Vijayalaya Chola

Vijayalaya Chola
Parakesari
Vijayalaya's Territories c. 850 CE
Reign	c. 850 – c. 870 CE
Successor	Aditya I
Died	871 CE
Issue	Aditya I

List of Chola kings and emperors

Early Cholas

Interregnum (c. 200 – c. 848)

Medieval Cholas

Vijayalaya Chola	848–891(?)
Aditya Chola I	891–907
Parantaka Chola I	907–950
Gandaraditya Chola	950–957
Arinjaya Chola	956–957
Sundara Chola	957–970
Aditya Chola II	(co-regent)
Uttama Chola	970–985
Rajaraja Chola I	985–1014
Rajendra Chola I	1012–1044
Rajadhiraja Chola	1044–1054
Rajendra Chola II	1054–1063
Virarajendra Chola	1063–1070
Athirajendra Chola	1070–1070

Later Cholas

Kulothunga Chola I	1070–1120
Vikrama Chola	1118–1135
Kulothunga Chola II	1133–1150
Rajaraja Chola II	1146–1173
Rajadhiraja Chola II	1166–1178
Kulothunga Chola III	1178–1218
Rajaraja Chola III	1216–1256
Rajendra Chola III	1246–1279

Related dynasties

Telugu Cholas of Andhra

Chodagangas of Kalinga

Rajahnate of Cebu

Chola society

Vijayalaya Chola was a king of South India Thanjavur, (r. 850 – 870 CE) and founded the imperial Chola Empire.^[1] He ruled over the region to the north of the river Kaveri.

Dark age of Cholas

The ancient Chola kingdom once famous in Tamil literature and in the writings of Greek merchants and geographers faded into darkness after c. 300 CE. Cholas during this period almost completely disappeared from their native land. They seem to have held on to their old capital city of Urayur. This 'dark' age of Tamil history came to an end with the ascendency of the Pandyas and the Pallavas. The Cholas had to wait for another three centuries until the accession of Vijayalaya in the second quarter of the ninth century to re-establish their dynasty. It should not be assumed, however, that the new Chola dynasties were necessarily related to the ancient Chola dynasties of the early centuries CE.

Cholas under Pandyas and Pallavas

We know very little of the fate of the Cholas in this long interval. What is certain however is that when the power of Cholas fell to the lowest ebb and that of the Pandyas and Pallavas rose the north and South of them, this ancient dynasty was compelled to seek refuge and patronage under their more successful rivals. The Cholas, though not prominent or powerful as they were earlier were not completely in danger of extinction and continued to hold sway over a limited area consisting of what are the districts of Mayiladuturai, Chidambaram, Thanjavur, Tiruchy and Pudukkottai in modern Tamil Nadu.

Rise of Vijayalaya Chola

Making use of the opportunity during a war between Pandyas and Pallavas, Vijayalaya rose out of obscurity and captured Thanjavur . At this time 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 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.

Vijayala Chola conquered Thanjavur 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. While Vijayalaya Chola and Mutharaiyar King defeat the Pandya's. Making use of the opportunity during a war between Pandyas and Pallavas, Vijayalaya rose out united Chola Kingdom at Thanjavur with help of Muttaraiyar king Sattan Paliyilli (826–852 CE)Mutharaiyar. Cholas became so powerful that Pallavas were also wiped out from Thanjavore region at a later stage.

Pandyan invasion

After Vijayalaya’s capture of Thanjavur, the Pandyan king Varagunavarman II (c. 862 – 885 CE) became a subordinate ally of the Pallava Nandivarman III (c. 846 – 869 CE). Nandhivarman wished to curtail 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 and was an invalid. The crown prince Aditya I took control of the army in the defence of the Chola kingdom. Vijayalaya was succeeded after his death c. 871 CE by his son Aditya I.

Inscriptions of Vijayalaya

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 Parakesarivarman. Chola kings succeeding him took the titles of Parakesari and Rajakesai in turns. This is probably to acknowledge their supposed ancestors Parakesari and Rjakesari.

Narttamalai, Pudukkottai has a solesvara temple attributed to Vijayalaya.

Notes

↑ Sen, Sailendra (2013). A Textbook of Medieval Indian History. Primus Books. p. 46-49. ISBN 978-9-38060-734-4.

References

Tamil And Sanskrit Inscriptions Chiefly Collected In 1886 - 87, E. Hultzsch, Ph.D., Published by Archaeological Survey of India, New Delhi
Nilakanta Sastri, K. A. (1935). The CōĻas, University of Madras, Madras (Reprinted 1984).
Nilakanta Sastri, K. A. (1955). A History of South India, OUP, New Delhi (Reprinted 2002).

Preceded by Pandya Pallava	Chola 848–871 CE	Succeeded by Aditya I

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