Chola Nadu

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Chola Nadu is a cultural region of the

in the 11th century CE.

The boundaries of the region roughly correlates with those of the British India districts of

Location

The Delta region covers Central Tamil Nadu and East-Central Tamil Nadu. The region is sandwiched between the historical regions of

in the east.

According to the Gazetteer of the Trichinopoly District, Vol II, 1931, p 67, "the traditional meeting place of the three Tamil kingdoms was the temple of Cellānti Amman on the banks of the Kāvēri, twelve miles west of Kulittalai and three miles below the junction of the Amarāvati and the Kāvēri. The temple was the common place of worship for the kings of the three Tamil dynasties; a bund which runs to the south of the river marks the boundary between the Cōla and the Pāntya territories, and the Karaipōttanār on the opposite bank of the river was the boundary between the Cōla and the Cēra kingdoms".[3]

Chola Kings

List of Chola kings
Early Cholas
Ellalan Kulakkottan Ilamchetchenni Karikala Nedunkilli Nalankilli Killivalavan Kopperuncholan Kochchenganan Perunarkilli
Interregnum (c. 200 – c. 848)
Medieval Cholas
Vijayalaya Chola 848–891(?) Aditya Chola I 891–907 Parantaka Chola I 907–950 Gandaraditya Chola 950–957 Arinjaya Chola 956–957 Sundara Chola 957–970 Aditya Chola II (co-regent) Uttama Chola 970–985 Rajaraja Chola I 985–1014 Rajendra Chola I 1012–1044 Rajadhiraja Chola 1044–1054 Rajendra Chola II 1054–1063 Virarajendra Chola 1063–1067 Athirajendra Chola 1067–1070
Later Cholas
Kulothunga Chola I 1070–1120 Vikrama Chola 1118–1135 Kulothunga Chola II 1133–1150 Rajaraja Chola II 1146–1173 Rajadhiraja Chola II 1166–1178 Kulothunga Chola III 1178–1218 Rajaraja Chola III 1216–1256 Rajendra Chola III 1246–1279
Related dynasties
Telugu Cholas of Andhra Chodagangas of Kalinga Rajahnate of Cebu
Chola society
Chola government Chola military Chola Navy Chola art Chola literature Flag of Chola Great Living Chola Temples Solesvara Temples Poompuhar Uraiyur Melakadambur Pazhayarai Thanjavur Tiruvarur Gangaikonda Cholapuram

Chola Empire

The genealogy of the Chola empire as found in the Tamil literature and in the many inscriptions left by the later Chola kings contains a number of kings recorded for whom there is no verifiable historic evidence. There are as many versions of this lineage as there are sources for them. The main source is the Sangam literature – particularly, religious literature such as Periapuranam, semi-biographical poems of the later Chola period such as the temple and cave inscription and left by medieval Cholas.

Irrespective of the source, no list of the kings has a high level of historic fact and, while they generally are similar to each other, no two lists are exactly the same. Modern historians^[who?] consider these lists not as historically reliable sources but as comprehensive conglomerations of various Hindu deities and Puranic characters attributed to local chieftains and invented ancestry of dynasty attempting to re-establish their legitimacy and supremacy in a land they were trying to conquer.

History

The history of the region begins with the rise of the

(Nagapattinam) stand testimony to a prosperous civilization.

Culture

The Chola Nadu region is renowned as a hub of Tamil culture and civilization. The region has been continuously inhabited since the 1st millennium BC. Arts, crafts and music flourished under the Cholas whose reign is considered to be the golden age in the history of Tamil Nadu. During the hegemony of the Vijayanagar Empire and its successors, the zThanjavur Nayak kingdom, there were frequent migrations of priests, administrators, soldiers and artists from the Telugu and Kannada districts of the north who brought in their traditions, art and dance forms. Despite its rise and initial success in the northern part of Karnataka, Carnatic music actually flourished in the Cauvery Delta.

who form the Tamil Trinity of Carnatic music.

Apart from music, dance and drama have also flourished in the Cauvery Delta. The Bhagavathar Melas, a series of dance-dramas, written almost entirely in Telugu, were introduced by migrants who sought refuge in the town of Melattur following the collapse of the Vijayanagar kingdom at the Battle of Talikota.

Bharatanatyam, a popular dance form by Bharatha muni, flourished in the dance of sadir which was practised in the temples of Chola Nadu by ritual temple dances or devadasis. Patronized and financed by dharmakarthas and rich mirasidars, sadir was popular until the early years of the 20th century when a strong voiced campaign resulted in the devadasi practised being outlawed. Sadir has, since, purged itself of its erotic symbolism and movements and gradually evolved into the commoners' dance Bharathanatyam.

Demographics

The Chola Nadu region had a population of over 10 million with a density of above 400 persons per km² in 2001. Due to fertile soil and favourable climate, the region has been the most densely populated in the Tamil country since ancient times.

More than 90% of the population speak

.

Important Personalities

The Chola Nadu region has produced a number of noteworthy personalities in the fields of arts, science, film and politics. Long recognized as a hub of Carnatic music, the region is home to most of India's renowned Carnatic musicians. There have also been important individuals in the field of politics. In British times, civil servants and lawyers from Chola Nadu like

Venkatraman Ramakrishnan

were other important people from the region.

Recent time politicians include the former Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu

Jayalalithaa

whose ancestors are from Tiruchirapalli and Thanjavur, Former Finance Minister of Tamil Nadu are from the Cauvery Delta region.

See also

• Coromandel Coast

Notes

References

• "History of the Chola Empire or Chola-mandalam". Louis Gerber.
• Eugene F. Irschick (1994). Dialogue and history: constructing South India, 1795-1895. University of california Press. p. 105.

Further reading

• R. Krishnamurthy (1979). The Saints of the Cauvery Delta. Delhi: Concept Publishing Company.
• M. S. Ramesh (2000). 108 Vaishnavite Divya Desams: Divya desams in Chola Nadu. Thirumala-Thirupathi Devasthanams.