Imperial Cholas

After the decline of the Sangam period, the Cholas became feudatories in Uraiyur. They became
prominent in the 9th century and established an empire comprising the major portion of South
India.

 Their capital was Tanjore.

 Also extended their sway in Sri Lanka and the Malay Peninsula. Therefore, they are
called as the Imperial Cholas
 Founder of the Imperial Chola line was Vijayalaya.
 Parantaka I 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.

Rajaraja I (985 – 1014 AD)

It was under Rajaraja I and his son Rajendra I that the Chola power reached its highest point of
glory. His military conquests were:
1. The defeat of the Chera ruler Bhaskararavivarman in the naval battle of Kandalursalai and
the destruction of the Chera navy.
2. The defeat of the Pandya ruler, Amarabhujanga and establishment of Chola authority in the
Pandya country.
3. The conquest of Gangavadi, Tadigaipadi and Nolambapadi located in the Mysore region.
4. 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. The
capital was shifted from Anuradhapura to Polanaruva where a Shiva temple was built.
5. The Chola victory over the growing power of the Western Chalukyas of Kalyani. Satyasraya
was defeated and Rajaraja I captured the Raichur Doab, Banavasi and other places. Hence the
Chola power extended up to the river Tungabadhra.
6. The restoration of Vengi throne to its rulers Saktivarman and Vimaladitya by defeating the
Telugu Chodas. Rajaraja gave his daughter Kundavai in marriage to Vimaladitya.
7. Rajaraja’s last military achievement was a naval expedition against the Maldive Islands
which were conquered.
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. Rajaraja assumed a number of titles like Mummidi Chola, Jayankonda and
Sivapadasekara. He was a devout follower of Saivism. He completed the construction of the
famous Rajarajeswara temple or Brihadeswara temple at Tanjore in 1010 AD. He also helped in
the construction of a Buddhist monastery at Nagapattinam.
Rajendra I (1012-1044 AD)

Rajendra had demonstrated his military ability by participating in his father’s campaigns. He
continued his father’s policy of aggressive conquests and expansion. His important wars were:
1. 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.
2. He reasserted the Chola authority over the Chera and Pandya countries.
3. He defeated Jayasimha II, the Western Chalukya king and the river Tungabadhra was
recognised as the boundary between the Cholas and Chalukyas.
4. 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 Cholagangam on the western side of the city.
5. 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.
6. Rajendra I had put down all rebellions and kept his empire intact.
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
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.
Later Rulers
After Rajendra I, the greatness of the Chola power was preserved by rulers like Kulottunga I
and Kulottunga III. Kulottunga I was the grandson of Rajendra I through his daughter
Ammangadevi. He succeeded the Chola throne and thus united the Vengi kingdom with the
Chola Empire. During his reign Sri Lanka became independent. Subsequently, Vengi and the
Mysore region were captured by the western Chalukyas. 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
Kadavarayas and the emergence of the Pandya power as a challenge to Chola supremacy
contributed to the ultimate downfall of the Chola Empire. Rajendra III (AD 1070-1280) was
the last Chola king who was defeated by Jatavarman Sundarapandya II. The Chola country
was absorbed into the Pandya Empire.
 Chola Administration
Central Government

 Excellent system of administration

 Emperor or king was at the top of the administration. The extent and resources of the Chola
Empire increased the power and prestige of monarchy.
 Big capital cities like Tanjore and Gangaikondacholapuram, the large royal courts and
extensive grants to the temples reveal the authority of the king.
 Undertook royal tours to increase the efficiency of the administration.
 Elaborate administrative machinery comprising various officials called Perundanam and
Sirudanam.

Revenue

 Land revenue department was well organized. It was called as Puravuvarithinaikkalam.

 Residential portion of the village was called Urnattam.
 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.
 The hard times, there was remission of taxes and Kulottunga I became famous by abolishing tolls
and earned the title – Sungam Tavirtta Cholan.

Military Administration

 Royal troops were called Kaikkolaperumpadai.

 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

Provincial Administration
 Divided into mandalams and each mandalam into valanadus and nadus.
 In each nadu there were a number of autonomous villages
 Royal princes or officers were in charge of mandalams.
 Valanadu was under periyanattar and nadu under nattar.
 Town was known as nagaram and it was under the administration of a council called nagarattar.

Village Assemblies

 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 the village council
 The village was divided into thirty
 Wards and each was to nominate its members to the village council.
 From the persons duly nominated, one was to be chosen for each ward by kudavolai system for a
year.
 Were divided into six variyams such as samvatsaravariyam, erivariyam, thotta variyam, pancha
variyam, pon variyam and puravuvari variyam to take up six different functions of the village
administration.
 Committee members were called Variyapperumakkal.

Socio-economic Life

 Brahmins and Kshatriyas enjoyed special privileges

 Inscriptions of the later period of the Chola rule mention about two major divisions among the
castes – Valangai and Idangai castes
 Cooperation among various castes and sub-castes in social and religious life
 Position of women did not improve. The practise of ‘Sati’ was prevalent among the royal
families. The devadasi system or dancing girls attached to temples emerged during this period
 Saivism and Vaishnavism continued to flourish during the Chola period.
 Temples remained centres of economic activity during this period
 Mathas had great influence during this period
 Commerce and trade were brisk with trunk roads or peruvazhis and merchant guilds
 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 and mathas as educational centres, several educational institutions also
flourished.
 An inscription at Ennayiram, Thirumukkudal and Thirubhuvanai provide details of the colleges
existed in these places.
 Development of Tamil literature reached its peak during the Chola peri
 Sivakasintamani written by Thiruthakkadevar and Kundalakesi belonged to 10th centu
 Ramayana composed by Kamban and the Periyapuranam or Tiruttondarpuranam by Sekkilar are
the two masterpieces of this age. Jayankondar’s Kalingattupparani describes the Kalinga war
fought by Kulotunga I. The Moovarula written by Ottakuthar depicts the life of three Chola
kings. The Nalavenba was written by Pugalendi. The works on Tamil grammar like Kalladam by
Kalladanar, Yapperungalam by Amirthasagarar, a Jain, Nannul by Pavanandhi and Virasoliyam
by Buddhamitra were the products of the Chola age

Art and Architecture

The Dravidian style of art and architecture reached its perfection under the Cholas. They built
enormous temples. 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. The Airavathesvara 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 masterpieces. The Chola paintings were found on the walls of Narthamalai and Tanjore
temples.