Medieval India: The Cholas
ICSE Class 9 · History & Civics · Chapter 12
What this chapter covers
- The Cholas: time, place and importance
- Sources: inscriptions
- Sources: the Brihadishwara Temple
- The Chola kings in chronological order
- Chola administration: the king and the central government
- Chola administration: provinces, districts and villages
- Local self-government: the Uttaramerur inscriptions
- Chola art: temple architecture
- Chola art: bronze sculpture and painting
Key points
- The imperial Cholas ruled South India from about 850 to 1279 CE from the Kaveri delta, with capitals at Thanjavur and Gangaikonda Cholapuram.
- Their chief sources are inscriptions (temple inscriptions, meykirttis, copper-plate grants such as the Anbil, Tiruvalangadu and Larger Leiden plates) and the Brihadishwara Temple.
- The Brihadishwara Temple, completed by Rajaraja I in about 1010 CE, shows Chola wealth, engineering and art, and its inscriptions record gifts, temple staff and supporting villages.
- The main kings in order: Vijayalaya, Aditya I, Parantaka I, Rajaraja I, Rajendra I, Rajadhiraja I, Rajendra II, Virarajendra, Kulottunga I; the last was Rajendra III.
- Rajaraja I conquered the Cheras, the Pandyas, northern Sri Lanka and the Maldives; Rajendra I reached the Ganga, attacked Srivijaya and built Gangaikonda Cholapuram.
- The king was hereditary, sacred and supreme, helped by higher and lower officials, a land revenue based on surveys, and a strong army and navy.
- The empire was divided into mandalams, valanadus, nadus and villages, with assemblies at the nadu (nattar) and village (ur, sabha, nagaram) levels.
- The Uttaramerur inscriptions of Parantaka I record selection by kudavolai from thirty wards, with qualifications, disqualifications and committees (variyams) serving for one year.
- Chola art perfected the Dravida temple, with a tall vimana, and produced bronze images by the lost-wax process, above all the Nataraja.
Questions answered
Who founded the imperial Chola dynasty, and which city did he make his capital?
Vijayalaya, who captured Thanjavur in about 850 CE and made it his capital.
Name the two sources of Chola history listed in your syllabus.
Inscriptions and the Brihadishwara Temple at Thanjavur.
What is a copper-plate grant? Name one Chola copper-plate grant.
A copper-plate grant is a set of copper sheets joined by a ring with the royal seal, recording a royal gift of land. Examples are the Anbil plates, the Tiruvalangadu plates and the Larger Leiden plates.
Why are meykirttis useful, and what is their weakness as a source?
Comparing meykirttis of different years shows the order and dates of a king's victories; but they were written to praise the king and hide his defeats.
Who built the Brihadishwara Temple, and when was it completed? What does its vimana look like?
Rajaraja I built it, completing it in about 1010 CE. The vimana rises about 66 metres in thirteen storeys and is crowned by a heavy granite capstone.
Arrange in chronological order: Rajendra I, Aditya I, Kulottunga I, Vijayalaya, Rajaraja I, Parantaka I.
Vijayalaya, Aditya I, Parantaka I, Rajaraja I, Rajendra I, Kulottunga I.
Why did Rajendra I take the titles Gangaikonda Chola and Kadaramkonda?
Gangaikonda Chola celebrated his army's march to the Ganga, where it defeated the Pala king Mahipala I; Kadaramkonda celebrated his naval expedition against Kadaram in the kingdom of Srivijaya.
Who was Kulottunga I, and why was he called Sungam Tavirtta Chola?
He was the son of an Eastern Chalukya king and a Chola princess, who joined the two families on the Chola throne. He was called Sungam Tavirtta Chola because he abolished many tolls on trade.