About Chola Dynasty and their culture.

1. THE CHOLAS
MADE BY GROUP I
VARUN,
ANSH,
TANYA,
SARTHAK,
KARAN,
NIPUN,
ANUBHAV
The Golden Age of Tamil Culture

2. CHOLA EMPIRE
300S BC-1279
CAPITAL
EARLY : POOMPUHAR, URAYUR
MEDIEVAL CHOLAS: PAZHAIYAARAI, THANJAVUR
GANGAIKONDA CHOLAPURAM
LANGUAGE(S) : TAMIL
RELIGION : HINDUISM
GOVERNMENT : MONARCHY

3. CHOLA DYNASTY WAS SPREAD ACROSS PART OF
• INDIA
•SRI LANKA
•BANGLADESH
•MALAYSIA
•INDONESIA
•SINGAPORE
•MALDIVES
KINGS
VIJAYALAYA CHOLA
(848-871)
RAJENDRA CHOLA
III
(1246-1279)

4. LIST OF CHOLA KINGS
EARLY CHOLAS-
ELARA CHOLA - 235 BC – 161 BC
ILAMCETCENNI - KARIKALA CHOLA
KILLIVALAVAN - KOPPERUNCHOLAN
INTERREGNUM (C.200-848)

5. MEDIEVAL CHOLAS
VIJAYALAYA CHOLA 848-871
ADITYA I 871-907
PARANTAKA CHOLA 907-950
GANDARADITYA 907-950
ARINJAYA CHOLA 956-957
SUNDARA CHOLA 957-970
UTTAMA CHOLA 970-985
RAJARAJA CHOLA I 985-1014
RAJENDRA CHOLA I 1012-1044
RAJADHIRAJA CHOLA 1018-1054
RAJENDRA CHOLA II 1051-1063
VIRARAJENDRA 1063-1070
ATHIRAJENDRA CHOLA 1067-1070
RAJARAJA CHOLA I - 985-1014

6. LATER CHOLAS
KULOTHUNGA CHOLA I 1070-1120
VIKRAMA CHOLA 1118-1135
KULOTHUNGA CHOLA II 113-1150
RAJARAJA II CHOLA II 1146-1173
RAJADHIRAJA CHOLA II 1166-1178
KULOTHUNGA CHOLA III 1178-1218
RAJARAJA CHOLA III 1216-1256
RAJENDRA CHOLA III 1246-1279

7. CHOLAS SOCIETY
CHOLA GOVERNMENT
CHOLA MILITARY CHOLA NAVY
CHOLA ART LITERATURE CHOLA
POOMPUHAR URAIYUR
THANJAVUR TELUGU CHOLAS
Portrait of Rajaraja Chola and his guru Karuvurar at Brihadeeswarar temple

8. Chola Dynasty
The Chola Dynasty was a Tamil dynasty that flourished from
the 9th century through the 13th century. The bhakti period,
starting in the 14th century, saw the rise of temples built for
principal gods and a decline in Jainism and Buddhism.
Not only does the Hindu temple bring communities together
with religion, but it also has social, economic and political
affects. The Pallava kings were the first to build stone temples
in the Tamil country and were defeated by the Chola dynasty
in the 8th century.
The Chola empire extended its power over the whole of South
India from each coast. In the north, the empire stretched to
the Tungabhadra river, and far south, even to include Sri
Lanka for a short time. During expansions, the Chola kings
established a Tamil culture over the controlled regions and
introduced Brahmanical rituals in the temples.
Many kings of the Chola dynasty would build several temples
and even rebuilt existing temples in stone.

9. Cultural Legacy of the Cholas
The Chola kings were the champions of art, architecture, and literature. The cultural movement that had been initiated by the Pallava
kings reached a crescendo under the reign of the Cholas. Culture and religion were inseparably fused. Art and design reached an
excellence unprecedented in India.
The Chola kings were passionate Saivites. They commissioned a number of Shiva temples across south India. The two Chola monarchs,
Rajaraja Chola I and Rajendra Chola I, left an indelible mark with the grand temples of Thanjavur and Gangaikondacholapuram. Both
temples are now designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The towering structures, intricate carvings, beauty, and symmetry of these
temple complexes are perfect examples of the creative genius patronized by the Chola kings.

10. The highlight of the Chola temples was the bronze utsava idols, or the idols used for public functions. These were fashioned using the lost wax
technique, and are known for their beauty. The clothes, jewelry, and flowers of the deities were intricately designed in bronze. The best known bronze
idol of the Chola era is the Nataraja idol. Besides the intricacy, the balance and contour of the image are exemplary.
Tamil literature reached its apex during the Chola era. Kambha Ramayanam, though based on Valmiki's Ramayana, is believed to depict the excellence
and beauty of the Chola country. Tamil poetry, dance, and drama were in their heydays during this era.
The growing strength of the Pandyas was one of the reasons for the decline of the Chola Empire in the thirteenth century AD. Also, it had become
impossible to maintain adequate control over the unwieldy empire. Despite the decline of the empire, the Chola kings left a legacy of culture,
diplomacy, harmony, and administration that was unparalleled in South Asia.
Administration of the Cholas
Administration of Chola dynasty was monarchical. The Chola Empire consisted of entire South Indian peninsula extending east to west from coast to
coast, and bounded by an irregular line along the Tungabhadra River and the Vengi frontier in the north. The Chola dominion extended up to the banks
of the Godavari River. The king was a benevolent dictator and the supreme commander. He issued oral commands to responsible officers when
representations were made to him. In the tasks of administration and in executing his orders a powerful bureaucracy assisted the king. The justice of
the orders of the King depends on the goodness of the man and in his belief in a sense of righteousness.
Role of the King in Chola Administration
All handles and levers of the administration were controlled by King as he enjoyed absolute power. Council of ministers and officials took active part in
running the administration of Central Government. The higher officials were called Peruntaram and the lower officials were called Siruntaram. The
Chola administration system was a highly centralized one. The feudal chiefs were kept away from administration. The government had a direct link
with the peasants instead of the feudatories. The Chola kings had adopted the Yuvaraja during king’s rule. The orders of the kings were written and
copies of it would be sent to respective departments and officers. The royal priest was the reliable advisor of the King.
Brihadishwara Temple built by the Rajaraja Chola I

11. Military Administration of Cholas
The Cholas had an efficient army and navy. The Chola army consisted of elephant, cavalry and infantry. Soldiers were given proper training. The army
was divided into seventy regiments. With the help of their navy the Cholas controlled Coromandal and Malabar coasts. Bay of Bengal became the Chola
Lake. The Chola army and navy together had huge trained soldiers. The armies of the tributary chieftains also joined Chola army at needy times.
Generally the Chola army was led by the King or Yuvaraja. The king was the commander of army and navy which acted under his instructions. They
helped the king in temple protection and revenue collection other than participating in a war.
There were officials of various grades organized in higher and lower ranks. Every village was a self-governing unit. The kingdom was divided into
several provinces. They were again subdivided into kotaam, nadu, kurram and village being the lowest unit of the administration. The land revenue was
core of public finance, thereby assessment of revenue being done carefully Rajaraja I had introduced periodical land surveys. Tax exemptions were
carefully noted. The village as a whole was responsible for payment of entire tax of a village. The other revenue sources were professional tax, salt tax,
tax on goods and so on.
Revenue System under Cholas
State revenue was utilized in public works, in construction, maintenance of institutions and temples. Many irrigation projects were undertaken by the
Chola kings like dam construction. Lake Cholagangam was an artificial reservoir build during the Chola rule.

12. Law and Order Under Cholas
Justice was mostly a local matter in the Chola Empire. Justice was
administered through village courts, royal courts and caste
panchayats. Minor disputes were settled at the village level.
Punishment was in the form of fines or donation for some
charitable purpose. Crimes such as manslaughter or murder were
punished with fines. Crimes of the state, such as treason, were
heard and decided by the king himself; the typical punishment in
these cases was either execution or confiscation of property.
Local Self Government Under Cholas
Development of local self government was one of the most
striking features of administration of the Chola dynasty. The
villages were given autonomy despite centralised system of
governance. The Chola officials acted as advisors to village
assemblies and there was no interference in daily administration.
Thus there was continuity in village administration despite political
upheavals. The general assembly was classified into tax paying
villagers, Brahmins and traders. The central government officers
examined accounts and supervised the work of the tax paying
villagers. The village assemblies received gifts from rich men or
from king for developmental activities. The feudatories were
unable to impede in the village management. Their job was very
clerical in the sense it was a mere collection of taxes and passing
the share to the King.
Elaborate and complicated mechanisms are the attributes of Chola
administration. Administration under the Chola dynasty was
systematically conducted. Autonomy along with centralization was
moderately followed in each and every level. Revenue, justice,
governance and military were given prior importance and
supervised in a matured manner. The Chola kingdoms witnessed a
disciplined bureaucracy.
A statue from Chola Dynasty, outside the National Museum.

13. Inscription of Virarajendra Chola I
Chidambaram Temple

14. Standing Hanuman, Chola Dynasty Chola Bronze, Ulster Museum
With heavily ornamented pillars accurate in
detail and richly sculpted walls, the
Airavateswara temple at Darasuram is a classic
example of Chola art and architecture
An early silver kasu of Uttama Chola (973 - 985) Thanjavur in TamilNadu

15. Acknowledgement
To my team for supporting me
To ANSH for narrating this presentation
To Google for images