Vijayalaya was the founder of the Chola Empire. He defeated the Pallavas and took over the Tanjore kingdom within the 8th century and led to the establishment of the mighty Chola kingdom. Granted natural access to the Indian Ocean, the Cholas gradually carved out a strong maritime and mercantile empire, leveraging their position as a midpoint between China and Rome.
The Chola dynasty rose to prominence in 850 CE under the leadership of Vijayalaya Chola, and reigned for about four hundred years. King Rajaraja (reigned 985–1014 CE) took the empire to its height. He conquered the Maldive Islands and parts of Sri Lanka during the 10th century CE.
Both Raja Raja Chola and his son Rajendra Chola had established maritime contacts with the Sri Vijaya kingdom. At the time, the Srivijaya Empire was the dominant power in the Malay Archipelago, its lands consisting of Sumatra, the Malay Peninsula and parts of Java.
In 1025, Rajendra Chola launched naval raids on ports of Srivijaya and against the Burmese kingdom of Pegu. A Chola inscription states that he captured or plundered 14 places, which have been identified with Palembang, Tambralinga and Kedah among others. They also captured its king, Sri Mara Vijoyatunga Varman of Kadaram. The Bujang Valley was originally called Kadaram (Kedah) and formed part of the larger territory of the then Sri Vijaya kingdom.
Rajendra was one of the few Indian monarchs to conquer territory outside the Indian subcontinent. Under his reign, the Chola Dynasty was expanded to its greatest extent, dominating trade throughout the Indian Ocean. He was the only Indian emperor to conquer lands beyond seas.
The year 1279 CE marked the end of the Chola Dynasty. The last Chola king, Rajendra Chola III, was defeated by Maravarman Kulasekara Pandyan I. And with this, the Pandyas established their rule in present day Tamil Nadu.
Chola dynasty of India
