds of professional taxes, dues levied on
ceremonial occasions like marriages and judicial fines.
 During the hard times, there were remission of taxes and Kulottunga I
became famous by abolishing tolls and earned the title – Sungam Tavirtta
Cholan.
 The main items of government expenditure were the king and his court, army
and navy, roads, irrigation tanks and canals.
 Military Administration
 The Cholas maintained a regular standing army consisting of elephants,
cavalry, infantry and navy. About seventy regiments were mentioned in
the inscriptions. The royal troops were called Kaikkola perumpadai.
 Within this there was a personal troop to defend the king known as
Velaikkarar. Attention was given to the training of the army and
military cantonments called kadagams existed.
 The Cholas paid special attention to their navy. The naval
achievements of the Tamils reached its climax under the Cholas.
 They controlled the Malabar and Coromandal coasts. In fact, the Bay
of Bengal became a Chola lake for sometime.
 Provincial Administration
 The Chola Empire was divided into mandalams and each mandalam
into valanadus and nadus. In each nadu there were a number of
autonomous villages.
Mandalams - The royal princes
The valanadu - periyanattar
Nadu - Nattar.
The Nagaram - Nagarattar.
 Village Assemblies
 The system of village autonomy with sabhas and their committees developed
through the ages and reached its culmination during the Chola rule.
 Two inscriptions belonging to the period of Parantaka I found at Uttiramerur
provide details of the formation and functions of village councils. According to
them village was divided into thirty wards and each was to nominate its
members to the village council.
 The qualifications to become a ward member were:
a. Ownership of at least one fourth veli of land.
b. Own residence.
c. Above thirty years and below seventy years of age.
d. Knowledge of Vedas.
 Village Assemblies
 However, certain norms of disqualification were also mentioned in the inscriptions.
They were:
a. Those who had been members of the committees for the past three years.
b. Those who had failed to submit accounts as committee members.
c. Those who had committed sins.
d. Those who had stolen the property of others.
 From the persons duly nominated, one was to be chosen for each ward by kudavolai
system for a year.
 The names of eligible persons were written on palm-leaves and put into a pot. A
young boy or girl would take out thirty names each for one ward.
 The committee members were called vaariyapperumakkal. They usually met in the
temple or under a tree and passed resolutions. The number of committees and ward
members varied from village to village.
 Socio-economic Life
 Castesystem was widely prevalent during the Chola period. Brahmins
and Kshatriyas enjoyed special privileges.
 The inscriptions of the later period of the Chola rule mention about two
major divisions among the castes – Valangai and Idangai castes.
However, there was cooperation among various castes and sub-castes in
social and religious life.
 The practice of ‘sati’ was prevalent among the royal families. The
devadasi system attached to temples emerged during this period.
 Both Saivism and Vaishnavism continued to flourish during the Chola
period. The temples remained centers of economic activity during this
period. The mathas had great influence during this period. Both
agriculture and industry flourished.
 Socio-economic Life
 Reclamation of forest lands and the construction and maintenance
of irrigation tanks led to agricultural prosperity. The weaving
industry, particularly the silk-weaving at Kanchi flourished.
 The metal works developed owing to great demand of images for
temples and utensils. Commerce and trade were brisk with trunk
roads or peruvazhis and merchant guilds.
 Gold,silver and copper coins were issued in plenty at various
denominations. Commercial contacts between the Chola Empire
and China, Sumatra, Java and Arabia were extensively prevalent.
 Arabian horses were imported in large numbers to strengthen the
cavalry.
 Education and Literature
 Besides the temples acts as educational centres, several educational
institutions also flourished. The inscription at Ennayiram,
Thirumukkudal and Thirubhuvanai provide details of the colleges existed
in these places.
 Apart from the Vedas and Epics, subjects like mathematics and medicine
were taught in these institutions. Endowment of lands was made to run
these institutions.
 Sivakasintamani written by Thiruthakkadevar and Kundalakesi belonged
to 10th century. The Ramayana composed by Kamban and the
Periyapuranam by Sekkilar are the two master-pieces of this age.
 Art and Architecture
 The Dravidian style of art and architecture reached its perfection under
the Cholas. The chief feature of the Chola temple is the vimana.
 The early Chola temples were found at Narthamalai and Kodumbalur in
Pudukottai district and at Srinivasanallur in Tiruchirappalli district.
 The Big Temple at Tanjore built by Rajaraja I is a master-piece of
South Indian art and architecture. It consists of the vimana,
ardhamandapa, mahamandapa and a large pavilion in the front known
as the Nandimandapa.
 Another notable contribution made by the Cholas to temple architecture
is the Siva temple at Gangaikondacholapuram built by Rajendra I.
Narthamalai, Kodumbalur & Srinivasanallur
Brahadishvara Temple
Gangaikondam Temple
 Art and Architecture
 TheAiravathesvara temple at Darasuram in Tanjore District and
the Kampaharesvara temple at Tribhuvanam are examples of later
Chola temples.
 The Cholas also made rich contributions to the art of sculpture.
The walls of the Chola temples such as the Tanjore and
Gangaikondacholapuram temples contain numerous icons of large
size with fine execution.
 The bronzes of the Chola period are world-famous. The bronze
statues of Nataraja or dancing Siva are master pieces.
 TheChola paintings were found on the walls of Narthamalai and
Tanjore temples.
Airavathesvara & Kampaharesvara
Bronzes of the Chola