Kulothunga Chola I in the context of "Chola dynasty"

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⭐ Core Definition: Kulothunga Chola I

Kulottunga Chola I (/kʊˈloʊtʊŋɡə/; Middle Tamil: Kulōttuṅka Cōḻaṉ; Classical Sanskrit: Kulottuṅgā Cōḷa; 1025–1122) also spelt Kulothunga (lit. 'The Exalter of His Clan'), born Rajendra Chalukya (Telugu: Rājēndra Cāḷukyuḍu), was a Chola Emperor who reigned from 1070 to 1122 succeeding his cousin Athirajendra Chola. He also served as the Eastern Chalukya monarch from 1061 to 1118, succeeding his father Rajaraja Narendra. He is related to the Chola dynasty through his mother's side and the Eastern Chalukyas through his father's side. His mother, Ammangaidevi, was a Chola princess and the daughter of emperor Rajendra Chola I. His father was king Rajaraja Narendra of the Eastern Chalukya dynasty who was the nephew of Rajendra and maternal grandson of Rajaraja Chola I. According to historian Sailendra Nath Sen, his accession marked the beginning of a new era and ushered in a period of internal peace and benevolent administration. He was succeeded by his son Vikrama Chola.

Kulottunga had diplomatic relations with the northern Indian city Kannauj and also with distant countries like Cambodia, Srivijaya, Khmer, Pagan (Burma), and China. He established Chola overlordship over the Srivijayan province of Kedah in Malay Peninsula. An inscription in a Taoist temple in Guangzhou, dated to 1079, declares Kulottunga, king of Chulien (Chola) to be the supreme chief of the Land of San-fo-tsi (Srivijaya). According to Tan Yeok Seong, the editor of the inscription, Kulottunga ruled both the Chola and Srivijayan kingdoms. In the small Leyden grant that is dated to 1090, the king of Kadaram (Srivijaya) is mentioned as a vassal of Kulottunga. Like his predecessors, Kulottunga was a patron of arts and literature and the much celebrated Tamil poem Kalingattuparani was composed during his rule by poet Jayamkondaan who lived in his court. His records also testify to the highly organised system of fiscal and local administration. During his reign Kulottunga carried out a massive land survey that formed the basis for taxation.

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👉 Kulothunga Chola I in the context of Chola dynasty

The Chola dynasty (Tamil: [t͡ʃoːɻɐr]) was a Tamil dynasty originating from Southern India. At its height, it ruled over the Chola Empire, an expansive maritime empire. The earliest datable references to the Chola are from inscriptions dated to the 3rd century BCE during the reign of Ashoka of the Maurya Empire. The Chola empire was at its peak and achieved imperialism under the Medieval Cholas in the mid-9th century CE. As one of the Three Crowned Kings of Tamilakam, along with the Chera and Pandya, the dynasty continued to govern over varying territories until the 13th century CE.

The heartland of the Cholas was the fertile valley of the Kaveri River. They ruled a significantly larger area at the height of their power from the latter half of the 9th century till the beginning of the 13th century. They unified peninsular India south of the Tungabhadra River and held the territory as one state for three centuries between 907 and 1215 CE. Under Rajaraja I and his successors Rajendra I, Rajadhiraja I, Rajendra II, Virarajendra, and Kulothunga Chola I, the empire became a military, economic and cultural powerhouse in South Asia and Southeast Asia.

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Kulothunga Chola I in the context of Rajagopalaswamy Temple, Mannargudi

Sri Vidhya Rajagopalaswamy temple is a Vaishnava shrine located in the town of Mannargudi, Tamil Nadu, India. The presiding deity is Rajagopalaswamy, a form of Krishna and his consort Lakshmi, who is worshipped as Sri Sengamala Thayar. The temple is spread over an area of 9.3 ha (23 acres) and is an important Vaishnava shrines in India. The temple is called Champakaranya Kshetram, Dakshina Dwaraka (Southern Dvaraka) along with Guruvayoor by Hindus, Vanduvaraapathi and Vasudevapuri. It is considered first among the 108 Abhimana Kshethram of Vaishnavate tradition.

Originally this ancient temple was first constructed by Kulothunga Chola I at 10th century and Chola Kings Rajaraja Chola III, Rajendra Chola III and later expanded by Thanjavur Nayaks during the 16th century. The temple has three inscriptions from the period and also mention in the religious texts. A granite wall surrounds the temple, enclosing all its shrines and seven of its nine bodies of water. The wall is celebrated in Tamil as “Mannargudi Mathil Alagu”, meaning "the beauty of the walls," highlighting its grandeur and cultural significance. The temple has a 47 m (154 ft) rajagopuram, the temple's gateway tower. The temple is associated with nine theerthams (sacred water bodies): Haridranadhi, Durvasa Theertham (also called Gajendra Theertham), Thirupparkadal, Gopika Theertham (also known as Gopralaya Theertham), Rukmini Theertham, Sanghu Theertham, Chakkra Theertham, Agnikunda Theertham, and Krishna Theertham, along with the Pambani River. Among them, Haridra Nadhi, the temple tank associated with the temple is outside the temple complex and is considered one of the largest temple tanks in India.

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Kulothunga Chola I in the context of Thiruvarur

Thiruvarur (Tamil: [t̪iɾuʋaːɾuːɾ]) also spelt as Tiruvarur is a municipality in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of Thiruvarur district and Thiruvarur taluk. The temple chariot of the Thyagaraja temple, weighing 360 tonnes (790,000 lb) and measuring 96 feet (29 m) tall is the largest temple chariot in India. Thiruvarur is the birthplace of Tyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar and Syama Sastri, popularly known as the Trinity of Carnatic music of the 18th century CE. Thiruvarur Thiyagarajaa Swaamy temple is older than Tanjore big temple.

Thiruvarur was a part of Thanjavur district until 1991. The Odambokki river passes through the centre of the town. Thiruvarur covers an area of 10.47 km (4.04 sq mi) and had a population of 58,301 as of 2011. Out of total population of Tiruvarur, 1,403,348 in the district, 257,795 are in urban area and 1,006,482 are in rural area. 65,220 households are in urban, 261,999 are in rural area. It is administered by a selection grade municipality. The town is a part of the Cauvery delta region and agriculture is the major occupation. Roadways are the major means of transportation with a total of 94.06 km (58.45 mi) of district roads including three national highways passing through the town. The town was one of the five traditional capitals of the Chola empire, with one of the emperors of the dynasty, Kulothunga Chola I, having it as his capital. The town is believed to be of significant antiquity and has been ruled, at different times, by the Medieval Cholas, Later Cholas, Later Pandyas, Vijayanagar Empire, Thanjavur Nayaks, Marathas and the British. The town is known for the Thyagaraja temple, and the largest annual chariot festival in Asia, held in the month of April.

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LINKED FROM (PARENTS)
← Rajagopalaswamy Temple, Mannargudi ← Chola dynasty ← Thiruvarur
LINKS TO (CHILDREN)
Middle Tamil → Classical Sanskrit → Telugu language → Chola empire → Athirajendra Chola → Eastern Chalukyas → Rajaraja Narendra → Rajendra Chola I → Rajaraja Chola I → Vikrama Chola → Kannauj → Cambodia → Srivijaya → Khmer empire → Kingdom of Pagan → Burma → China → Chola → Kedah → Malay Peninsula → Guangzhou → Tamil language → Kalingattuparani → Jayamkondar →