Nobody knows exactly when the first Chola kings took power in the Southern point of India, but certainly, the Chola Dynasty was established by the third century BCE, because it is mentioned in one of Ashoka the Great’s stories. Not only did the Cholas outlast Ashoka’s Mauryan Empire, they continued to rule until 1279 CE—over more than 1,500 years.
The Chola Empire was based on the Kaveri River Valley, which runs Southeast through Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and the Southern Deccan Plateau to the Bay of Bengal. At its height, the Chola Empire controlled not only Southern India and Sri Lanka, but also the Maldives. It took key maritime trading posts from the Srivijaya Empire in what is now Indonesia, enabling a rich cultural transfusion in both directions, and sent diplomatic and trading missions to China’s Song Dynasty (960 – 1279 CE).
The origins of the Chola Dynasty are lost in history. The kingdom is mentioned, however, in early Tamil literature, and on one of the Pillars of Ashoka (273 – 232 BCE). It also appears in the Greco-Roman Periplus of the Erythraean Sea (c. 40 – 60 CE), and in Ptolemy’s Geography (c. 150 CE). The ruling family came from the Tamil ethnic group.
Around the year 300 CE, the Pallava and Pandya Kingdoms spread their influence over most of the Tamil heartlands of Southern India, and the Cholas went into a decline. They likely served as sub-rulers under the new powers, yet they retained enough prestige that their daughters often married into the Pallava and Pandya families.
Quotes on Chola Dynasty:
“The Chola Empire was an ancient Indian dynasty that flourished during the 9th and 13th centuries in South India. The Chola kings were renowned for their patronage of art, literature, and culture. They are also known for their wise sayings and quotes, which have been compiled over the centuries and provide us with valuable insight into the values and beliefs of the Chola Empire. Here is a collection of some of the most famous Chola quotes that still inspire us today.”
“It is the Cholas who are the true architects of their own destiny; they created their own paths and followed them until they reached their goals.”
Sources of Chola Dynasty:
• Archaeological sources of the period include inscriptions and monuments.
• Monuments are mainly in the form of temples, sculptured halls and towers. These monuments depict the art and architecture of the Cholas, their religious beliefs and socioeconomic conditions.
• Some famous temples are the Brihadeshwara and Gangaikonda Cholapuram Temples in Thanjavur and the Koranganatha Temple in Tirichinapally.
• The Brihadeshwara Temple also known as Rajarajeshwara Temple was built by Raja raja Chola in the 10th century AD. The temple has a great tower consisting of 13 storeys rising to 190 feet. The main shrine of the temple houses a large Shivalingam which is cut in a monolithic rock and is about 8.87 metres high.
• The Brihadeshwara Temple is a splendid specimen of Tamil architecture. It has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Famous Kings of Chola Dynasty:
Parantaka I (907-950)
Rajaraja Chola I (1014-1044)
Rajendra Chola I (1012-1044)
Rajadhiraja Chola (1044-1052)
Art and architecture of Chola Dynasty:
The period of the imperial Cholas was an age of continuous improvement and refinement of Chola art and architecture. They utilised the wealth earned through their extensive conquests in building long-lasting stone temples and exquisite bronze sculptures, in an almost exclusively Hindu cultural setting.
The Cholas built their temples in the traditional way of the Pallava dynasty, who were themselves influenced by the Amaravati school of architecture. The Chola artists and artisans further drew their influences from other contemporary art and architectural schools and elevated the Chola temple design to greater heights. The Chola kings built numerous temples throughout their kingdom, which normally comprised the plains, Central and Northern Tamil Nadu and at times the entire state of Tamil Nadu as also adjoining parts of modern Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. In the evolution of the Chola temple architecture we can roughly see three major phases, beginning with the early phase, starting with Vijayalaya Chola and continuing till Sundara Chola, the middle phase of Rajaraja Chola and Rajendra Chola when the achievements scaled heights never reached before or since and the final phase during the Chalukya Chola period of Kulottunga I till the demise of the Chola empire.
The Cholas in addition to their temples, also built many buildings such as hospitals, public utility buildings and palaces. Many such buildings find mention in their inscriptions and in contemporary accounts. The golden palace that Aditya Karikala supposedly built for his father Sundara Chola is an example of such a building. However, such buildings were of perishable materials such as timber and fired bricks and have not survived the ravages of time.