Chola Dynasty

(9th–13th c. C.E.) Southern Indian
dynasty whose ancestral homeland
was the Tanjore district of Tamil Nadu.
The earliest Chola capital was in the city
of Tanjore itself, but was later moved
to Gangaikondacholapuran under
Rajendra I (r. 1014–1042 C.E.). The
Tanjore district is in the Cauvery River
delta and is extremely fertile rice-growing land. The Chola monarchs used this
agricultural strength as the foundation
for their empire. The Cholas were originally vassals of the Pallava dynasty but
became independent late in the ninth
century. In the tenth and eleventh centuries, the Cholas were the dominant
power in southern India, controlling
much of peninsular India and Sri Lanka
and sending naval expeditions as far as
Malaysia. The Cholas were noted for
their public works, particularly the construction of massive temples in the
Tanjore district and other parts of Tamil
Nadu; one of the most impressive was
the Brhadeshvar temple built by Raja
Raja (r. 985–1014 C.E.). On a smaller
scale, the Chola dynasty also patronized
exquisite sculptures, especially bronzes.
This dynasty’s rapid rise was marked
by an equally swift demise. By the
middle of the thirteenth century, they
had been attacked several times by
the Pandya dynasty and were finally
conquered in 1279.