Empire848 CE – 1279 CESouth Asia, Southeast Asia

Medieval Chola Empire

The Chola dynasty of Tamil Nadu became medieval India's greatest naval power, launching expeditions to Southeast Asia and Sri Lanka, patronizing breathtaking bronze sculpture (Nataraja) and Dravidian temple architecture, and creating a sophisticated administrative state with an advanced local self-governance system.

Key Figures
Vijayalaya CholaRajaraja IRajendra IKulottunga IKamban

Preceding Causes

Tamil agricultural prosperity along the Kaveri River delta, combined with control of Indian Ocean trade routes, and the military and administrative genius of rulers like Rajaraja I and Rajendra I who revived Chola power from the 9th century onward.

Dynastyc. 1500 BCE

Vedic Age

The period of early Indo-Aryan culture in northern India, during which the Vedas were composed, the varna system crystallized, and the philosophical traditions that became Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism took shape.

Cause-Effect Graph

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