Imperial Cholas (Mainline Cholas)
They were feudatories of Pallavas. By the end of 9th century AD, Vijayala usurped power from Pallavas and established Mainline Cholas also known as Imperial Cholas in South India.
The Chola territory was further expanded by the next ruler Parantaka and Aditya (Adithya).
The most important ruler of Mainline Chola was Raj Raja Chola and his son Rajendra Chola.
Raj Raja Chola defeated Cheras at Trivandrum and Pandayas at Madhurai. He also annexed Northern part of Srilanka and considerable part of Cheras and Pandayas.
In 1011 AD, he laid the foundation of Brihadeshwara temple at Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu which is considered as one of the architectural wonder of India. This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva.
Features of Brihadeshwara temple
- It has a very high tower (68 m high).
- Temple construction did not involve any cementing agent and were placed interlocked, i.e., placed in puzzled technique.
- The rock used was not found there not even with in the premise of 300 KM. It means that rocks used in the construction have come from a very long distance.
- On top of this temple, a quibla was placed which weights 88 tons. There is a mystery that how such a heavy quibla was placed at the top.
The next ruler Rajendra I Chola was the most powerful Chola ruler. He completely annexed Chera, Pandaya and Srilanka.
He also marched towards Gangetic plains and defeated Mahipala (Pala ruler) of Gangetic delta.
To celebrate this victory, he created a city on the banks of river Kaveri known as Gangaikond Cholapuram.
Perhaps, Rajendra I was the first Indian ruler who crossed Bay of Bengal and invaded cities of Srivijay in Malaya Peninsula. After this invasion, cultural exchange between India and Malaya Peninsula started.
Administration of Cholas
- Perhaps, Cholas were the first who initiated the process of decentralisation.
- They created many sub-divisions in their area and officers were appointed with sufficient autonomy and powers.
- Sub-divisions are as follows -
- Chola Mandalam (Entire Chola Territory)
- Mandalam (Province)
- Valanadu (Block)
- Nadu (Big village/Town/Group of two or three villages)
- Kottam (Village)
- Chola rulers also acted as bankers/financial institutions whereby they provided loan to the people and charged interest.
Cholas were the finest temple builders of that time. Temple was not just a place of worship but was also centre of education and area of market activity (usually, temples were built at the middle of the town and markets were built around temples).
Perhaps, they were the first ruler who emphasised on the importance of rainwater harvesting. Moreover, they also wrote inscriptions regarding water conservation.
Previous Article - Tripartite Struggle
Notes on other subjects
Optional Notes
Note - This is my Vision IAS Notes (Vision IAS Class Notes) and Ashutosh Pandey Sir's Public Administration Class notes. I've also added some of the information on my own.
Hope! It will help you to achieve your dream of getting selected in Civil Services Examination 👍
 Dynasty){kind=link}
0 Comments