Rajaraja Chola I - The Great Chola

BACKGROUND

Rajaraja Chola I, the third child of Parantaka Chola II and Vanavan Mahadevi was also known by his birth name Arunmozhi Varman. He succeeded to the throne after the death of Uttama Chola in 985 CE. Rajaraja Chola I had already earned himself a good name during the reign of his father by proving his mettle in the battles against the Sinhala and Pandya armies.

After the death of Parantaka I, his elder son Ganaraditya ascended the throne. When Ganaraditya died, his son Uttama was a minor and hence the throne passed on to Parantaka Chola I’s younger son Arinjaya who died very soon after. He was succeeded by his son Parantaka Chola II who had two sons, Aditya Chola II and Arunmozhi, and a daughter Kundavai. After Parantaka Chola II’s son and heir apparent Aditya Chola II was assassinated by the associates of the Pandyas, Uttama Chola who was the only child of Ganaraditya Chola wanted the Chola throne as his birthright. He forced Parantaka Chola II to declare him the heir apparent in place of the popular Arunmozhi. Parantaka Chola compromised and made a deal with him that Uttama will be succeeded not by his sons but by Arunmozhi. The Thiruvalangadu inscription states-

“…having noticed by the marks (on his body) that Arunmozhi was the very Vishnu, the protector of the three worlds, descended on Earth, (Uttama) installed him in the position of Yuvaraja and himself bore the burden of ruling the Earth.”

Rajaraja Chola I ascended the throne in 985 CE after the death of Uttama Chola and adopted the title Rajaraja meaning “king among kings.”

CONQUESTS AND EXPANSION OF THE EMPIRE

When Rajaraja Chola I ascended the throne, he did not find it a bed of roses. The boundaries were limited to the traditional Chola territory around Thanjavur- Tiruchirapalli region. The Rashtrakuta invasions had rendered the kingdom weak, and the neighbouring territories eyed the kingdom to conquer it at the slightest opportunity.

Rajaraja Chola I with his efficiency and capability turned it into a powerful empire with a strong army and navy. During his reign, the northern kingdom of Vengi became a Chola subordinate and the Chola influence on the eastern coast extended to Kalinga in the north.

BATTLE OF KANDALUR SALAI

Fought in 988 CE the battle of Kandalur Salai was a naval engagement of the Chola under Rajaraja Chola I against the Salai at Kandalur in Kerala. It was the first military achievement of king Rajaraja I’s reign. The Kandalur Salai belonged to the Ay chief who was a vassal of the Pandya king at Madurai. However, at the time of the raid, the Salai may have been under the control of the Chera king Bhaskara Ravi. The war that followed led to a high number of casualties and the destruction of Chera navy and ports. The Thiruvalangadu inscription mentions the capture of Vizhingham by Rajaraja Chola I’s general. The battle is celebrated by the well-known phrase “Kandalur Salai Kalam Arutta.”

CONQUEST OF KERALA AND THE PANDYAS

According to the Senur inscription of Rajaraja Chola I, he destroyed the Pandya capital Madurai and conquered the kings of Kollam, Kolla Desham and Kodungallur. After the defeat of the Pandyas by him he took the title Pandya Kulashani meaning a thunderbolt to the race of the Pandyas and the country came to be known as “Rajaraja Mandalam.” Rajaraja Chola I adopted the title of Mummudi Chola means the Chola who wears the three crowns. This was done to celebrate and commemorate his suzerainty over the three chief Tamil principalities of the Cholas, Pandyas, and Cheras.

VICTORY OVER SRI LANKA

Sri Lanka, also known as Ilamandalam in the Chola records was invaded by Rajaraja Chola I in 993 CE. At that time Mahinda V of Anuradhapura was ruling the country who fled to Rohana in south-eastern Sri Lanka.  Anuradhapura was ransacked by the Chola army and northern half of Sri Lanka was captured. The Cholas established their provincial capital and named it Jananathamangalam after a title of Rajaraja Chola I.

The conquest of Sri Lanka was completed by Rajaraja Chola I’s son Rajendra Chola I in 1017. 

CONFLICT WITH THE CHALUKYAS

The regions of Gangavadi, Nolambapadi, and Tadigaipadi situated in modern day Karnataka were originally feudatories of the Rashtrakutas. When the Rashtrakutas were defeated by the Western Chalukyas, it brought them into direct conflict with the Cholas. The Nolambapadi province was conquered in 998 CE while the Gangavadi province was captured and annexed in 1004 CE. Jata Choda Bhima who was an Eastern Chalukya ruler of the Vengi kingdom was defeated and Shaktivarman was placed on the throne. Rajaraja Chola I gave his daughter Kundavai in marriage to the next viceroy Vimaladitya of Vengi leading to the unification of the Cholas and the eastern Chalukyas. The matrimonial alliance also paved the way for the descendants of Rajaraja Chola I to rule the Eastern Chalukya kingdom in future.

NAVAL EXPEDITIONS

Rajaraja Chola I strengthened the navy during his reign. So strong was his control that the area around the Bay of Bengal was known as the “lake of Cholas.” The main port was Nagapattinam and many successful campaigns like the Sri Lankan campaign and the expedition to Maldives were undertaken.

ADMINISTRATION

Rajaraja Chola  I completely replaced the hereditary lords and local princes and turned them into dependent officials. He himself exercised personal control over different parts of the empire. He was assisted in the administration and management by his elder sister Kundavai. Rajaraja Chola I undertook a land assessment survey in 1000 CE and reorganised the empire into units known as Valanadus. He strengthened the system of local self-government and installed a system of audit and control through which the public bodies were kept under watch. During his reign, there was an increase in the number of officials. 

Rajaraja Chola I also introduced the practice of the writing down of history.

RELIGIOUS POLICY AND CULTURE

Although Rajaraja was a dedicated Shaivite, but he also dedicated several temples to Lord Vishnu. This shows his secular and tolerant attitude which is also evident from the patronage of a Buddhist monastery by him in Nagapattinam.

In 1010 CE, Rajaraja Chola I built the grand Brihadeshwara temple also known as Rajarajeshwaram temple at Thanjavur. It is dedicated to lord Shiva and is one of the largest temples in India and a perfect example of Dravidian architecture during the Chola period. Also known as Peruvudaiyar Kovil this temple turned 1000 years old in 2010. The temple is part of the UNESCO world heritage and is known as one of the “Great Living Chola Temples” with the other two being the Gangaikonda Cholapuram and Airavateshvara temple.

He undertook a mission to recover the hymns written by three saint poets Sambandar, Appar, and Sundarar and ensured that these were sung in all the temples. This tradition continues even to this date.

Apart from all these he also built the Tiruvalisvaram temple, the Uttarkailash temple and the Vaidyanath temple.

COINS AND INSCRIPTIONS

Rajaraja Chola I replaced the old Chola coins engraved with the tiger emblem with the new ones that had on the obverse a figure of the standing king and on the reverse the seated goddess. His coins were also copied by the kings of Sri Lanka.

A large number of inscriptions were engraved during the reign of Rajaraja Chola I. He recorded his military achievements, the grants made to the Thanjavur temple, and his orders. He also preserved the records of his predecessors.

Rajaraja Chola I died in 1014 CE. He was succeeded by his son Rajendra I who continued the success stories of his able father and proved to be his worthy son