Kulothunga Chola III and the battle of Nettur
Kulothunga Chola III was born as Kumara Kulothunga in Kanchipuram of modern-day Tamil Nadu to Sangama Chola. He succeeded his elder brother Rajadhiraja Chola II to the throne in 1178 CE. During his long reign of 40 years, he gained a number of victories against the Hoysalas, the Pandyas, the Cheras of Venad, and the Chodas of Velanadu and Nellore. He restored the lost control of the Cholas over Karur. However, the last two years of his reign were marked by chaos when he lost the war against the Pandyas. The Chola dynasty declined rapidly after that.
Kulothunga Chola III maintained matrimonial alliance with the Hoysalas and married Somaladevi who was the daughter of the Hoysala king Veera Ballala. His other queen was Bhuvanamuludaiyal. He had two sons Rajaraja Chola III and Rajendra Chola III who both became Chola kings later.
MILITARY CAMPAIGNS
Kulothunga Chola III tried to reverse the weakening forces set in tune at the time through his chivalry and war tactics. The reign of his predecessors saw the loosening of control over the outlying parts of the empire and the administration getting weaker. The feudatory chiefs were gaining control over the administration. The subordinates like the Sambuvaraya, Kadavaraya, and Malaiyaman chieftains were waging wars and making alliances in the northern half of the empire without any reference to the ruling monarch.
CAMPAIGNS AGAINST THE PANDYAS
Kulothunga Chola III led three campaigns against the Pandyas during his reign. When Kulothunga Chola III ascended the throne, the Chola forces were busy in the civil war that raged in the Pandyan Empire. Parakramabahu of Sri Lanka sought the help of the Pandyan emperor Vira Pandya and renewed his efforts against the Cholas. Vikrama Pandya established alliance with Kulothunga Chola III and invaded the Pandyan kingdom. In the war that followed the combined forces of the Pandyas and Sinhalas, he was defeated and driven into exile and Vikrama Pandya was installed on the throne.
However, Vira Pandya did not stop at this and with the help of his allies he decided to take another chance for the throne. The Battle of Nettur was fought between Vira Pandya and Kulothunga Chola III in which Vira Pandya was defeated and fled to Ceylon.
The second campaign was undertaken between 1185-1186 CE when Vira Pandya rebelled and refused to pay tribute to the Chola monarch. Vira Pandya did not get any help from the Sinhala, and Venad kingdoms and Kulothunga Chola III with the aid of his feudatories crushed his opponent. However, he treated Vira Pandya in a very good manner.
Vikrama Pandya was succeeded by Jatavarman Kulsekhara Pandya in 1190 CE. He refused to recognise the suzerainty of the Cholas and did not pay tributes. The third campaign was led in 1205 CE in which the Cholas sacked the capital and demolished the coronation hall of the Pandyas.
WAR WITH THE HOYSALAS
The Hoysala king Veera Ballala tried to extend his rule beyond the Kaveri Tungabhadra basin to the Malprabaha basin. He defeated the western Chalukya king Someshwara IV and the Yadava Seuna dynasty king Bhillama. However, he had to face the wrath of the sons of the Kalachuri king Bijjala. Surrounded with strong enemies from all sides, Veera Ballala II expanded his territory eastwards into the adjoining areas of the Kongu country which was administered by Adigman chiefs as vassals of the Cholas.
Hearing the news, Kulothunga Chola III immediately set off for the Kongu country against Veera Ballala II. He fought successfully against him in 1187-88 CE and re-established the Chola suzerainty. Later he established matrimonial alliances with the Hoysalas and this alliance proved helpful to him in the later part of his reign.
WARS IN THE TELUGU COUNTRY
Kulothunga Chola III focused on the recovery of Vengi after his accession. It was in the hands of Velanadu and Telugu Chodas, who had declared their independence in the reign. Kulothunga Chola III led a campaign against the Velanadu and Telugu Chodas and brought them back into the Chola reign. It was temporarily lost to Nallasiddha who took advantage of the subsequent wars between the Cholas and the Hoysalas, Cheras, Pandyas and the king of Ceylon. As Kulothunga Chola III was busy in the wars he could not turn his attention immediately to Vengi but he soon defeated Nallasiddha and his feudatories.
THE PANDYAN VICTORY AND THE DECLINE OF THE CHOLAS
The continuous wars took a heavy toll on the physical health of Kulothunga Chola III and also on the treasury of the empire. By demolishing the coronation hall of the Pandyas in 1205 CE he had sown the seeds of revenge in the heart of the Pandyan emperor Jatavarman Kulasekhara. Following a period of peace in the Chola country, the Pandyan princes united against their common enemy. The feudatories of the Chola kings who ruled on their behalf were defeated one after the other by the powerful Kakatiya rulers and as a result they could not provide support to Kulothunga Chola III at the time of need.
As a result, during the close of the reign of Kulothunga Chola III he saw with his own eyes the decline of his empire which continued till the demise of the Chola kingdom in 1180 CE. Jatavarman Kulasekhara was succeeded by his younger brother Maravarman Sundara Pandya who in order to avenge the defeat of his brother invaded the Chola kingdom. Due to his weak physical health and old age, Kulothunga Chola III could not do much to save his empire. Also, he did not have the support of his feudatories. The Chola cities of Thanjavur and Uraiyur which were once the chief source of power were captured and ransacked by the Pandyas, and Kulothunga Chola III and his son and heir apparent Rajaraja Chola III were driven into exile. The wheel of fortune thus turned a full circle.
Later Kulothunga Chola III sought the help of Veera Ballala II who sent an army under his son Vira Narasimha II. Maravaraman Sundara Pandya made peace with the Cholas and restored their kingdom after they acknowledged his suzerainty. Kulothunga Chola III and his son became tribute paying subordinates of the Pandyas and the empire declined rapidly after that. Kulothunga Chola III died soon afterwards in 1218 CE and was succeeded by his son Rajaraja Chola III.
CULTURE
The reign of Kulothunga Chola III is very important in the history of the Chola architecture. He was a great builder and got a number of temples and other buildings constructed. He commissioned the construction of the Sarabeswara temple near Kumbakonam which is a very fine specimen of the Dravidian architecture. The walls are decorated with Ramayana reliefs. Apart from this he also got a number of other temples renovated. He built the sabha mandapam at the Shiva temple at Thiruvarur.
The reign of Kulothunga Chola III also saw a widespread famine in the kingdom. He got a number of tanks and wells constructed and arranged for the relief measures for his subjects.
Kulothunga Chola III was a brave king who by his abilities delayed the Chola decline for about a generation. He tried his best to re-establish the Chola hegemony in the area. His reign can be considered the last great epoch in the history of Chola architecture and he himself can be considered as the last of the great Chola monarchs.
