Important Rulers of Chola Dynasty

1. CHOLA
DYNASTY
An introduction to Chola dynasty and the emperors

2. WHATWE'LLDISCUSS
The Chola
Dynasty
This is the story about the Chola Dynasty
which is believed to have originated from
the fertile valley of the river Kaveri. By the
turn of the 8th century , there three
prominent kingdoms of the South, the
Cheras, the Pandavas and the cholas who
considered to be the most powerful of the
three.

3. The founder of Chola
kingdom was Vijayalaya
who conquered the
kingdom of Tanjore during
mid 8th century. Vijayalaya
defeated the pallavas and
took over Tanjore from
them He was succeeded
by his son Aditya -I.
THE VAIJAYALA THE FOUNDER

4. The founder of Chola kingdom
was Vijayalaya who conquered
the kingdom of Tanjore during
mid 8th century. Vijayalaya
defeated the pallavas and took
over Tanjore from them He was
succeeded by his son Aditya -I.
THE SOCIETY
• There were different sections in society
• The society was based as varnasrama
• According to the varnasrama, society was divided
into four major divisions
• Namely Barhmins, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas, and sudras.
• Chola kings gave impoertance of the development of
education
• Women were given high status and freedom in the
cholas society.

5. IMPACT OF CHOLAS
The Cholas left a lasting legacy. Their
patronage of Tamil literature and their
zeal in the building of temples has
resulted in some great works of Tamil
literature and architecture. The Chola
kings were avid builders and
envisioned the temples in their
kingdoms not only as places of
worship but also as centres of
economic activity. They pioneered a
centralised form of government and
established a disciplined bureaucracy.
The Chola school of art spread
to Southeast Asia and influenced the
architecture and art of Southeast
Asia.

6. POWERFULRULERS Powerful emperors and
timeline of the important kings
of Chola Dynasty:
• Rajaraja Chola (985- 1014 AD)
• Aditya-I (907 to 955 AD)
• Rajendra I (1012 1044 AD)
• Vira Rajendra (1064 - 1070 AD)
• Vikrama Chola (1120 - 1135 AD)
• Rajendra- II 1073 to 1118 AD 9th to 13th
Century.

7. The year 985 as one of the greater King of Southern
India
Ascend the throne, Rajaja Chola I also known as
Rajaraja, the Great, who defeated the Eastern
Chalukyas of Vengi, the Pandyas of Madurai and the
Ganges of Mysore. His campaign of expansion included
the capture of Sri Lanka, which remained under the
Chola rule for 75 years, He also conquered the islands
of the Maldives and even sent missions to Indonesia.
JOURNEY

8. Being an able administrator and a great lover of architecture, he
commissioned the building of magicnificent temple of Tanjore. The temple
is named as “Rajarajeshwar’ after him.

9. Rajendra Chola, the heir and son of Rajendra Chola I , took over the
Kingdom after his father’s death and was an able ruler, just like him.
His greatest achievement included the conquest of the Andaman
and Nicobar Islands.
Rajendra Chola then later attacked the western Chalukyas and
their allies. He conquered lands right upto the banks of the river
Ganga. From the holy river, he collected the sacred water in golden
pots and poured it into a tank he called Chola Ganga. He them
adopted the title of gangaikonda , which means Victor of the Ganga.
The period under his reign came to be known as the Golden Age of
the Cholas. Art, music, dance, poetry, drama, sculpture, painting ,
philosophy and religion, all reaced new heights .Temples were the
center of all activities where the courtyard served as a school for
students who were taught ancient Vedas and scriptures. It was also
built to be used as a shelter by the people in case of an emergency.

10. This was also a time of religion and the worship of Lord Shiva
increased in popularity. The Tamil language received great
encouragement and many beautiful works of Tamil literature
came about during this period and his work ‘Ramavatharam’ is
one the greatest epics of Tamil literature.
The cholas continued to lay much emphasis on architecture.
Magnificent temples were built, the Brihadiswara temple at
Tanjore is a prime example. Natraja is one famous example of
this art form.

11. Around the year 1118 however, the Chalukya-Chola
rulers lost control over Vengi to the western Chalukya
king, Vikramaditya VI. The future Chola kings all faced
trouble in one way or the other. They were constantly
assaulted. By the thirteen century, the Pandyan
monarchs were gaining strength. The Chola Empire
shrank to the region around Tanjore and soon came to
an end when the last Chola king, Rajaraja III died.
TOWARDSTHEEND

12. THANK YOU