Raja raja cholan was born in Thirukoilur. His true name was "Arulmozhivarman", also called as "Ponniyin Selvan". His parents are Parantaka Sundara Chola and Vanavan Maha Devi was the daughter of Thirukkovilur king. Aditya Karikala was the elder brother and Kundhavai, the elder sister. He is one of the greatest Emperors of India, who ruled between 985 and 1014 CE.
During the lifetime of his father Sundara Chola, Arulmozhivarman had carved a name for himself through his exploits in the battles against the Sinhala and Pandyan armies.He had a number of wives. One daughter of Rajaraja cholan called Rajaraja Kundavai Alvar who he named after his sister. After the death of Aditya II, Madhuranthaga was declared by Sundara Chola as the heir apparent ahead of Arulmozhivarman.Arulmozhivarman ascended the throne after the death of Madhuranthaga (Uttama Chola).
Thiruvalangadu copper-plate inscriptions depicts
"…Though his subjects…entreated Arulmozhi Varman, he…did not desire the kingdom for himself even inwardly "
Mummudi Chola
Rajaraja's initial campaigns were against the combined Pandya and Chera armies.The first military achievement of Rajaraja’s reign was the campaign in Kerala c. 994 CE. In the war against the Pandyas, Rajaraja seized the Pandya king Amarabhujanga and the Chola general captured the port of Virinam. To commemorate these conquests Rajaraja assumed the title "Mummudi-Chola", (the Chola king who wears three crowns – the Chera, Chola and Pandya).
Conquest of Srilanka
Rajaraja invaded ancient Sri Lanka in 993 CE. Mahinda V was the king of Sinhalese at that time. In 991 CE,Chola armies occupied the northern half of Lanka and named the dominion ‘Mummudi Chola Mandalam’.Cholas made the city of Polonnaruwa as their capital and renamed it Jananathamangalam. Rajaraja also built a Temple for Siva in Pollonaruwa. RajaRajan's desire to bring the whole Lankan island under Cholan empire was never fulfilled and the southern part of the island (Ruhuna) remained independent.
Rajaraja also expanded his conquests in the north and northwest.
Conquests of Naval regions
One of the last conquests of Rajaraja was the naval conquest of the ‘old islands of the sea numbering 12,000.The Cholas controlled the area around of Bay of Bengal and turned it to Chola Lake. Nagapattinam on Bay of Bengal was the main port of the Cholas and could have been the navy headquarters. The success of Raja Raja allowed his son Rajendra Chola to expand the Chola empire beyond the Bay of Bengal Sea. Rajendra Chola improved the ships of his father and was the First Indian Ruler to establish the First Indian Naval Fleet some 1200 years back. He had established his rule extending from India up to South East Asia with his Naval Fleet. Rajendra Chola annexed Java, Sumatra, Bali, parts of Malaysia, Brunei islands and demanded tribute from Myanmar, Thailand and Cambodia.
 |
| Brihadeeswarar Temple(Vimana tower), Thanjavur |
 |
| Brihadeeswarar Temple (Entry), Thanjavur |
Thanjavur Temple - A great example of Tamil architecture
Raja Raja I had his capital at Thanjavur (the rice bowl of Tamilnadu). Rajaraja’s reign is commemorated by the Siva temple in Thanjavur, called the Peruvudaiyar Koyil also known as Brihadeeswarar Temple, Rajarajeswaram and ‘Big Temple', turned 1008 years old in 2018.The temple is now recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, forming part of the Great Living Chola Temples site. Temple was build using granite. One of the interesting feature of this temple is it's shadow never falls on ground at noon. From the 23rd to the 29th year of Rajaraja’s rule his dominions enjoyed peace and the king apparently devoted his energies to the task of internal administration.
References:
*KAN Sastri, History of South India p 164
*KAN Sastri, The Colas
*Chakravarti, Prithwis Chandra (December 1930). "Naval Warfare in ancient India"
No comments:
Post a Comment