Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Fall & Rise of the Chola Empire
After the Kalabhras suppressed the Tamil chiefdoms, South India split into numerous war-
ring kingdoms. The Cholas virtually disappeared and the Cheras on the west coast appear
to have prospered through trading, although little is known about them. It wasn't until the
late 6th century AD, when the Kalabhras were overthrown, that the political uncertainty in
the region ceased. For the next 300 years the history of South India was dominated by the
fortunes of the Chalukyas of Badami, the Pallavas of Kanchi (Kanchipuram) and the
Pandyas of Madurai.
The Chalukyas were a far-flung family. In addition to their base in Badami, they estab-
lished themselves in Bijapur, Andhra Pradesh and near the Godavari Delta. The Godavari
branch of the family is commonly referred to as the Eastern Chalukyas of Vengi. It's un-
clear from where the Pallavas originated, but it's thought they may have emigrated to Kan-
chi from Andhra Pradesh. After their successful rout of the Kalabhras, the Pallavas exten-
ded their territory as far south as the Cauvery River, and by the 7th century were at the
height of their power, building monuments such as the Shore Temple and Arjuna's Penance
at Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram). They engaged in long-running clashes with the Pandy-
as, who, in the 8th century, allied themselves with the Gangas of Mysore. This, combined
with pressure from the Rashtrakutas (who were challenging the Eastern Chalukyas), had by
the 9th century snuffed out any significant Pallava power in the south.
At the same time as the Pallava dynasty came to an end, a new Chola dynasty was estab-
lishing itself and laying the foundations for what was to become one of the most significant
empires on the subcontinent. From their base at Thanjavur, the Cholas spread north absorb-
ing what was left of the Pallavas' territory, and made inroads into the south. But it wasn't
until Rajaraja Chola I (r 985-1014) ascended the throne that the Chola kingdom really star-
ted to emerge as a great empire. Rajaraja Chola I successfully waged war against the
Pandyas in the south, the Gangas of Mysore and the Eastern Chalukyas. He also launched a
series of naval campaigns that resulted in the capture of the Maldives, the Malabar Coast
and northern Sri Lanka, which became a province of the Chola empire. These conquests
gave the Cholas control over critical ports and trading links between India, Southeast Asia,
Arabia and East Africa. They were therefore in a position to grab a share of the huge profits
involved in selling spices to Europe.
Rajaraja Chola's son, Rajendra Chola I (r 1014-44), continued to expand the Cholas' ter-
ritory, conquering the remainder of Sri Lanka and campaigning up the east coast as far as
Bengal and the Ganges River. Rajendra also launched a campaign in Southeast Asia against
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