Cholas (The Beginning)

Vijayalaya Chola

Portrait of Vijayalaya Chola

Vijayalaya Chola reign from (847 - 871 C.E.)  founded the Chola dynasty. He is one of the descendants of the famous Sangam age Chola king, Karikala Chola. Vijayalaya was succeeded by his son Aditya Chola I who laid the foundation of the Chola Empire.

Old Ages of Cholas

The ancient Chola kingdom, once famous in Tamil literature and the writings of foreign merchants and geographers faded into darkness after c. 300 CE. Cholas during this period almost completely disappeared from their native land. They have held on to their old capital city of Uraiyur. This dark age is said to have been caused by the invasion of the Kalabhras. 

This "dark" age of Tamil history came to an end with the prominence of the Pandyas and the Pallavas after overthrowing Kalabhras in 590 CE. The Cholas disappeared from the Tamil land almost completely in this debacle, though a branch of them can be traced towards the end of the dark period in Rayalaseema—the Telugu Chodas, whose kingdom is mentioned by Yuan Chwang in the 17th century CE.

Cholas Under Pandyas and Pallavas

Due to the Kalabhra invasion and the growing power of Pallavas, the Cholas migrated from their native country to Telugu lands and ruled from there as chieftains of Pallavas at least since 470 CE. The Cholas who were ruling the Telugu lands are called as Telugu Chodas or Telugu Cholas. 

The Cholas had to wait for another 3 centuries until the accession of Vijayalaya Chola. The Anbil plates of Parantaka Chola II and Velanjeri plates of Parantaka Chola I mention the name Sri Kantha whose name precedes that of Vijayalaya Chola in the ancestral lineage, however, it is unknown if the Srikantha of Anbil plates is the Srikantha of Pottapi Cholas.

Rise of Vijayalaya Chola

Territories under Vijayalaya Chola

The greatness of the Cholas was revived by the dynasty founded by Vijayalaya. He began his rule shortly before 850 A.D. as a vassal of the Pallava king. When the Pallavas and the Pandyas were at war, he occupied Tanjore and made it his capital.

Making use of the opportunity during a war between the Pandyas and Pallavas, Vijayalaya rose out of confusion and captured Thanjavur/Tanjore. 

Around mid 9th century CE, there was a great struggle going on between the Pallavas and the Pandyas for the political supremacy of South India. In this disturbed state of affairs, Vijayalaya Chola seems to have found a good opportunity to defeat the Pandyas, and make himself the ruler of Thanjavur and the surrounding Chola country. He also defeated the Pallavas.

Vijayalaya Chola conquered Thanjavur/Tanjore from Elango Mutharaiyar who was the final ruler of Mutharaiyar dynasty. It is said that in the year 852 CE Vijayalaya Chola waged war with Pandya's and defeated them. Making use of the opportunity during a war between Pandyas and Pallavas, Vijayalaya rose and established the Chola empire at Thanjavur with help of Muttaraiyar king Sattan Paliyilli (826–852 CE). Cholas became so powerful that the Pallavas were also wiped out from the Thanjavur region at a later stage.

Invasions During Vijayalaya Chola 

After Vijayalaya’s capture of Thanjavur, the Pandyan king Varagunavarman II (862 – 885 CE) became a subordinate ally of the Pallava Nandivarman III (846 – 869 CE). Nandhivarman wished to stop the growing influence of Chola power under Vijayalaya and called upon the Varagunavarman to help suppress Vijayalaya. 

Varaguna led an expedition into the Chola country. The Pandyan army reached the north bank of the Kaveri near Thanjavur and for a while the Chola revival looked short lived. Vijayalaya, by this time a veteran of many battles, was aging. By this time Vijayalaya lost his kingdom to the Pandyas and he became a tax paying king under the Pandya reign but the Cholas who succeeded him conquered the Pandya kingdom.

Inscription during Vijayalaya Chola

Vijayalaya Choleeswaram 

The Tiruvalangadu plates state that Vijayalaya captured the city of Tanjavur and made it his capital and that he also built in it a temple to the goddess Nisumbhasudani (Durga). The Kanyakumari inscription states that he renovated the city of Tanjore.

Vijayalaya took the title of Tamil: பரகேசரிவர்மன், romanized: Parakēcarivarmaṉ, lit. 'Great son who is a lion to his enemies'. The suffix Tamil: வர்மன், romanized: Varmaṉ is according to S. Ramachandran a corrupt version of the Tamil word Tamil: பெருமகன், romanized: Great son, lit. 'Perumakaṉ'.

It goes as following – 

Perumagan (பெருமகன்) -> Perumaan (பெருமான்) -> Peruman

(பெருமன்) -> Paruman 

(பருமன்) -> Varuman 

(வருமன்) -> Varman 

(வர்மன்) -> Varmaa (வர்மா).

Chola kings succeeding him took the titles of Tamil: பரகேசரி, romanized: Parakēcari, lit. 'One who is a lion to his enemy'. This is probably to acknowledge their supposed ancestors Parakesari.

Narttamalai, Pudukkottai has a solesvara temple attributed to Vijayalaya.