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Introduction
The Chola dynasty was one of the longest ruling dynasties in Indian
history. Under Rajaraja Chola I and his successors Rajendra Chola I,
Rajadhiraja Chola, Virarajendra Chola and Kulottunga Chola I the
dynasty became a military, economic and cultural power in South
Asia and South-East Asia.

Chola rule led to cultural contact between India, China and South-
East Asia.
 Sources of study

Inscriptions Bhakti literature in Tamil

massive temple complexes
Early Cholas
• The earliest Chola kings are mentioned in the Sangam literature.

• The founder of the Chola Empire was Vijayalaya, who was a

subordinate of the Pallavas of Kanchi. He captured Tanjore in 850
CE and made it his capital.

• The Chola dynasty was at the peak of its influence and power
during the early medieval period.

• The second Chola King, Aditya I, caused the end of the Pallava
dynasty. In 907, his son Parantaka I succeeded him. He conquered
Madurai from the Pandya ruler Rajasimha II. He assumed the title of
Maduraikonda (captor of Madurai).
Aditya I (c. 891 – c. 907 CE), the son of Vijayalaya, was the Chola
king who extended the boundaries of Chola kingdom by defeating
Pallavas and Western Ganga Kingdom.

Rajaraja created a powerful standing army and a navy. A large

number of regiments are mentioned in the Thanjavur inscriptions.

These regiments were divided into elephant troops, cavalry and

infantry. The Pandyas, Cheras and the Sinhalas allied against
the Cholas and in 994 CE, Rajaraja destroyed the fleet of the
Chera king Bhaskara Ravi Varman Thiruvadi in the Kandalur War.
Rajaraja defeated the Pandya king Amarabhujanga and captured
the port of Virinam.
To commemorate these conquests, Rajaraja assumed the title
Mummudi Chola.

Mahinda V was the Sinhalese king when Rajaraja invaded Sri Lanka
in 993 CE. Rajaraja captured only the northern part of Sri Lanka
while the southern part remained independent. One of the last
conquests of Rajaraja was the naval conquest of the islands of
Maldives
• In 1010 CE, Rajaraja built the Brihadeeswara
Temple in Thanjavur dedicated to Lord Shiva. The
temple and the capital acted as a center of both
religious and economic activity. The temple turned
1000 years old in 2010.

• The temple is part of the UNESCO World

Heritage Site known as the “Great Living Chola
Temples”,
• Rajaraja was succeeded by his son Rajendra who proved to be a
worthy successor. Rajendra invaded Sri Lanka in 1017 CE and
annexed the entire island. The Sinhala king Mahinda V was taken
prisoner and deported to the Chola country. In 1019 CE,
Rajendra’s forces marched through Kalinga towards the river
Ganga.

• The Chola army eventually reached the Pala kingdom of Bengal

where they defeated Mahipala.

• The Chola army went on to raid East Bengal and defeated

Govindachandra of the Chandra dynasty and invaded Bastar
region. He constructed a new capital at Gangaikondacholapuram
and took the title of Gangaikonda.
In 1025 CE, Rajendra led Chola forces across the Indian Ocean and
invaded Srivijaya, attacking several places in Malaysia and Indonesia.
The Chola forces captured the last ruler of the Sailendra Dynasty
Sangrama Vijayatunggavarman.

The Chola invasion was the end of Srivijaya. For the next century,
Tamil trading groups from southern India dominated Southeast Asia.
Rajendra Chola built a vast artificial lake, sixteen miles long and
three miles wide which was one of the largest man-made lakes in
India.
Chola state and administration
Worship of the dead rulers, and construction of temples as tributes
to dead kings were a special feature of the Chola period. Such
practices indicate the power and influence of Chola kings.
 Chola Administration
King was the supreme leader

Central administration
Provincial administration
Central Administration

• The Chola system of government was monarchical, as in the

Sangam age.

• Aside from the early capital at Thanjavur and the later on at

Gangaikonda Cholapuram, Kanchipuram and Madurai were
regional capitals in which occasional courts were held.

• King was the supreme leader

• His administrative role consisted of issuing commands to
responsible officers.

• The Chola kings, built temples and endowed them with great
wealth. The temples acted not only as places of worship but also
as centres of economic activity, benefiting the community as a
whole. The Chola temples played very crucial role in
strengthening the political structure by providing legitimacy to
the kings.

• Department of revenue played a very important role in regular

collection of taxes and other dues.
Provincial Administration

• Provincial administration involved division of empire into

principalities (under vassal chiefs) and Mandalams (provinces
under viceroys who were mostly royal princes).

• Provinces were further divided into Valanadus (divisions), Nadus

(districts) and Kurmas (villages).

• Autonomous administration for towns and townships was known

as Tankurams. Town autonomy was quite similar to village
autonomy and both were administered by assemblies.
• Brahmadeya or agrahara villages were granted to Brahmanas and
were inhabited entirely by them.

• Sabha’s membership was restricted to the Brahmanas of the

village, or it was found exclusively in villages gifted to
Brahmanas. Nagaram was found more commonly in trade centres
such as cities and towns.

• The Ur was open to all the taxpaying male adults of the village,
but in effect the older members played a more prominent role.
Military
• The Chola Kings Had A
Professional Military, Of
Which The King Was The
Supreme Commander.

✓ The Cavalry
✓ The Elephant Corps,
Infantry
✓ Navy.
There were regiments of bowmen and swordsmen while
the swordsmen were the most permanent and dependable troops.

The elephants played a major role in the army and kings had
numerous war elephants.

The Chola navy was the best of ancient Indian sea power. Chola
kings were able to extend the boundaries of their empire because of
the efficient army they commanded.
Economy
• Land revenue and trade tax were the main source of income.

• The Chola rulers issued their coins in gold, silver and copper.

• Apart from sinking wells and excavating tanks, the Chola rulers
made mighty stone dams across Kaveri and other rivers and cut out
channels to distribute water over large tracts of land. Rajendra
Chola dug an artificial lake near his capital. The various irrigation
measures undertaken by Chola kings greatly added to the material
prosperity of the society.
The Chola state excelled in foreign trade and maritime activity,
extending their influence overseas to China and Southeast Asia.
Towards the end of the 9th century, southern India had developed
extensive maritime and commercial activity.

The south Indian guilds played a major role in interregional and

overseas trade.

The Song dynasty of China, the Srivijaya empire under the

Sailendras, and the Abbasid Khilafat at Baghdad were the main
trading partners.
Society
• Chola kings donated lands for public welfare as well.

• The Tirumukkudal inscription shows that a hospital was named

after Vira Chola.

• The farmers occupied one of the highest positions in society.

• The quality of the inscriptions of the regime indicates a high

• level of literacy and education. The text in these inscriptions was
written by court poets and engraved by talented artisans.
Tamil was the medium of education for the masses;
Religious monasteries (matha or ghatika) were centres of learning
and received government support
Chola Art
And
Architecture
Temples
prominent feature of early medieval urbanisation is the
development of vast temple complexes into major temple cities.

Chola kings built a number of Shiva temples along the banks of the
river Kaveri. The Chola temple architecture has been appreciated for
its magnificence as well as delicate workmanship.

The Brihadeeshvara Temple, the temple of Gangaikondacholapuram

and the Airavatesvara Temple at Darasuram were declared as World
Heritage Sites by the UNESCO and are referred to as the ‘Great
living Chola temples.’
• Temple architecture, particularly the dravida or south Indian
style of architecture was developed by the Cholas.

• The village assembly invariably held its meetings in the temple

mandapa (pavillion), which became an additional feature of the
Chola temple architecture.

• The Pudukkotai district in Tamil Nadu has an unusually large

number of early Chola temples, which give us a good idea of
the growth of the south Indian style of architecture from the
Pallava period to the Chola period. Most important among them
is undoubtedly the Vijayalaya Cholesvara temple at Narthamalai
(also called Melamalai).
Sculpture & Paintings
The Chola period also witnessed great strides in the field of
sculpture. The three main categories of Chola sculpture are
portraits, icons and decorative sculpture.

There are three well-preserved and nearly life-size portraits on the

walls of the Kuranganatha temple at Srinivasanallur and several
others in the Nagesvarasvami temple at Kumbhakonam.

The Cholas are particularly known for their Nataraja bronzes (bronze
statues of Nataraja or the dancing Siva) which are masterpieces of
this art. The best example is the Nataraja image in the Nagesvara
temple at Kumbhakonam.
Nataraja or the
dancing Siva
• Chola wall paintings
are found on the walls
of the Vijayalaya
Cholesvara and
Rajarajesvara temples.

• On the walls of the

Vijayalaya Cholesvara
temple, large painted
figures of Mahakala,
Devi and Shiva are still
visible.