Kulothunga Chola I- First Eastern Chalukya Chola King
Kulothunga Chola I was born in 1025 CE as Rajendra Chalukya in Chelleru, Vengi. He was the son of Rajaraja Narendra and Ammanga Devi. He was the maternal grandson of Rajendra Chola, and his father Rajaraja Narendra was the son of Kundavai, who was the younger sister of Rajendra Chola I and the daughter of Rajaraja Chola I. Kulothunga Chola I is described as an incarnation of lord Vishnu in the poem Kalingattuparani by the poet Jayamkondaan who gives the details of his birth. Brave and heroic since his childhood, Kulothunga Chola I conquered the Sri Vijaya province Kedah and the Chakrakota province as a Chola prince.
Born as Rajendra Chalukya, he later bore the title of Kulothunga which means “the exalter of his race” in Tamil. He grew up in the court of Rajendra Chola I in Gangaikondacholapuram and later participated in a number of campaigns of Rajendra Chola I, Rajadhiraja I, Rajendra Chola II, and Virarajendra Chola. He achieved a number of victories and proved his mettle. He succeeded his cousin Athirajendra Chola after the latter’s death in 1070 CE.
MILITARY CONQUESTS
When Kulothunga Chola I ascended the Chola throne he did not find it a bed of roses. Several wars and rebellions had erupted throughout the territory and there was disturbance and chaos in the empire. There were issues related to Athirajendra Chola’s assassination and the Sri Lankan rebellion, while the Southern kingdoms had declared themselves independent. The threat of Vikramaditya Chalukya loomed over, who was never satisfied with the accession of Kulothunga Chola I. He had to spend the first few years of his reign dealing with these problems.
KALINGA WARS
According to the records of Kulothunga Chola I, two Kalinga wars were fought during his reign. The first took place during his youth and was perhaps fought due to Kalinga aggression against Vengi. The Chola kingdom annexed the southern part of Kalinga in this war.
The second war was probably fought in 1110 CE after the fortieth year of Kulothunga Chola I’s reign. The reason can be attributed to Kalinga’s failure to pay tributes to Kulothunga Chola I. The invasion was led by his general Karunakara Tondaiman and the Eastern Ganga dynasty ruler Anantavarman Chodaganga was defeated at his hands. The Eastern Ganga king fled and the Chola army collected a huge amount of booty from Kalinga.
WAR WITH VIKRAMADITYA VI
The kingdom of Vengi was always a bone of contention between the Cholas, the Eastern Gangas and the Chalukyas. Kulothunga Chola I was given the title of Viruduraja Bhayankar means reason for the fear of Viruduraja probably identical with the Chalukyan king Vikramaditya VI.
Vengi was under the control of the Western Chalukyas until it was taken from them by Virarajendra Chola who passed it to Vijayaditya. After his death Kulothunga Chola I brought Vengi under his direct control and appointed his eldest son Rajaraja Chodaganga as the viceroy. However, he did not rule for long and his younger brother Vira Chola was appointed the viceroy of Vengi. Later Vikrama Chola ruled over the region till 1118 CE after which he was made the heir apparent. Later when Kulothunga Chola I fell ill, Vikrama Chola left for the Chola dominions in the South and Vengi was occupied by Vikramaditya VI. However, Vikrama Chola recaptured the province and annexed it to the Chola kingdom.
SRI LANKAN WARS
The Sinhala ruler Vijayabahu took advantage of the ongoing war between Kulothunga Chola I and Vikramaditya and declared himself ruler of the entire island. He attacked and defeated the Chola forces and occupied the territories near Anuradhapura. Kulothunga Chola I and his forces fought a bloody battle near Anuradhapura and repulsed Vijayabahu.
CONFLICT WITH THE PANDYAS
After his war with the Chalukyan king Vikramaditya VI, Kulothunga Chola I turned his attention to the South. The Pandya king never accepted his suzerainty and the Pandyan kings were a constant source of contention for the Chola emperors. When Kulothunga Chola I ascended the Chola throne there was a political turmoil in the empire. The Pandyas took advantage of the situation and assumed independent airs. Kulothunga Chola I however reacted quickly as the loss of Pandyan territories could not be afforded. He devoted all his energy in suppressing the revolts.
ADMINISTRATION
Kulothunga Chola I retained Gangaikondacholapuram as his capital. Kanchi was the next in importance, with a palace and an abhisheka mandapam. The fiscal and local administration was highly organised and a large-scale land survey was conducted to decide the tax rates.
Kulothunga Chola I promoted free trade and was known as ‘Sungamtavirrton’ meaning one who abolished tolls. He abolished tolls and transit fees.
He abolished the practice of appointing Chola-Pandya viceroys in the southern territories and instead established military cantonments to collect tribute. However, he left the internal administration in the hands of local chiefs.
Kulothunga Chola I maintained diplomatic relations with far away countries like Cambodia, Sri Vijaya, Khmer, Pagan or Burma, and China.
RELIGION AND CULTURE
Kulothunga Chola I was secular in nature and promoted Shaivism and Vaishnavism. He made donations and grants to the Buddhist monasteries, the Nataraja temple, and the Vishnu shrines. He along with his son quadrupled the size of the Chidambaram Nataraja temple and the Amritaghteshwarar Shiva temple of Melakadambur was built during his reign. Also known as Karakkoil, it is perhaps the first shrine built in the shape of a chariot with wheels drawn by spirited horses.
Kulothunga Chola I is also credited as the builder of Kulothungacholapuram now known as Siru Madurai or small Madurai. It has two temples- the Sokkanathar temple of lord Shiva and the lord Vinava Perumal temple of lord Vishnu. He was also a patron of arts and the well-known poem Kalingattuparani was written by Jayamkondaan during his reign.
Kulothunga Chola I was indeed a great ruler who maintained the extent of the empire and consolidated it to a large extent. He died in 1122 CE after a long rule and at the ripe age of 97. He was succeeded by his son Vikrama Chola.
