The Chola Dynasty
The mighty and powerful Chola dynasty was one of the longest-ruling dynasties in Southern Indian history and ruled from the 3rd c. BCE to the end of the 13th c. CE. They settled along the fertile Kaveri river valley and expanded their empire from coast to coast throughout the southern Indian peninsula.
Founded by Vijayalaya Chola (r. 848 – 871 CE), the Chola dynasty reached its zenith under Rajaraja I (r. 985–1014) and his son Rajendra I (r. 1014–44 CE), who expanded the empire through both land and sea conquests, creating a vast sphere of influence in the region surrounding the Bay of Bengal.​
​When Rajaraja I came to power, he inherited a small kingdom centered around the Thanjavur region. He transformed this kingdom into a well-organized empire with a powerful army and navy that enabled him to expand his kingdom to include the entire southern portion of the south Indian peninsula, parts of central India, as well as northern Sri Lanka. His son, Rajendra I extended the reach of the kingdom up to the River Ganges in the north and through sea voyages later Cholas invaded parts of present-day Sri Lanka, Maldives, Malaysia, Indonesia and Southern Thailand.​
​During the Later Chola rule, the kingdom initially flourished under Kulothunga Chola I, his son Vikrama Chola, other successors like Rajaraja Chola II, Rajadhiraja Chola II, and Kulothunga Chola III. However, the rule of the later Cholas was not as strong and fell into decline as the Pandyas began to dominate the region in the late 13th century.
During times of peace, the Chola emperors were famed as patrons of arts and architecture and encouraged trade to thrive in their kingdom. Chola rulers built many famous Dravidian style temples including those at Thanjavur, Gangaikondacholapuram and Darasuram which are all UNESCO Heritage sites. Vibrant murals and frescos dating from the Chola period still grace the walls and ceilings, and granite and sandstone sculptures adorn the interiors and exteriors of these temples giving viewers today an incredible window into the skill and talent of artists from a millennium and more ago.
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The Cholas are also renowned for bronze sculptures, examples of which can be seen even today in South Indian temples and museums throughout the world.
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The Chola kings were great patrons of learning, establishing Vedic colleges to support education where teachings included not only the Vedas and Epics, but also mathematics and medicine, and literacy skills were widespread in the region as a result. Land endowments were established to provide for the operational expenses of the Vedic colleges and teachers were rewarded with land grants.
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The Cholas were benefactors of Tamil scholars and poets and encouraged the creation of major literary works including the Kamba Ramayanam, Periya Puranam, and treatises on Tamil Grammar. While traditional religious and secular forms of literature flourished during the Chola period, so did new genres like epics and many new forms of poetry.