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Cholas |
The Cholas were the most famous of the three dynasties that ruled ancient Tamil Nadu. The other two were the Cheras and the Pandyas.
Early Cholas
The early Cholas ruled between the 1st and the 4th centuries AD. The most famous
king of the early Cholas was Karikalan (2nd century AD). 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 labourers. He also marched up to the Himalayas,
defeating all the kings on his way, and engraved the Cholan symbol, the tiger,
on the rocks of the Himalayas. He was succeeded by his grandson Nedumudikilli.
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.
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),
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) and his son Rajendra Chola I (reigned 1014-42). 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, and Sumatra.
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.
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