10 Interesting Facts about Chola Dynasty

Interesting Facts about the Chola Dynasty: Chola Dynasty was one of the longest-ruling dynasties of the world. The earliest mention of the Chola Dynasty can be found in the inscriptions of Ashok dating back to 273 BCE–232 BCE.

Chola Dynasty was one of the three crowned kings of Tamilakam, the other being Chera and Pandya.

The movie Ponniyin Selvan I is based on the story of Chola Dynasty. It is based on a fictional novel of the same name written by Kalki Krishnamurthy, which was released in 1955 in the form of a book.

Let us look at 10 interesting facts about the Chola Dynasty here.

10 Interesting facts about Chola Dynasty

1. Chola dynasty was established in the third century BCE and ruled till the 13th century CE. It means they ruled for a time close to 1500 years, which makes them one of the oldest and longest-ruling dynasties in the world.

2. The most successful of the Chola kings was Rajaraja I. Under his leadership, the empire extended to the southern peninsula, Sri Lanka, Malabar Coast, Lakshwadeep, and the Maldives to Gangetic plains in the north.

3. The Chola Dynasty is credited with building temples of brilliant architecture, such as the Brihadisvara Temple at Thanjavur.

4. The Cholas possessed a fleet of ships that were able to capture and defend against any attack. It was one of the most advanced marine defence systems of that time.

5. Rajarajan Chola had a dedicated army at his helm, while the other rulers before him did not have one, so they gathered an army whenever there was a requirement.

6. The origins of Kanjeevaram silk sarees can be traced back to the time when Rajaraja I invited weavers from Saurashtra to settle in Kanchipuram.
7. The Chola empire treated females with equal opportunity as males as many females held important positions such as bodyguards of the kings known as padimagalir, some women acted as peacemakers etc.

8. Rajaraja Chola is believed to have had a total of 15 wives. He also married his sister’s daughter. The story of Ponniyin Selvan mentions his wife as Ilangon Pichiyar, who is the daughter of Kundhavai and Vallavarayar vandhiya thevar.

9. Under the reign of Rajaraja Chola, art and literature flourished in south India. Noted works of Tamil poets Appar, Sambandar, and Sundarar were compiled and merged into one compilation called Thirumurai.

10. Chozagangam Lake now known as Ponneri Lake was an artificial lake that was built by Rajendra Chola I during his reign, it is one of the largest ancient man-made lake in India.