Modern Cholas: Part 1
[Draft was edited by Gemini for clarity]
Everything I know about the Cholas comes from Anirudh Kanisetti's excellent book, Lords of the Deccan (and his work on the Chola Empire). This article is my understanding of that book.
Who were the "Modern" Cholas?
To understand who they were, we must first understand who they were not:
No Sangam Connection: They had no direct link to the ancient Sangam-era Cholas. They essentially co-opted the "Chola" brand name for legitimacy.
A Lost Identity: They have not been a permanent fixture of Tamil consciousness for the last 1,000 years. Even as recently as 1940, the Cholas were rarely discussed; the common view was that the Thanjavur temple had been built by the Pallavas. They only rose in popularity with the rise of the Dravidian movement and the modern revival of Tamil identity.
So, why are they special now?
Bullying the Deccan: They are the only known dynasty from Tamil Nadu that successfully bullied and harassed the Deccan powers. Historically, the pattern was the opposite—Deccan dynasties lording over the South. We know the Cholas succeeded because of the extensive inscriptions they left in temples.
Trans-Oceanic Raiders: They are the only known Indian dynasty to cross the seas to raid parts of modern-day Indonesia and Malaysia. Note that while trade contact existed long before these raids, the Cholas were the ones to bring state-sponsored naval violence to the region.
Cultural Architects: Much of what we associate with Tamil identity originated with them. They popularized the Nataraja bronze and introduced multi-complex, multi-storied temple architecture, moving away from the tiny, single-shrine (Sannidhi) norms of the past.
The Landscape of Tamil Nadu: Circa 900 AD
Our modern notions of nation-states and monarchy do not apply here. The Cholas were not like modern Emirati Kings; they had no "official" authority and did not "govern" in the sense of providing public services. They collected taxes but provided little more than defense.
A better mental model is to think of these kings as mafia bosses or warlords. Imagine Tamil Nadu as New York City, divided into four "neighborhoods":
Madurai: Located in south Tamil Nadu, the dominant gang here was the Pandyas.
Tondai Nadu: (Kancheepuram/Chennai) in north Tamil Nadu. The gang here was the Pallavas.
Kaveri Delta: (Thanjavur) This area was highly decentralized, with no single strong gang. Instead, there were many small-time warlords like the Cholas, Mutharayars, and Pazhuvettarayars. They fought with (and sometimes for) each other, the Pallavas, and the Pandyas.
Nadu Nadu: This was the zone between the Kaveri Delta and Tondai Nadu. No major gang claimed this territory because it wasn't fertile like the Delta; consequently, no one was particularly interested in it.
In these neighborhoods, common people (the villages) went about their business growing rice. These villages were highly organized, with elected assemblies (called Nadus) and committees to manage canals and local temples. These villages likely wanted nothing to do with the warlords, but the warlords wouldn't leave them alone. Each gang collected protection money (tribute) to prevent their own members from harassing the villagers and to keep rival warlords from robbing them.
How the Cholas Became "Big Dogs" in Tamil Nadu
Around 900 AD, Aditya Chola and his son, Parantaka Chola, were small-time warlords in the Kaveri Delta. There were other local warlords, like the Mutharayars and Pazhuvettarayars. They had spent centuries fighting each other and the Pallavas and Pandyas.
The first step was to become the "Big Dog" in their own neighborhood: the Kaveri Delta. Aditya and Parantaka persuaded the other warlords to join their "cartel" rather than resist them. They did this through three main strategies:
- The Incentive: They offered other warlords more money than they could make on their own. They promised that after every sowing season, the entire gang would unite to raid other neighborhoods (Nadu Nadu, Tondai Nadu, Madurai) and share the loot.
- The Big Kill: To distinguish himself from the other warlords in the region, Aditya Chola went for the big kill. Sensing that the Pallava king was weak he ambushed the Pallava king and killed him in battle. This did not mean Tondai Nadu was now his turf since there we splinter groups from the old Pallava regime. It gave him a lot of street cred. in Kaveri Delta
The Legacy Rebrand: They claimed to be descendants of the Sangam Cholas, the legendary gang that had dominated the region 1,000 years prior. They framed their rise not as a coup, but as a "return to the throne."
The Pandyas from Madurai and the Pallavas from Tondai Nadu had been fighting each other for 300 years, but neither could land a knockout blow. They were exhausted. Once the Chola cartel united all the small warlords in the Kaveri Delta, it was relatively straightforward to defeat them. The Sri Lankan king did try to support the Pandyas, but the collective might of the Kaveri Delta crushed the opposition. In fact, Parantaka Chola even unsuccessfully tried to raid and bully Sri Lanka.
The Setback: The "New Jersey" Mafia
The Deccan was like a neighboring city—say, New Jersey. Its mafia warlord, the Rashtrakutas, were incredibly tough. Periodically, they would drive into Tamil Nadu neighborhoods, loot the villages, and beat up the local gang if they resisted. However, Tamil Nadu was too far from their home base to occupy permanently.
There was an internal conflict between an uncle and a nephew over the succession to the Rashtrakuta throne. Having easily dominated Tamil Nadu, Parantaka felt he could now interfere in the Deccan. Unfortunately for him, he had poked the bear. The nephew crowned himself king and turned his attention toward Tamil Nadu.
In a blitz, he decimated the Chola army, killed Parantaka's son and crown prince, Rajaditya, drove Parantaka out of Thanjavur, and reached all the way to Rameswaram. He left an inscription there to mark his victory. The Rashtrakutas eventually left the area but decided to keep the frontier region (Tondai Nadu) for themselves as a buffer.
The Cholas were humbled and retreated to the Kaveri Delta to lick their wounds. These 30 years were a period of chaos, marked by inner squabbling, murder, and intrigue. This is the period in which the famous novel Ponniyin Selvan is set. In reality, Aditya Karikalan was murdered by a set of Brahmins from the Chola court.
Out of this chaos emerged Rajaraja Cholan as the king of the Cholas. How he turned the Chola business around to not just dominate Tamil Nadu, but also bully the Deccan and Sri Lanka, is the subject of the next article.
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