Untold history of Tamils - Part 6

The Chola Dynasty


When Cholas were invading Lankapuri(Sri Lanka), it was under the rule of Pallava kings of Singai Empire. Whole of Lanakpuri came under the rule of cholas. It's important to note that Chola ruled Lankapuri for only 130 years. But the Pallava kings Of Singai Empire ruled India for 1,300 years. We will look at that in details in another topic.

Longevity

The Chola empire went from about 200 BC all the way to about 1300 AD with a gap in between from about 200 AD to 800 AD when they were not ruling. This would make the Cholas one of the if not the longest lasting empire in India.

Navy and Marine Trade

The Cholas were excellent mariners. They had flourishing trade with China that was conducted through sea not land. What the Cholas also excelled at was having a strong Navy.

International Conquest

The Cholas did something that no other Indian empire did. They left India in search of new territory. The map below shows the territories controlled by Rajendra Chola I.

Neglected

Now I could be wrong but if my memory serves me correct the Chola empire and its achievements have been neglected the Indian education system and society in general. I do recall being taught about the Cholas in class 9 or 10 history. But that was about it. I cannot recall a reference to the Cholas (Except for the Chola Sheraton in Chennai) anywhere in day to day life. One often sees Ashoka, Maurya, Akbar, Shah Jahan etc being referred to or used. To the best of my knowledge no Bollywood movie has ever been made on the Cholas. I do not recall reading books on how great Rajendra Chola I was etc. I do not believe there is any road in Delhi named after Rajendra Chola or any Chola (A lot of Delhi roads are named after great Indian rulers).

Look at the classification of Indian Navy ships (http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/NAVY/Surface.html). I see none called the Chola class or Rajendra class. And yet it was the Cholas, not anyone else who dared to leave the subcontinent and conquer.

The Cholas seem to be neatly tucked away.

Why do I think its important to know more about the Cholas and Rajendra Chola's naval achievements? Well its quite simple. We have all read about Marco Polo and Vasco De Gama. A lot of Indians probably also know of the great naval battle between Nelson and Napolean. But how many of us know about the Chola's naval strength? What kind of ships did the Cholas have? What kind of weaponry did the ships have? What was Rajendra Chola's strategy when he took these overseas territories? What kind of trade ships did they have? Who were his captains? Who charted the route to China?

I know how the British sunk the Bismarck because radio stations in India played a song about it day in and day out. But I do not know anything about the Chola Navy. A shame isn't it?
Well, now that my rant is over I can go back and read more about the Cholas and hopefully one day get back to seeking more information on the 535 AD eruption of Krakatoa.

Raja Raja Cholan

Raja Raja Cholan was the greatest among all the Chola kings. There were other Chola kings before and after him. We will explore them in another episode.
Watch the whole video.


Rajaraja Chola I (Tamil: இராசராச சோழன்) is one of the greatest emperors of the Tamil Chola Empire and India, who ruled between 985 and 1014 CE. He established the Chola empire by conquering the kingdoms of southern India expanding the Chola Empire as far as Sri Lanka in the south, and Kalinga (Orissa) in the northeast. He fought many battles with the Chalukyas in the north and the Pandyas in the south. By conquering Vengi, Rajaraja laid the foundations for the Later Chola dynasty. He invaded Sri Lanka and started a century-long Chola occupation of the island.

He streamlined the administrative system with the division of the country into various districts and by standardizing revenue collection through systematic land surveys. He built the magnificent Brihadisvara Temple in Thanjavur and through it enabled wealth distribution amongst his subjects. His successes enabled his son Rajendra Chola I to extend the empire even further.

read more @
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raja_Raja_Chola_I

If the above video is not working, try this




Courtesy:
http://o3.indiatimes.com/meragussa2/archive/2007/01/15/3381649.aspx
wikipedia
& Google! Video


-End of Part 6-

Our goal is to strengthen Tamils by knowing their heritage through historical, archeological & genealogical research and education. It's only a small step. Join us & lets restore our heritage for many generations to come. We are exploring ancient history, recent past and present state of Tamils & Thamil language around the globe.

We need to preserve our heritage inorder for future generations to know their roots. Let's declare an annual Tamils' global history week. Let's have seminars, conferences & conventions worldwide annually.

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So every one will wonder how the Sinhala race become the majority in Singai Empire/Tronote(திருநாடு)/Lankapuri/Thampapanni(Aryans)/Serendip(Greek/Arabs)/Ceylon(British)/Sri Lanka(North indians)... continue reading... you will finally get to know.

ஆண்டவர்கள் ‘பயங்கரவாதி’களான கதை. நிலத்துக்கு சொந்தக்காரர்கள் அகதிகளான வரலாறு.

more will follow @
http://tamilcause.blogspot.com