TAMIL NADU NATIONAL LAW SCHOOL

( A STATE UNIVERSITY ESTABLISHED BY ACT NO.9 OF 2012 )

Navalur Kuttapattu, Srirangam (TK), Tiruchirapalli 620009, Tamil Nadu

PROJECT ON

RISE AND FALL OF IMPERIAL CHOLAS

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

At the outset, I take this opportunity to thank my Professor Dr.BRITTO STALLIN from
the bottom of my heart who has been of immense help during moments of anxiety and
torpidity while the project was taking its crucial shape.

Secondly, I convey my deepest regards to the Vice Chancellor ARUN ROY and the
administrative staff of TNNLS who held the project in high esteem by providing reliable
information in the form of library infrastructure and database connections in times of need.

Thirdly, the contribution made by my parents and friends by foregoing their precious
time is unforgettable and highly solicited. Their valuable advice and timely supervision
paved the way for the successful completion of this project.

Finally, I thank the Almighty who gave me the courage and stamina to confront all
hurdles during the making of this project. Words arent sufficient to acknowledge the
tremendous contributions of various people involved in this project, as I know Words are
Poor Comforters. I once again wholeheartedly and earnestly thank all the people who were
involved directly or indirectly during this project making which helped me to come out with
flying colours.

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THE RISE AND FALL OF CHOLA EMPIRE

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S.No INDEX
1. INTRODUCTION
2. ORIGIN
3. HISTORY
EARLY CHOLAS
IMPERIAL CHOLAS
LATER CHOLAS

4. LIST OF CHOLA KINGS

5. GOVERNMENT
6. AMINISTRATION
7. MILITARY
8. OVERSEAS CONQUEST
9. ECONOMY
10. SOCIETY
11. ART AND ARCHITECHTURE
12. FALL OF CHOLAS
13. CONCLUSION

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INTRODUCTION

The Chola Dynasty is one of the oldest in India and one among the three understood
kingdoms of the Tamil Country in South India: Chera, Chola and Pandya. The Chola
principle crossed crosswise over numerous hundreds of years with numerous high
points and low points. The early Cholas ruled the Tamil nadu in the middle of first and
second century AD; the later Cholas ruled the majority of South India and adjacent
islands between 800 AD and the main portion of thirteenth century.

ORIGIN

The historical backdrop of the Cholas falls into four periods: the Early Cholas of the
Sangam literature, the interim between the fall of the Sangam Cholas and the ascent of
the Imperial medieval Cholas under Vijayalaya, the dynasty of Vijayalaya, lastly the
Later Chola line of Kulothunga Chola I from the second from third quarter of the
eleventh century. Different names in like manner use for the Cholas are Killi, Valavan
and Sembiyan. Killi gets from the word 'kil', which means dig or cleave and conveys
the idea of a digger or a worker of the land. This word shapes the basic part of the early
Cholas, for example, Nedunkilli, Nalankilli and so forth. Valavan might most
presumably got from the Tamizh word 'valan', which implies fertility or means owner
or ruler of a fertile land or a country. Sembiyan is by and large taken to mean a relative
of Shibi a legendary ruler among the early Chola legends who generosity his life in
sparing a pigeon from the quest for a bird of prey1.

1
A HISTORY OF SOUTH INDIA by NILAKANTA SASTRI

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There is next to no data accessible with respect to their origin. Its long time past days is
apparent from the notice in Ancient Pali-Tamil writing and in engravings. Later
Medieval Cholas likewise asserted a long and old lineage. Notice in the early Sangam
literature show that the soonest lords of the dynasty preceded 100 CE.

The name "Chola" is, similar to Chera and Pandya, the name of ruling family of
immemorial antiquity. The Tamizh creator Parimezhalagar signifies Chola dynasty and
said that "The charity of people with ancient lineage are forever generous in spite of
their reduced means ".

The incredible King Karikalan was the common ancestor for the Chola tradition,
through whom little Deccan and Andhra families called Chola asserted an association
with the Uraiyur family. The Chola nation extended from the Vaigai River in the south
to Tondaimandalam, the capital of which was Kanchi, in the north. Quite a bit of Tamil
established writing and the more prominent Tamil building landmarks have a place with
the Shangam period, which additionally saw a restoration of Shaivam (worship of the
god Shiva) and the improvement of southern Vaishnavam (worship of the god Vishnu).
Income organization, town self-government, and watering system were very sorted out
under the Cholas.

HISTORY

1. EARLY CHOLAS

The records of the Cholas of ahead of schedule Tamil kingdoms are found in Ptolemy's
works and in Periplus of the Erythraean Sea. The Sangam Tamil literature additionally
incomprehensibly alludes to the Cholas. Uraiyur, in the present Thiruchirapalli region
of Tamil Nadu, was the capital of the early Cholas. The river Ponni (Kaveri) has been
the centre of Chola life; agriculture thrived in the rich soil. Kaveripoompattinam,

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additionally called as Poompuhar, was the second capital and a vital port. Greeks and
Romans were known not exchange associations with the Cholas.

Karikalan (the man with blazed leg) is the well known ruler of the early Cholas. He is
likewise the manufacturer of the terrific anaicut, Kallanai, one of the most established
living watering system dams of the world. The hundreds of years somewhere around
200 and 800 AD saw the defeat of the early Cholas. At the point when the Pallava
dynasty rose to power, Cholas took a rearward sitting arrangement.

2. IMPERIAL CHOLAS

Vijayalaya was the author of the Imperial Chola dynasty which was the start of a
standout amongst the most awe inspiring Empires in Indian history. Vijayalaya, perhaps
a feudatory of the Pallava tradition, took an open door emerging out of a contention
between the Pandya line and Pallava line in 850 A.D., caught Thanjavur from
Muttarayar, and set up the royal line of the medieval Chola Dynasty. Thanjavur turned
into the capital of the Imperial Chola Dynasty.

The Chola dynasty was at the crest of its impact and power amid the medieval period.
Through their dynasty and vision, Chola lords extended their region and impact. The
second Chola King, Aditya I, brought about the destruction of the Pallava tradition and
vanquished the Pandyan dynasty of Madurai in 885 A.D., possessed extensive parts of
the Kannada nation, and had conjugal ties with the Western Ganga line. In 925 A.D.,
his child Parantaka I vanquished Sri Lanka. Parantaka Chola II, otherwise called
Sundara, recaptured regions from the Rashtrakuta dynasty and extended the Chola
territories up to Bhatkal in Kannada nation

Rajaraja Chola I and Rajendra Chola I were the best leaders of the Chola line,
broadening it past the conventional furthest reaches of a Tamil kingdom. At its top, the
Chola Empire extended from the island of Sri Lanka in the south to the Godavari-

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Krishna stream bowl in the north, up to the Konkan coast in Bhatkal, the whole Malabar
Coast notwithstanding Lakshadweep, Maldives, and boundless territories of Chera
nation. The kingdoms of Deccan and the eastern coast were subordinates, feudatories
of the Cholas, and different kingdoms like the Chalukyas between paid tributes to the
Cholas 10001075. Rajaraja Chola I was a ruler with limitless vitality, and he put forth
a concentrated effort to the errand of dynasty with the same energy that he had appeared
in pursuing wars. He incorporated his realm into a tight regulatory network under
imperial control, and in the meantime fortified neighborhood self-government. Along
these lines, he directed an area review in 1000 CE to successfully marshall the assets of
his domain. He likewise manufactured the Brihadeeswarar Temple in 1010 CE.

Rajendra Chola I vanquished Odisha and his armed forces kept on walking further north
and crushed the powers of the Pala Dynasty of Bengal and achieved the Ganges River
in north India. Rajendra Chola I fabricated another capital called Gangaikonda
Cholapuram to commend his triumphs in northern India. Rajendra Chola I effectively
attacked Srivijaya which prompted the decrease of the realm there. This undertaking
had such an incredible impression to the Malay individuals of the medieval period that
his name was said in the tainted structure as Raja Chulan in the medieval Malay account
Sejarah Melayu. He likewise finished the victory of the island of Sri Lanka and took the
Sinhala ruler Mahinda V as a detainee, notwithstanding his victories of Rattapadi
(regions of the Rashtrakutas, Chalukya nation, Talakkad, and Kolar, where the
Kolaramma sanctuary still has his picture statue) in Kannada nation. Rajendra's regions
incorporated the region falling on the Ganges-Hooghly-Damodar bowl, and in addition
Sri Lanka and Maldives. The kingdoms along the east shore of India up to the waterway
Ganges recognized Chola suzerainty. Three political missions were sent to China in
1016, 1033, and 1077

The Western Chalukya Empire under Satyashraya and Someshvara I attempted to

wriggle out of Chola control every once in a while, essentially because of the Chola
impact in the Vengi kingdom. The Western Chalukyas mounted a few unsuccessful
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endeavors to draw in the Chola sovereigns in war, and aside from a brief control of
Vengi domains between 11181126, all their different endeavors finished in
disappointment with progressive Chola rulers steering the armed forces of the
Chalukyas at different spots in numerous wars. Virarajendra Chola crushed Someshvara
II of the Western Chalukya Empire and made a partnership with Prince Vikramaditya
VI. Cholas dependably effectively controlled the Chalukyas in the western Deccan by
crushing them in war and exacting tribute on them. Indeed, even under the heads of the
Cholas like Kulothunga I and Vikrama Chola, the wars against the Chalukyas were
principally battled in Chalukya domains in Karnataka or in the Telugu nation like
Vengi, Kakinada, Anantapur, or Gutti. At that point the Kannada kingdoms of the
Kadambas, Hoysalas, Vaidumbas, or Kalachuris, relentlessly expanded their energy
lastly supplanted the Chalukyas. With the control of Dharwar in North Central
Karnataka by the Hoysalas under Vishnuvardhana, where he based himself with his
child Narasimha I in-control at the Hoysala capital Dwarasamudra around 1149, and
with the Kalachuris possessing the Chalukyan capital for more than 35 years from
around 11501151, the Chalukya kingdom was at that point beginning to disintegrate.

The Cholas under Kulothunga Chola III even worked together to the envoy the
disintegration of the Chalukyas by supporting Hoysalas under Veera Ballala II, the child
in-law of the Chola ruler, and crushed the Western Chalukyas in a progression of wars
with Someshvara IV Between 11851190. The last Chalukya ruler's regions did exclude
the past Chalukyan capitals Badami, Manyakheta or Kalyani. That was the last
disintegration of Chalukyan power however the Chalukyas existed just in name
subsequent to 11351140. Be that as it may, the Cholas stayed stable until 1215, were
consumed by the Pandyan Empire and stopped to exist by 1279.

Then again, all through the period from 11501280, the staunchest adversaries of the
Cholas were Pandya sovereigns who attempted to win autonomy for their customary
domains. This period saw consistent fighting between the Cholas and the Pandyas. The
Cholas additionally battled general wars with the Eastern Gangas of Kalinga, ensured
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Vengi however it remained to a great extent autonomous under Chola control, and had
mastery of the whole eastern coast with their feudatories the Telugu Cholas, Velananti
Cholas, Renandu Cholas and so forth who likewise constantly supported the Cholas in
their fruitful crusades against the Chalukyas and collecting tribute on the Kannada
kingdoms and battled always with the Sinhalas, who endeavored to oust the Chola
control of Lanka, yet until the season of the Later Chola ruler Kulottunga I the Cholas
had firm control over Lanka. A Later Chola ruler, Rajadhiraja Chola II, was sufficiently
solid to beat a confederation of five Pandya sovereigns who were helped by their
conventional companion, the lord of Lanka, this at the end of the day gave control of
Lanka to the Cholas regardless of the way that they were not solid under the unflinching
Rajadhiraja Chola II. Be that as it may, his successor, the last extraordinary Chola ruler
Kulottunga Chola III strengthened the hold of the Cholas by subduing insubordination
and unsettling influences in Lanka and Madurai, crushed Hoysala officers under Veera
Ballala II in Karuvur, notwithstanding clutching his customary regions in Tamil nation,
Eastern Gangavadi, Draksharama, Vengi and Kalinga. After this, he went into a
conjugal organization together with Veera Ballala II (with Ballala's marriage to a Chola
princess) and his association with Hoysalas appears to have gotten to be friendlier.

3. LATER CHOLAS

The residency of the later Cholas is frequently called as the Golden Age of Tamil
Culture. The Cholas came to control again amid the guideline of King Vijayalaya, who
ascended from indefinite quality by catching Thanjavur from the Pallavas. Pazaiyarai,
Thanjavur and Gangaikonda Chozhapuram have been their capitals. The domain
achieved its encapsulation when the well known lord, Raja I, came to control. Legend
has it that he has never experienced a solitary disappointment in the fights all through

10
his rule. Amid this period, the Cholas were in steady clash with Pandyas in the South
and Chalukyas in the North. 23

GOVERNMENT

In the age of the Cholas, the entire of South India was interestingly brought under a
solitary government.

The Cholas' arrangement of government was monarchical, as in the Sangam age. In any
case, there was little in like manner between the nearby chiefdoms of the prior period
and the majestic like conditions of Rajaraja Chola and his successors. Beside the early
capital at Thanjavur and the later on at Gangaikonda Cholapuram, Kanchipuram and
Madurai were thought to be provincial capitals in which periodic courts were held. The
ruler was the preeminent pioneer and a generous dictator. His regulatory part comprised
of issuing oral orders to capable officers when representations were made to him.
Because of the absence of a governing body or an authoritative framework in the cutting
edge sense, the reasonableness of ruler's requests reliant on his ethical quality and faith
in Dharma. The Chola rulers constructed sanctuaries and enriched them with awesome
riches. The sanctuaries acted as spots of love as well as focuses of financial action,
profiting the group in general. A percentage of the yield of towns all through the
kingdom was given to sanctuaries that reinvested a portion of the riches collected as
credits to the settlements. The Chola Dynasty was partitioned into a few territories
called Mandalams which were further separated into Valanadus and these Valanadus
were sub-isolated into units called Kottams or Kutrams. As indicated by Kathleen

2
HISTORY OF INDIA by B.V.RAO
3
ADVANCED HISTORY OF INDIA by K.A.NILAKANTA SASTRI

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Gough, amid the Chola period the Vellalar were the "Overwhelming common refined
position giving the squires, the majority of the armed force officers, the lower positions
of the kingdom's organization, and the upper layer of the proletariat".

Prior to the rule of Rajaraja Chola I colossal parts of the Chola region were ruled by
innate rulers and nearby rulers who were in a free collusion with the Chola rulers. From
there on, until the rule of Vikrama Chola in 1133 CE when the Chola force was at its
crest, these innate rulers and nearby rulers basically vanished from the Chola records
and were either supplanted or transformed into ward authorities. Through these reliant
authorities the organization was enhanced and the Chola lords could practice a closer
control over the diverse parts of the domain. There was a development of the regulatory
structure, especially from the rule of Rajaraja Chola I onwards. The legislature right
now had an extensive area income office, comprising of a few levels, which was
generally worried with looking after records. The appraisal and gathering of income
were attempted by corporate bodies, for example, the ur, nadu, sabha, nagaram and
some of the time by neighborhood chieftains who passed the income to the middle.
Amid the rule of Rajaraja Chola I, the state started an enormous undertaking of area
review and evaluation and there was a redesign of the realm into units known as
valanadus.

The request of the King was initially conveyed by the official officer to the
neighborhood powers. Thereafter the records of the exchange was drawn up and verified
by various witnesses who were either nearby magnates or government officers.

At nearby government level, each town was a self-representing unit. Various towns
constituted a bigger element known as a Kurram, Nadu or Kottam, contingent upon the
zone. Various Kurrams constituted a valanadu. These structures experienced consistent
change and refinement all through the Chola period.

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 Equity was for the most part a neighborhood matter in the Chola Empire; minor question
were settled at the town level. Discipline for minor wrongdoings were as fines or a
course for the guilty party to give to some magnanimous enrichment. Indeed, even
wrongdoings, for example, homicide or homicide were rebuffed with fines.
Wrongdoings of the state, for example, treachery, were heard and chose by the ruler
himself; the normal discipline in these cases was either execution or reallocation of
property4.

LIST OF THE CHOLA KINGS5

EARLY CHOLAS IMPERIAL CHOLAS LATER CHOLAS

ELLALAN VIJAYALAYA CHOLA KOLUNTHUNGA CHOLA I
ILAMCETCENNI ADITYA CHOLA VIKRAMA CHOLA
KARIKALAN PARANTAKA CHOLA KULOTHUNGA CHOLA II
NEDUNKILLI GANDARADITYA CHOLA RAJARAJA CHOLA II
KILLIVALAVAN ARINJAYA CHOLA RAJADIRAJA CHOLA II
KOPPERUNCHOLA SUNDARA CHOLA KOLUTHUNGA CHOLA III
N
KOCENGANNAN ADITYA KARIKALAN RAJARAJA CHOLA III
PERUNARKILLI UTTAMA CHOLA RAJENDRA CHOLA III
- RAJARAJA CHOLA I -
- RAJENDRA CHOLA I -
- RAJADIRAJA CHOLA -

4
Administrative System in India: Vedic Age to 1947 by U. B. Singh
5
WWW.WIKIPEDIA.ORG

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GOVERNMENT6

The Cholas took after a monarchical government where the ruler is the incomparable
officer and a kind-hearted tyrant. Dharma, a feeling of reasonableness, was the key
character that moulded the reasonable rule of the lords. The towns were self-
administering and together they shaped a bigger gathering of Kuram, Nadu and
Kottram. These together constituted to Valanadu. The subjects were exceptionally
taught and regularly delighted in celebrations and tolls with the lords.

The solid Chola vicinity in the South Asia was credited to the superb military and the
uncommon naval force. The Chola urban communities and ports were swirling with sea
exercises and outside exchanges. Epigraphs and numismatics uncover that they had
exchange contacts with China and Sri Vijaya, a Malay nation.

MILITARY

The Chola tradition had an expert military, of which the lord was the preeminent officer.
It had four components, including the mounted force, the elephant corps, a few divisions
of infantry and a naval force. There were regiments of bowmen and swordsmen while
the swordsmen were the most perpetual and tried and true troops. The Chola armed
force was spread everywhere throughout the nation and was positioned in
neighbourhood battalions or military camps known as Kodagams. The elephants
assumed a noteworthy part in the armed force and the line had various war elephants.
These conveyed houses or tremendous Howdahs on their backs, brimming with fighters
who shot bolts at long range and who battled with lances nearby other people.

6
ADMINISTRATIVE SYSTEM OF INDIA by U.B.SINGH

14
The Chola rulers manufactured a few royal residences and fortresses to ensure their
urban communities. The strongholds were for the most part comprised of blocks yet
different materials like stone, wood and mud were additionally utilized. As indicated by
the old Tamil content Silappadikaram, the Tamil rulers safeguarded their posts with
launches that tossed stones, colossal cauldrons of bubbling water or liquid lead, and
snares, chains and traps.

The troopers of the Chola tradition utilized weapons, for example, swords, bows, lances,
lances and shields which were comprised of steel. Especially the well known Wootz
steel, which has a long history in south India going back to the period before the
Christian time, appears to be likewise used to deliver weapons. The armed force
comprised of individuals from various positions yet the warriors of the Kaikolar and
Vellalar stations assumed a conspicuous part.

The Chola naval force was the pinnacle of old India ocean power. It assumed a basic
part in the development of the realm, including the victory of the Ceylon islands and
maritime assaults on Srivijaya. The naval force became both in size and status amid the
medieval Cholas rule. The Chola chiefs of naval operations directed much regard and
distinction. The naval force commandants likewise went about as ambassadors in a few
occurrences. From 900 to 1100, the naval force had developed from a little backwater
element to that of an intense force projection and discretionary image in all of Asia,
however was step by step diminished in essentialness when the Chola

A military craftsmanship called silambam was belittled by the Chola rulers. Antiquated
and medieval Tamil writings notice diverse types of military conventions yet a
definitive articulation of the unwaveringness of the warrior to his administrator was a
type of military suicide called Navakandam. The medieval Kalingathu Parani content,
which praises the triumph of Kulothunga Chola I and his general in the fight for
Kalinga, depicts the practice in subtle element.

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OVERSEAS CONQUEST

Amid the rule of Rajaraja Chola I and his successors Rajendra Chola I, Virarajendra
Chola and Kulothunga Chola I the Chola armed forces attacked Sri Lanka, the Maldives
and a few sections of Southeast Asia like Malaysia, Indonesia and Southern Thailand
of the Srivijaya Empire in the eleventh century. Rajaraja Chola I propelled a few
maritime battles that brought about the catch of Sri Lanka, Maldives and the Malabar
Coast. In 1025, Rajendra Chola dispatched maritime strikes on ports of Srivijaya and
against the Burmese kingdom of Pegu, and vanquished parts of Srivijaya in Malaysia
and Indonesia and the Tambralinga kingdom in Southern Thailand and involved it for
quite a while. A second intrusion was driven by Virarajendra Chola, who vanquished
Kedah in Malaysia of Srivijaya in the late eleventh century.

ECONOMY

Land income and exchange duty were the principle wellspring of salary. The Chola
rulers issued their coins in gold, silver and copper. The Chola economy depended on
three levelsat the neighborhood level, farming settlements framed the establishment
to business towns nagaram, which went about as redistribution communities for
remotely delivered things destined for utilization in the nearby economy and as
wellsprings of items made by nagaram artisans for the global exchange. At the highest
point of this financial pyramid were the first class shipper bunches who sorted out and
ruled the locales universal sea exchange.

One of the primary articles which were traded to outside nations were cotton fabric.
Uraiyur, the capital of the early Chola rulers, was a renowned place for cotton materials
which were adulated by Tamil writers The Chola rulers effectively energized the
weaving business and got income from it. Amid this period the weavers began to sort
out themselves into societies. The weavers had their own private division in all towns.
The most essential weaving groups in ahead of schedule medieval times were the

16
Saliyar and Kaikolar. Amid the Chola period silk weaving accomplished a high degree
and Kanchipuram got to be one of the principle habitats for silk.

Metal artworks achieved its peak amid the tenth to eleventh hundreds of years in light
of the fact that the Chola rulers like Chembian Maadevi extended their support to metal
skilled workers. Wootz steel was a noteworthy fare thing.

The agriculturists involved one of the most astounding positions in the public arena.
These were the Vellalar group who framed the honorability or the landed gentry of the
nation and who were monetarily an effective gathering. Agribusiness was the main
occupation for some individuals. Other than the landowners, there were others reliant
on horticulture. The Vellalar group was the prevailing mainstream noble station under
the Chola rulers, giving the subjects, a large portion of the armed force officers, the
lower positions of the organization and the upper layer of the working class.

In all towns the qualification between persons paying the area charge (iraikudigal)
and the individuals who did not was obviously settled. There was a class of procured
day-workers who helped with rural operations on the bequests of other individuals and
got a day by day wage. All cultivable area was held in one of the three expansive classes
of residency which can be recognized as worker proprietorship called vellan-vagai,
dynasty residency and eleemosynary residency coming about because of magnanimous
endowments. The vellan-vagai was the common town of cutting edge times, having
direct relations with the legislature and paying an area charge at risk to correction every
once in a while. The vellan-vagai towns fell into two wide classes-one specifically
dispatching a variable yearly income to the state and the other paying contribution of a
pretty much altered character to general society establishments like sanctuaries to which
they were alloted. The thriving of a rural nation depends to a huge degree on the offices
accommodated watering system. Aside from sinking wells and unearthing tanks, the
Chola rulers tossed powerful stone dams over the Kaveri and different waterways, and
slice out channels to disseminate water over vast tracts of area. Rajendra Chola I
burrowed close to his capital a manufactured lake, which was loaded with water from
the Kolerun and the Vellar Rivers.

17
 There existed an energetic inside exchange a few articles carried on by the sorted out
commercial partnerships in different parts of the nation. The metal commercial
enterprises and the diamond setter's specialty had achieved a high level of fabulousness.
The assembling of ocean salt was carried on under government supervision and control.
Exchange was carried on by shippers sorted out in organizations. The organizations
depicted here and there by the terms nanadesis were a capable independent enterprise
of dealers which went by various nations over the span of their exchange. They had
their own soldier of fortune armed force for the insurance of their stock. There were
likewise neighborhood associations of dealers called "nagaram" in enormous focuses of
exchange like Kanchipuram and Mamallapuram.

SOCIETY 7

Amid the Chola period a few organizations, groups and stations developed. The
organization was a standout amongst the most noteworthy establishments of south India
and traders sorted out themselves into societies. The best known of these were the
Manigramam and Ayyavole societies however different organizations, for example,
Anjuvannam and Valanjiyar were likewise in presence. The ranchers involved one of
the most noteworthy positions in the public arena. These were the Vellalar group who
shaped the honorability or the landed gentry of the nation and who were financially a
capable gathering. The Vellalar group was the prevailing common privileged standing
under the Chola rulers, giving the subjects, the greater part of the armed force officers,
the lower positions of the dynasty and the upper layer of the working class. The Vellalar
were additionally sent to northern Sri Lanka by the Chola rulers as pilgrims. The Ulavar
group were working in the field which was connected with farming and the laborers
were known as Kalamar.

The Kaikolar group were weavers and vendors however they likewise looked after
armed forces. Amid the Chola period they had overwhelming exchanging and military
parts. Amid the rule of the Imperial Chola rulers (tenth thirteenth century) there were
significant changes in the sanctuary organization and area possession. There was more

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History of People and Their Environs: Essays in Honour of Prof. B.S. Chandrababu by S.Ganeshram

18
inclusion of non-Brahmin components in the sanctuary organization. This can be
credited to the movement in cash power. Gifted classes like the weavers and the shipper
class had ended up prosperous. Land possession was no more a benefit of the Brahmins
(cleric standing) and the Vellalar land proprietors.

There is little data on the size and the thickness of the populace amid the Chola rule.
The strength in the center Chola locale empowered the general population to lead a
profitable and satisfied life. There is stand out recorded occurrence of common
unsettling influence amid the whole time of Chola rule, amid the short rule of
Virarajendra Chola, which perhaps had some partisan roots. Be that as it may, there
were reports of across the board starvation brought on by normal cataclysms.

The nature of the engravings of the dynasty shows an abnormal state of proficiency
and instruction. The content in these engravings was composed by court artists and
engraved by gifted artisans. Training in the contemporary sense was not viewed as vital;
there is incidental confirmation to propose that some town boards sorted out schools to
instruct the essentials of perusing and keeping in touch with kids, in spite of the fact
that there is no proof of deliberate instructive framework for the masses. Professional
instruction was through innate preparing in which the father went on his abilities to his
children. Tamil was the medium of training for the masses; Religious cloisters were
focuses of learning and got government support

ART AND ARCHITECHTURE 8

The Cholas proceeded with the sanctuary building customs of the Pallava line and
contributed essentially to the Dravidian sanctuary outline. They constructed various
Shiva sanctuaries along the banks of the stream Kaveri. The format for these and future
sanctuaries was detailed by Aditya I and Parantaka. The Chola sanctuary engineering
has been acknowledged for its greatness and also fragile workmanship, apparently
taking after the rich customs of the past handed down to them by the Pallava Dynasty.
Ferguson says that "the Chola specialists imagined like monsters and completed like
diamond setters". Another improvement in Chola craftsmanship that portrayed the

8
Temple art under the Chola queens by Balasubrahmanyam Venkataraman

19
Dravidian engineering in later times was the expansion of a colossal door called
gopuram to the walled in area of the sanctuary, which had bit by bit took its structure
and achieved development under the Pandya Dynasty. The Chola School of
craftsmanship additionally spread to Southeast Asia and affected the engineering and
specialty of Southeast Asia.

Sanctuary building got awesome driving force from the triumphs and the virtuoso of
Rajaraja Chola and his child Rajendra Chola I. The development and glory to which the
Chola design had advanced discovered expression in the two sanctuaries of Thanjavur
and Gangaikondacholapuram. The great Shiva Temple of Thanjavur, finished around
1009, is a fitting remembrance to the material accomplishments of the season of
Rajaraja. The biggest and tallest of all Indian sanctuaries of now is the ideal time, it is
at the peak of South Indian design. The sanctuary of Gangaikondacholisvaram at
Gangaikondacholapuram, the production of Rajendra Chola, was proposed to exceed
expectations its ancestor. The Brihadisvara Temple, the sanctuary of
Gangaikondacolisvaram and the Airavateshvara sanctuary at Darasuram were
announced as World legacy place by the UNESCO and are alluded to as the Great living
Chola Temples. The enormous Brahadisvara Temple, affectionately called as the huge
sanctuary of Thanjavur, was constructed and introduced by King Raja I. The gigantic
extent of the sanctuary is unmistakably relatively revolutionary. The Shiva sanctuary at
Gangaikonda Chozhapuram, worked by Rajendra I, has impacts from his dad's huge
sanctuary. The models and statues in this sanctuary are of excellent quality.
Airawatesvara sanctuary in Darasuram, worked by Raja II, is yet another sample of
Chola engineering. The sanctuary is nearly littler in size however the fanciness makes
up for the size.

Among the current examples in historical centers far and wide and in the sanctuaries of
South India might be seen numerous fine figures of Shiva in different structures, for
example, Vishnu and his consort Lakshmi, and the Shaivite holy people. Despite the
fact that adjusting by and large to the iconographic traditions set up by long convention,
the stone carvers worked with incredible flexibility in the eleventh and the twelfth

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hundreds of years to accomplish an exemplary beauty and greatness. The best
illustration of this can be found as Natarajan the Divine Dancer

FALL OF THE CHOLAS

The Chalukya Chola faction had some conspicuous rulers like Kulothunga Chola I
and Vikrama Chola however the decrease of the broad realm started before long. With
the development of Hoysalas in the North and the Southern Pandyas growing, the fall
of the domain was impending by the start of the thirteenth century. Rajendra III was the
last, shocking ruler to witness the fall of his domain and the beginning of the new
Pandian time.

The great Chola Empire was assembled not just by the unbelievable rulers and
acclaimed specialists additionally by the unsung legends such as fighters and chieftains.
The Kallanai dam, the Tanjore huge sanctuary and the quieting Kaveri River cheerfully
sing their legacy today.

Rajendra I, the similarly celebrated child of Raja I, extended the domain up-to the
Ganges in North India. The Chola rule additionally sprawled over the islands of Sri
Lanka, Maldives, Java, Sumatra and Malaya of the South East Asia. Workmanship,
design and exchange thrived amid this time.

Cholas had conjugal associations with the Eastern Chalukyas of Vengi area
prompting another group of Chalukya Cholas.

CONCLUSION:

The Chola dynasty the greatest empire that ruled Tamil Nadu for a period of more
than four hundred years is considered to be one of the greatest empires in the whole of
India. Chola Empire can be considered as one of the golden periods for the whole of
south India their holistic contribution to the development of arts sciences literature
expansion of our empire and society as a whole. The Cholas can be attributed to the
development of a proper naval force that made the Cholas the first empire in India to

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make an overseas maritime invasion through the use of naval force, it was supposed
that the Cholas maintained one of the best navies at that point of time such is the
prowess of the Chola navy. Besides the naval prowess the due consideration has to be
given to their administration that is considered to be the precursor for the British
administration. Thus I conclude my project by saying that the Chola empire was one
of the most efficient and powerful empire to have ever rule the soils of our nation.

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