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V Art and architecture flourished during the
Chola period. The rulers of the Chola dynasty
were connoisseurs and patrons of art and
architecture. The Chola Kings donated huge
sums of money to construct temples which
are considered as architectural splendors. The
Chola period is also well-known for its unique
sculptures and bronze statues. The bronze
statue of Nataraja is a perfect example of the
Chola art.
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Ananda natanam, the cosmic dance of

Shiva at Chidambaram.
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V §nder the Cholas, the Tamil country reached new heights
of excellence in art, religion and literature. In all of these
spheres, the Chola period marked the culmination of
movements that had begun in an earlier age under the
Pallavas. Monumental architecture in the form of majestic
temples and sculpture in stone and bronze reached a
finesse never before achieved in India.
V The Chola conquest of Kadaram (Kedah) and Srivijaya, and
their continued commercial contacts with the Chinese
Empire, enabled them to influence the local cultures. Many
of the surviving examples of the Hindu cultural
influence found today throughout the Southeast Asia owe
much to the legacy of the Cholas.
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wetail of the main vimanam (tower) of the Thanjavur Temple

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V The Pallava and Chola dynasties witnessed the
flowering of the bronzecasting technique that was
extant from the Indus Valley period in India. The Chola
bronzes (850-1275 Aw) are unparalleled in their
depiction of facile expression, the suppleness of the
human form and its flowing movements. The famous
images of Shiva Nataraja, Parvati, Kodanda Rama and
Navaneeta Krishna have perennially delighteddevotees
and aroused their religious fervour. Besides being
votive images, aesthetically, the Chola bronzes mark a
phase in thedevelopment of Indian sculpture that is
simply magnificent in form andstyle.
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V The distinctive Chola style emerged during the reign of Aditya Chola
(870-906 Aw). The bronzes of this period are characterised by
display of supple body with flowing contours and an oval face.
The world-renowned bronze images of Nataraja, the dancing form
of Lord Shiva, appeared for the first time during the reign of
Parantaka I, Aditya Chola's son. The Chola bronzes after 975 Aw are
divided into two separate groups: the Sembiyan
Mahadev School and Raja Raja School, each having its own
characteristic but bothdeveloping simultaneously. The bronzes of
the Sembiyan School are slender and tall and the figures are
adorned by intricate ornamentation. The Konerirjapuram Temple at
Thanjavur contains several bronzes of this school. The bronzes of
the Raja Raja School are "more masculine andmajestic and radiate a
sense of power and strength, both physical and spiritual". The
Vrishvahana bronze image belongs to this school.
 
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V The origins of Shiva have long since been lost in the mists of
time. it is certain that he cannot be traced back to any one
single source. That said, it is thought that a number of
elements attached to Shiva appear to originate with the Vedic
wild god Rudra. Shiva is an god, who delights in stepping
outside of the norms of human behaviour and clearly relishes
his outrageous conduct and moral ambivalence. With his
characteristic dreadlocks he is both beautiful and
unpredictable and them object of intense devotion. He is
known as Mahadeva (Great God), Nataraja (Lord of wance),
Mahakala (Great Black One) and Sundareshvara (Beautiful
Lord). Shiva is essentially found in two forms; aniconic, that is
symbolised without aiming at resemblance, and iconic, in
which the god is represented.

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V Medieval Cholas rose to prominence during the
middle of the 9th century C.E. and established
the greatest empire South India had seen. They
successfully united the South India under their
rule and through their naval strength extended
their influence in the Southeast Asian countries
such as Srivijaya. They dominated the political
affairs of Lanka for over two centuries through
repeated invasions and occupation. They also had
continuing trade contacts with the Arabs in the
west and with the Chinese empire in the east.



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V The c
  (Tamil: ÎÎÎÎÎ ÎÎÎÎÎ

IPA: ['o
]), a Tamil dynasty, ruled primarily in
southern India until the thirteenth century. The
dynasty originated in the fertile valley of the Kaveri
River. Karikala Chola stands as the most famous among
the early Chola kings, while Rajaraja Chola, Rajendra
Chola and Kulothunga Chola I ruled as notable
emperors of the medieval Cholas. The Cholas reached
the height of their power during the tenth, eleventh
and twelfth centuries. §nder Rajaraja Chola I (Rajaraja
the Great) and his son Rajendra Chola, the dynasty
became a military, economic and cultural power in
Asia.
V The Chola territories stretched 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 Sri Lanka and occupied the islands of the
Maldives. Rajendra Chola sent a victorious expedition to North India
that touched the riverGanga and defeated the Pala ruler of
Pataliputra, Mahipala. He also successfully raided kingdoms of the
Malay Archipelago. The power of the Cholas declined around the
twelfth century with the rise of the Pandyas and the Hoysala,
eventually coming to an end towards the end of the thirteenth
century.
V The Cholas left behind a lasting legacy. Their patronage of Tamil
literature and their zeal in building temples have resulted in some
great works of Tamil literature and architecture. The Chola kings
avidly built temples, envisioned them in their kingdoms not only as
places of worship but also as centres of economic activity. They
pioneered a centralized form of government and established a
disciplined bureaucracy.
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 These works of popular literature have helped
continue the memory of the great Cholas in
the minds of the Tamil people. The most
important work of this genre is the
popular m




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V The earliest Chola kings for whom there is
tangible evidence are mentioned in the Sangam
literature. Scholars generally agree that this
literature belongs to the first few centuries of
the common era. The internal chronology of this
literature is still far from settled, and at present a
connected account of the history of the period
cannot be derived. The Sangam literature records
the names of the kings and the princes, and of
the poets who extolled them. wespite a rich
literature that depicts the life and work of these
people, these cannot be worked into connected
history.
V The Sangam literature also records legends about
Chola kings. These speak of the Chola king
Kantaman, a supposed contemporary of the sage
Agastya, whose devotion brought the river Kaveri
into existence.
V Two names stand out prominently from among
those Chola kings known to have existed, who
feature in Sangam literature: Karikala
Chola and Kocengannan. There is no sure means
of settling the order of succession, of fixing their
relations with one another and with many other
princelings of about the same period.
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