Chola Dynasty of south India, annexed most of south-east Asia during 10th-11th century.

* Manu Needhi Cholan, a legendary Chola Dynasty king

The Chola Dynasty of medieval India was known as a one of the greatest naval powers of its time from 300BC-1279AD.

In India, the Chola Dynasty reached its height of naval power under leaders such as Rajaraja Chola I and Rajendra Chola I, dominating southern India ( Tamil Nadu ), Sri Lanka, and regions of South East Asia.

* 1025: the Chola Dynasty of India uses its naval powers to conquer the South East Asian kingdom of Srivijaya, turning it into a vassal.

An 11th century Chola Dynasty bronze figurine of Arthanariswara.

* In 910, Parantaka I of the Chola Dynasty drove out the Pandyan from southern India into Lanka ( now Sri Lanka ), which he also eventually conquered.

* Parantaka I, ruler of the Chola Dynasty of India – Tamil King ( reigned 907 – 950 )

* Raja Raja Chola I, ruler of the Chola Dynasty of India – Tamil King

* Chola Dynasty starts to rule ( approximate date ).

Chola Dynasty, Early Medieval period.

Chola Dynasty, Early Medieval period.

Chola Dynasty.

* 1279 – The Chola Dynasty of South India falls under attacks by the Hoysala Empire and Pandyan kingdom.

Nataraja, Bronze, Chola Dynasty, Tamil Nadu, Government Museum Madras, India.

Tamil Nadu, Chola Dynasty, India

The Chola Dynasty of medieval India was a dominant seapower in the Indian Ocean, an avid maritime trader and diplomatic entity with Song China.

In 1068, King Rajendra I of the Chola Dynasty of India conquered what is now modern day Kedah from Srivijaya.

** Chola Dynasty

) By the early 12th century, Pagan had emerged as a major power alongside the Khmer Empire in Southeast Asia, recognized by the Chinese Song Dynasty, and Indian Chola dynasty.

Written in 5 volumes, this narrates the story of Arulmozhivarman ( later crowned as Rajaraja Chola I ), one of the kings of the Chola Dynasty during the 10th & 11th centuries.

The next invasion came immediately in 205 BC by a Chola king named Elara, who overthrew Asela and ruled the country for 44 years.

The Vijayanagara style is a combination of the Chalukya, Hoysala, Pandya and Chola styles which evolved earlier in the centuries when these empires ruled and is characterised by a return to the simplistic and serene art of the past.

This was ruled by Kings like Raja Raja Chola, Rajendra Chola, etc.

Towards the end of his reign, or before his death, the Rashtrakutas under Krishna III invaded the Tamil Country, killed the Chola prince Rajaditya at Takkolam ( near Arakkonam ) in c. AD 948, and seized Tondainadu which they ruled for about a quarter of a century, confining the sway of the Cholas to their ancestral dominion comprising the modern day Tanjavur and Thiruchirapalli districts.

Parantaka Chola II ( son of Arinjaya, also known popularly as Sundara Chola as he was exotically handsome and ruled the kingdom particularly well ), though later fell fatally ill as his legs were paralysed.

Though crushed, however, they were not extinguished ; a period of anarchy followed, the struggle between the Chola kings and the Mussulmans issuing in the establishment at Kanchi of an usurping Hindu dynasty which ruled till the end of the 14th century, while in 1365 a branch of the Pandyas succeeded in re-establishing itself in part of the kingdom of Madura, where it survived till 1623.

The period of known history of the region begins with the Iron age ( 1200 BC to 24 BC ) period during which Chera, Chola, Pandya ruled the South Indian country until 14th century A. D. Inscriptions on Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple shows that once Pandyan kingdom ruled from Himalayas in North to Kanyakumari in the South.

The Pandyas were one of the three ancient Tamil dynasties ( Chola and Chera being the other two ) who ruled the Tamil country from pre-historic times until end of the 15th century.

Arinjaya ruled for a very short time – possibly for less than a year and on his death, his son Parantaka II ( Sundara Chola ) succeeded him.

Pandyan or Pandian dynasty was an ancient Tamil dynasty, one of the three Tamil dynasties ( the other two being Chola and Chera ), which ruled parts of South India until the 15th century AD.

The Chera, Chola and Pandya are the traditional Tamil siblings and together with the Pallavas are the major Kings that ruled ancient Tamilakam.

They were replaced by a series of Chola viceroys with the title Chola Pandyas who ruled from Madurai from c. 1020.

This dynasty ruled at the same period as Kulothunga Chola III, and Jatavarman Sundara Pandyan I. Pandian won over Magadesan in 1251 CE but returned the kingdom back.

Following this marriage Lanka was allowed to be ruled with more freedom than under previous Chola kings, thus giving it a semblance of independent existence.

The Imperial Cholas initiated their grand naval conquests during the reign of two of its most illustrious monarchs, Raja Raja Chola ( ruled 985-1014 ) and his son Rajendra Chola ( ruled 1012-1044 ).

Later the Tamil Chola Rajas ruled Southern Karnataka ( including Tulunad and Coorg ), Tamil Nadu, Kerala and parts of Andhra.

Kongunadu was ruled over by The Chera, Chola, Pandya, Hoysala, Muslim rulers and finally the British.

Many giant granite temple pyramids were made in South India during the Chola Empire, many of which are still in religious use today.

Upon his request, ordained monks were sent from Burma to Sri Lanka to re-establish Buddhism, which had almost disappeared from the country during the Chola reign.

The Brihadeeswarar Temple of Chola era southern India, completed in 1010, during the reign of Rajaraja Chola I.

* The Brihadeeswarar Temple of India is completed in 1010 during the reign of Rajaraja Chola I.

* Construction begins on the Brihadeeswarar Temple of India, during the reign of Rajaraja Chola I

The Pandyas were outsted from Madurai by the Chola dynasty during the early 9th century.

The city of Polonnaruwa was also called Jananathamangalam during the short Chola reign.

It is during this era that some of the grandest of Tamil literary classics like Kambaramayanam and Periya Puranam were authored and many poets were patronized by the imperial Chola and Pandya empires.

Epigraphic Evidence suggests the celebration of the Puthiyeedu during the Medieval Chola empire days.

Stone edicts and carvings found in Uthiramerur have shown clues of local self governance during the Chola imperial period. The elections were held by a method called Kudavolai.

He conquered the country from a vassal chief of the Pallavas, and established Pazhayaarai as the capital of the dynasty which was later shifted to Thanjavur during the rule of Sundara Chola.

Later, during the Chola period, Kamban ( 12th century ) wrote what is considered one of the greatest Tamil epics — the Kamba Ramayanam of Kamban, based on the Valmiki Ramayana.

The work also stands as a proof of secular outlook of Chola kings during the period.

The temple was later renovated during the period of the Chola monarch Rajendra Chola I in the 10th century and Vijayanagara kings in the 15th century.

Avvaiyar II lived during the period of Kambar and Ottakoothar during the reign of the Chola dynasty in the 13th century.

Pandyas allied themselves with the Sinhalese and the Keralas in harassing the Chola empire until they found an opportunity for reviving their fortunes during the late 13th century.

Karikala Chola was the famous king during the early centuries of the common era and managed to gain ascendency over the Pandyas and Cheras.

The temple was extensively built during the Chola period and a lot of inscriptions dating back to the same period are found here.