Chola Empire

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Later Cholas
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Chola Empire
848–1279
Gold Gadyana coin of emperor Rajaraja I (985–1014). Uncertain Tamil Nadu mint. Legend "Chola, conqueror of the Gangas" in Tamil, seated tiger with two fish. of Chola empire
Gold Gadyana coin of emperor Rajaraja I (985–1014). Uncertain Tamil Nadu mint. Legend "Chola, conqueror of the Gangas" in Tamil, seated tiger with two fish.
Official languages
Religion
Hinduism
GovernmentMonarchy
Emperor 
• 848–871
Vijayalaya Chola (first)
• 1246-1279
Rajendra III (last)
Historical eraMiddle Ages
• Established
848
• Empire at its greatest extent
1030
• Disestablished
1279
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Pandya Dynasty
Pallava Empire
Chera Kingdom
Eastern Chalukyas
Srivijaya Empire
Tambralinga
Eastern Ganga Dynasty
Anuradhapura Kingdom
Principality of Ruhuna
Western Chalukya Empire
Pandya Dynasty
Kingdom of Polonnaruwa
Kakatiya Empire
Eastern Ganga Dynasty
Melayu Kingdom
Venad
Hoysala Empire

The Chola Empire, which is often referred to as the Imperial Cholas,

thalassocratic empire that was established by the Pottapi branch of the Chola dynasty
that rose to prominence during the middle of the ninth century and united southern India under their rule.

The power and the prestige the Cholas had among political powers in South, Southeast, and

Pandyan dynasty, which ultimately caused the Chola's downfall.[3]

The Cholas established a centralized form of

Chola bronzes of Hindu deities that were built using a lost wax process, was pioneered in their time. The Chola tradition of art spread, and influenced the architecture and art of Southeast Asia.[7][8]

Founding

The city of Thanjavur

Pandya and Pallava empires in c. 850, captured Thanjavur from Muttarayar, and established the imperial line of the medieval Chola Dynasty.[11][12] Thanjavur became the capital of the Imperial Chola empire.[13]

Under

Rashtrakutas under Krishna III and the Cholas' heir apparent Rajaditya Chola was killed in the Battle of Takkolam, in which the Cholas lost Tondaimandalam region to Rashtrakutas.[citation needed
]

The Cholas recovered their power during the reign of

Raja Raja Chola I, the greatest Chola monarch.[citation needed
]

Imperial era

Chola princes Aditha Karikalan and Arulmozhi Varman meeting their guru
Rajendra I proclaimed as Emperor by Shiva and Shakthi

Under

Rajendra conquered

Talakkad, and Kolar, where Kolaramma temple still has his portrait statue—in Kannada country.[24][full citation needed] Rajendra's territories included the Ganges–Hooghly–Damodar basin,[25] as well as Rajarata of Sri Lanka and the Maldives.[11] The kingdoms along the east coast of India up to the river Ganges acknowledged Chola suzerainty.[26] Diplomatic missions were sent to China in 1016, 1033, and 1077.[11]

Chola–Chalukya wars

From the period of Rajaraja, the Cholas engaged in a series of conflicts with the

Rajadhiraja
.

Rajendra's reign was followed by those of three of his sons in succession;

. In his eagerness to restore Chola hegemony over Vengi to its former absolute state, Rajadhiraja I (1042–1052) led an expedition into Vengi country in 1044–1045. He fought a battle at Dhannada, and compelled the Western Chalukyan army and Vijayaditya VII to retreat in disorder. Rajendra then entered the Western Chalukyan dominions and set fire to the Kollipaka fort on the frontier between the Kalyani and Vengi territories.

This brought relief for Rajaraja Narendra, who was now firmly in control at Vengi, with Rajadhiraja I proceeding to the Chalukyan capital, displacing the Chalukyan king Someshvara I, performing his coronation at Manyakheta, and collecting tribute from the defeated king, who had fled the battlefield. While the Chalukyans kept creating trouble through Vijayaditya VII, Vengi remained firmly under the control of the Cholas. Someshvara I again launched an attack on Vengi and then the Cholas in 1054.

After Rajadhiraja died, Rajendra II crowned himself on the battlefield. He galvanized the Chola army, defeating the Chalukyas under Someshvara I. The Chalukya king again fled the battlefield, leaving behind his queen and riches in the possession of the victorious Chola army. The Cholas consolidated their hold on Vengi and Kalinga. Although there were occasional skirmishes with the Chalukyas, they were repeatedly defeated by both the Cholas and the Vengi princes, who openly professed loyalty to the Chola empire. Following the death of Rajaraja Narendra in 1061, another opportunity for the Kalyani court to strengthen its hold on Vengi arose. Vijayaditya VII seized Vengi and with the consent of the Kalyani court, established himself permanently in the kingdom. Meanwhile, prince Rajendra Chalukya, son of Rajaraja Narendra through the Chola princess Ammangai, was brought up in the Chola harem. Rajendra Chalukya married Madhurantakidevi, the daughter of RajendraII. To restore him on the Vengi throne, RajendraII sent his son Rajamahendra and brother ViraRajendra against the Western Chalukyas and Vijayaditya VII. Chola forces marched against Gangavadi and repelled the Chalukyas. Virarajendra then marched against Vengi and probably killed Saktivarman II, son of Vijayaditya VII.

In the midst of this, in 1063, Rajendra II died; because his son Rajamahendra had predeceased him, Virarajendra returned to Gangaikonda Cholapuram and was crowned the Chola king (1063–1070). Virarajendra split the Western Chalukya kingdom by persuading Chalukya prince Vikramaditya IV to become his son-in-law and to seize the throne of Kalyani for himself. When Virarajendra died in 1070, he was succeeded by his son Adhirajendra, who was assassinated a few months later, leaving the Chola dynasty was without a lineal successor in the Vijayalaya Chola line.

Later Cholas

Sculpture of Kulottunga I
Airavatesvara Temple Built by Rajaraja II.

Marital and political alliances between the

Athirajendra Chola was assassinated in a civil disturbance, and Kulothunga Chola I, the son of Ammanga Devi and Rajaraja Narendra, ascended the Chola throne, beginning the Later Chola dynasty.[29]

The Later Chola dynasty was led by capable rulers such as

Hoysala Empire. Immediately after the accession of king Vikrama Chola, the son and successor of Kulothunga Chola I, the Cholas recovered the province of Vengi by defeating Chalukya Someshvara III; the Cholas also recovered Gangavadi from the Hoysalas. The Chola empire, though not as strong as between 850 and 1150, was still largely territorially intact under Rajaraja II (1146–1175) a fact attested to by the construction of the third grand, chariot-shaped Airavatesvara Temple at Dharasuram on the outskirts of modern Kumbakonam. Up to 1215, during the rule of Kulothunga Chola III, Chola administration and territorial integrity was stable and very prosperous, but during his rule, Chola power started declining following his defeat by Maravarman Sundara Pandiyan II in 1215–1216.[30] Subsequently, the Cholas also lost control of the island of Sri Lanka and were driven out by the revival of Sinhala power.[31]

The decline of the Cholas was also marked by the resurgence of the Pandyan dynasty as the most powerful rulers in South India. A lack of a controlling central administration in its erstwhile Pandyan territories prompted a number of claimants to the Pandya throne to cause a civil war, in which the Sinhalas and the Cholas were involved by proxy. Details of the Pandyan civil war, and the role played by the Cholas and Sinhalas, are present in the

Mahavamsa and Pallavarayanpettai inscriptions.[32][33]

For three generations, the Eastern Chalukyan princes had married into the imperial Chola family and felt they belonged to it as much as to the Eastern Chalukya dynasty. The Chalukya prince Rajendra Chalukya of Vengi had "spent his childhood days in Gangaikonda Cholapuram and was a familiar favourite to the princes and the people of the Chola country" according to

Kalingathuparani, an epic written in praise of him. Following the death of the death of Adhirajendra, Rajendra Chalukya established himself on the Chola throne as Kulottunga I (1070–1122), beginning the Later Chola or Chalukya-Chola period.[34]

Kulothunga I reconciled himself with his uncle Vijayaditya VII and allowed him to rule Vengi for the rest of his life. The Eastern Chalukya line came to an end with Vijayaditya's death in 1075 and Vengi became a province of the Chola Empire.[

Pandya territories.[citation needed
]

Diminished empire