Everything about CHOLAS

Everything about CHOLAS

Q. Who were the Cholas?

·      The earliest references to the Cholas date as far back as the third century BCE, and were made by the Mauryan emperor Ashoka. However, very little evidence exists about the early Cholas, apart from the early Tamil literature of the third Sangam, and the references made about them in an ancient Graeco-Roman periplus written in the early centuries of the Common Era.

·   The Chola Empire as we know it in all its glory, emerged sometime in the mid ninth century under King VijayalayaChola. The dynasty of Vijayalaya left behind a vast number of stone inscriptions and some copper plate grants, which has, in the last few decades, been the main source for reconstructing the history of the Cholas.

·     The Cholaempire was at its most expansive under Arulmozhivarman, who on acceding to the throne in 985 CE, adopted the regnal title of Rajaraja or king of kings. Rajaraja I was referred to as the “emperor of the three worlds” or as possessing the whole universe.

·   The Cholas, along with the Pandyas of Madurai and the Cheras were the three great kingdoms of ancient Tamilakam which roughly corresponds to present day Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry, Lakshadweep and the southern parts of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

·   By the time Rajaraja I came to the throne, the Cholas had gained the upper hand over the Pandyas and emerged as the primary power in the northern and eastern parts of the Tamil country.

·      RajarajaChola understood that domination of lucrative trade routes was a sure way to distinguish himself and his court from the other fragmented polities of the Tamil country. Their singular maritime outreach of expeditions, conquests or trade with respect to Sri Lanka, the Maldives, China, Java/Sumatra and southeast Asia are evoked not only by Chola inscriptions, but also in overseas evidence ranging from inscriptions for Tamil trade guilds (such as from Thailand), to the Song Chinese contacts and Chola-inspired Siva temple in Quanzhou.

·    RajarajaChola established himself as one of the most astute political and military strategists that southern India had ever seen. By the close of the 10th century, he had overrun almost all of the Pandya territories and appointed his own governors there. He then moved to Sri Lanka, ransacking some of the greatest of Buddhist viharas and establishing the presence of the Cholas through the building of Shiva temples.

·   The expansion of the Cholaempire continued under RajarajaChola’s son, RajendraChola, also known as Rajendra the Great or GangaikondaChola (the Chola who conquered Ganga). He built theChola capital at Gangaikondacholapuram (close to present day Tiruchirapalli) to commemorate his victory over the Pala dynasty in present day Bengal in 1025 CE. He then erected a gigantic Shiva temple in it as a mark of thanks giving to the lord.

·      At the peak of their rule in the ninth and tenth centuries, the entire area south of the Tungabhadra River was brought together as a single unit under the Cholas. They were perhaps the only dynasty from Southern India to have moved north, marching into Eastern India, where Rajendra Chola is known to have defeated the Pala king of Pataliputra.

Q. Decline of Cholas:

The medieval Chola empire began to decline from 1070 CE, after the death of Virarajendra Chola, the son of Rajendra Chola. A period of chaos prevailed, which ended with the emergence of the Later Cholas, a dynasty that was the product of alliances between the Cholas and the Eastern Chalukyas

Chola Art and Architecture:

·     From the 10th century onward, the Cholas more prominently started making structural temples.The gigantic Brihadeshwara Temple in Thanjavur is perhaps one of the finest examples of the Cholas’ artistic brilliance. The Brihadeshwara Temple alone that was consecrated in 1010 CE by Rajaraja I has nearly a hundred inscriptions.”

·       It is also called Dakshina Meru (Meru of the South)

·   Built by Chola emperor Rajaraja I between 1003 and 1010 CE, the temple is a part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the "Great Living Chola Temples", along with the Chola-era GangaikondaCholapuram temple and Airavatesvara temple,

The gopuram of the Brihadeshwara Temple

·      It is the scale of temple building activities under the Cholas that mark them out (from Chalukyas and Pallavas). For instance, the pyramidal vimana of the Brihadeshwara temple of 66 metres is one of the tallest buildings in antiquity. “Then there is the GangaikondaCholapuram temple with its catenary shaped vimana which is also a unique engineering marvel.”

·       Inscriptional evidence in Chola art also points to the prominent role played by royal women and dancers in patronage for art and architecture. One of the most celebrated patrons was the widowed queen of GandaradityaChola, SembiyanMahadevi. An avid temple builder, she is well known for her contributions to temples such as Umamaheshvar Temple at Konerirajapuram, Tirukkurangaduturai Temple at Aduturai, Tirukkotisvarar Temple at Tirukkodikkaval among others. She also founded the village, SembiyanMahadevi, named after her, near Nagapattinam in Thanjavur district.

·      It is under SembiyanMahadevi that the celebrated Nataraja icons in bronze and stone are more prominently displayed in temples.Then there was Kundavai, the sister of Rajaraja I and his principal queen, Lokamahadevi, who added considerably to Chola art.