Cholas Dynasty

THE CHOLAS EMPIRE : 850 - 1200 CE
Capital : Tanjore ( Gangaikondacholapuram)

Brief Introduction
The founder of the Chola dynasty was Vijayalaya Cholas , who established
the Dynesty in the ninth century by capturing the city of Tanjore.
The greatest Chola rulers were Rajaraja I and his son Rajendra Chola I .
The Cholas reached their zenith during the reigns of Rajaraja Chola I and
his son Rajendra Chola I .
Rajaraja Chola I undertook a massive building program that included the

construction of the Brihadeeswarar Temple in Tanjore , which is
considered a masterpiece of Dravidian architecture(attributed to shiva) .
Rajendra Chola I expanded the empire's territory by conquering parts of

Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia, including present-day Malaysia and
Indonesia.
The last ruler of Chola Dynesty was Rajendra III.
The king was the head of central authority helped by a council of

ministers, but the administration was democratic.
The Cholas Empire was divided into Mandalams (Provinces) and these
futher divided into Valanadu (Commissonary) , Nadu (District) and Kurram
( a group of villages).
The arrangement of local self government is regarded as the basic feature

of the administration of Chola.
Land revenue and trade text were the main source of income.
Another aspect of image of making was reached its climax in dancing

figure of Shiva called Nataraja.
Source of Cholas dynasty
* Literacy sources
* Archaeological sources
*The Uttaramerur inscriptions are considered a valuable source of

information for historians and scholars studying the history of South India.
* The Uttaramerur inscription , which provide valuable insight into the

administration and working of assemblies (Sabha ) in local administration
The Chola government was one of the unique and innovative administrations in the history
of India.
The dynasty was the first that brought the states of south India under a single rule
and it was one of the world's longest-ruling dynasties.
Cholas Administration feature

The Chola Empire was organized into three major administrative units:
Central Government
Provincial Government
Local Government.
The Chola kings used a highly efficient administration system.
Kingship
The king was in charge of the administration. The Chola kings and queens were regarded as
God's representatives. Temples housed their idols. The Chola throne was hereditary.
The Chola royal family followed the principle that the eldest son of the king should succeed
to the Chola throne. Yuvaraja was the name of the heir apparent.
They lived in enormous royal palaces. In their administration, kings were assisted by
ministers and officials. The tiger was the royal emblem of Chola kings.
Central Administration
The King is the head of the Central Government. The Council of Ministers
and officials actively participated in the administration of the Central
Government.
The higher officials were known as Peruntaram, while the lower officials
were known as Siruntaram.
Provincial Administration
The Chola Empire comprised of nine provinces. They were also known as
mandalams. The viceroy was the province's ruler or head . Viceroys were appointed
by close relatives of kings.
The Viceroys were always in contact with the Central Government. The king gave
orders to viceroys.
They responded to the king on a regular basis. The viceroys were assisted in their
administrative duties by a large number of officials.
Divisions of Administration
The Chola administration's success was more dependent on the

administrative division's smooth operation.
Each mandalam was subdivided into Kottams or Valanadus.
Every kottam was further subdivided into nadu. Each nadu was further
subdivided into (Urs) villages, which formed the final administrative unit.
One of the most important administrative units on the Chola was Nadu.
Each nadu was headed by a Nattar while the council of nadu was named nattavai.
Representative of the Nattavais and nattars promoted agriculture .They also

took care of the protection of the people and tax collection.
Local Administration
The local administration at the district, town, and village levels was the most
important feature of the Chola administration.
The inscriptions at Uttaramerur reveal a lot about the Chola administration.
The most distinguishing feature of the Chola administrative system was village
autonomy.
Administration of the Village
The village assembly, known as Gram Sabha, was solely responsible for village administration.
The village unit was the lowest level of Chola administration.
The village assemblies were in charge of keeping the peace, tanks, roads, public ponds, revenue
collection, the judiciary, education, and temples.
The village assemblies were in charge of paying taxes owed to the treasury by the villages.
The village assemblies had complete control over the affairs of the villages.
They kept law and order in each village. Chathurvedi mangalam was the name of a Brahmin
settlement.
Variyams
Village Assemblies effectively managed village administration with the help of variyams.
These variyams were made up of male members of society.
The composition of these variyams, as well as the qualifications and durations of

membership, varied from village to village.
Every village had a plethora of variyams.
The effectiveness of these variams increased the efficiency of Chola local administration.
Assemblies for villages and towns were divided into various levels.
Each assembly for instance traded committees, garden committees and committed for
justice were assigned with different responsibilities.
Local assemblies were divided into three reasons: Nagaram, Sabha and Ur.
In context to Nagaram, there were local bodies consisting of traders from Nadu. They used
to control the functioning of entire marketing. They were responsible to collect taxes, on
shops, commerce and other sectors on the market.
In context to Sabha, it comprised Brahmanas. This assembly governed the brahmadeya

villages. Uttaramerur reflects the working of these assemblies. The members were chosen
based on elections. They performed the works like temple maintenance, collection of taxes,
irrigation, agriculture, construction of roads and others.
In context to Ur, it was the assembly of farmers known as “velalas” in non-brahmadeya

villages. It has its own rules and regulations of tax collection;
Each assembly in the Chola administration period performed its job anonymously
The assemblies were responsible to solve the problems and challenges at the
local level. They were self-driven with accountability to the king who used to be in
the centre and supreme of all.
MANDALAM
VALANADU
NADU
TANNYUR
KURRUM

Cholas Dynasty

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THE CHOLAS EMPIRE : 850 - 1200 CE

Capital : Tanjore ( Gangaikondacholapuram)

Rajaraja Chola I undertook a massive building program that included the

Rajendra Chola I expanded the empire's territory by conquering parts of

The last ruler of Chola Dynesty was Rajendra III.

The king was the head of central authority helped by a council of

The arrangement of local self government is regarded as the basic feature

Another aspect of image of making was reached its climax in dancing

*The Uttaramerur inscriptions are considered a valuable source of

* The Uttaramerur inscription , which provide valuable insight into the

Cholas Administration feature

The Chola administration's success was more dependent on the

Each mandalam was subdivided into Kottams or Valanadus.

Representative of the Nattavais and nattars promoted agriculture .They also

The inscriptions at Uttaramerur reveal a lot about the Chola administration.

The composition of these variyams, as well as the qualifications and durations of

Every village had a plethora of variyams.

In context to Sabha, it comprised Brahmanas. This assembly governed the brahmadeya

In context to Ur, it was the assembly of farmers known as “velalas” in non-brahmadeya

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