The Chola dynasty was one of the longest-ruling dynasties in the history of southern India. The earliest datable references to this Tamil dynasty are in inscriptions from the 3rd century BCE left by Ashoka, of the Maurya Empire. As one of the Three Crowned Kings of Tamilakam, the dynasty continued to govern over varying territory until the 13th century CE. The whole country south of the Tungabhadra was united and held as one state for a period of two centuries and more. The Chola fleet represented the zenith of ancient Indian sea power.
During the period 1010–1200, the Chola territories extended from the islands of the Maldives in the south to as far north as the banks of the Godavari River in Andhra Pradesh. Rajaraja Chola conquered peninsular South India, annexed parts of which is now Sri Lanka and occupied the islands of the Maldives.
Rajendra Chola sent a victorious expedition to North India that reached the river Ganges in 1019. He also successfully invaded cities of Srivijaya of Malaysia and Indonesia. The Chola dynasty went into decline at the beginning of the 13th century with the rise of the Pandyan Dynasty.
Rajaraja Chola
Rajaraja Chola (à®°ாஜராஜா சோழன்) was the son of Parantaka Sundara Chola, heir to the Chola throne. Rajaraja's mother was Vanavan Mahadevi, queen of Parantaka Sundara Chola. Rajaraja was born in 947 CE in Pukaraku, a village near Woraiyur in present-day Tiruchirappalli district. Rajaraja's early years were spent in his father's palace in Thanjavur. Rajaraja was a gifted child and he was educated in Tamil, Sanskrit and the Vedas. He was also trained in military arts. Rajaraja's grandfather, Sundara Chola, died in 967 CE and his father Parantaka succeeded him. Parantaka's reign was marked by a series of military campaigns to expand the Chola Empire. In 985 CE, Rajaraja's army defeated the Pandyan king Amarabhujanga and captured the Pandyan capital Madurai.
Rajendra Chola I
Rajendra Chola I was a Tamil king of the Chola Empire who succeeded his father Rajaraja Chola I in 1014 CE. He expanded the Chola territories by conquering the kingdoms of Vengi, Kalinga and the Maldives. He also invaded and conquered Srivijaya, an empire in southern Indonesia and the Malay Peninsula, in order to avenge the loss of the Chola traders who were attacked by the Srivijayan navy. Rajendra Chola I was an able warrior and an ambitious ruler. He was crowned as the king of the Cholas in 1014 CE, after his father's death. Rajendra Chola I's reign was marked by extensive territorial expansion. In 1014 CE, he conquered the kingdom of Vengi, located to the northeast of the Chola kingdom. He also annexed the kingdom of Kalinga, which was located to the south of the Chola kingdom. In 1021 CE, Rajendra Chola I led an expedition to the Maldives and conquered the islands. In 1025 CE, he invaded and conquered the kingdom of Srivijaya, located in southern Indonesia and the Malay Peninsula.