The Early Cholas: History, Art and Culture

The period of early Cholas (850 A.D. 970 A.D.) forms an important epoch in the history of Tamilnadu. Starting from a scratch the early Chola rulers exerted to establish a vast empire by their conquests. Rulers like Vijayalaya I, Aditya I and Parantaka I were great warriors who built the Chola empire inch by inch. Vijayalaya conquered Tanjavur, Aditya I annexed Tondaimandalam and Parantaka I occupied Madurai. During the region of Parantaka I his empire extended up to Nellore iin the north to Kanyakumari in the south. Though the Takkolam battle put a poke into the expansion of the Cholas, it did not exhaust the vitalilty of the Chola empire. The Cholas recovered remarkably from the disaster and emerged like a phoenix and rebuilt the empire quickly. The early Cholas are best remembered for their signal contribution in the sphere of local administration. The rules relating to the mode of local administration best averred in the celebrated Uttaramerur inscriptions were conceived during the reign of Parantaka Chola I. The early Cholas also left their imprints on art, architecture and sculpture.