Kulothunga III was a

Chola The Chola Empire, which is often referred to as the Imperial Cholas, was a medieval thalassocratic empire based in southern India that was ruled by the Chola dynasty, and comprised overseas dominions, protectorates and spheres of influence ...

emperor who ruled from to 1218. He ascended the throne after succeeding his elder brother

Rajadhiraja II Rajadhiraja Chola II (1166–1178 CE) reigned as the Chola emperor succeeding Rajaraja Chola II. Rajaraja Chola II chose Rajadhiraja II, a maternal grandson of Vikrama Chola as he had no sons. Rajadhiraja II's father was Sangama chola (Neriyudai ...

. Kulothunga Chola III gained success in war against his traditional foes. He gained victories in war against the

Hoysalas The Hoysala Kingdom was a kingdom originating from the Indian subcontinent that ruled most of what is now Karnataka, parts of Tamilnadu and South-Western Telangana between the 11th and the 14th centuries CE. The capital of the Hoysalas was i ...

Pandyas The Pandya dynasty (), also referred to as the Pandyas of Madurai, was an ancient Tamil dynasty of South India, and among the four great kingdoms of Tamilakam, the other three being the Pallavas, the Cholas and the Cheras. Existing sinc ...

of Madurai,

Cheras The Chera dynasty ( or Cēra, ), also known as Keralaputra, from the early historic or the Sangam period in Tamil-speaking southern India, ruled over parts of present-day states Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The Cheras, known as one of the mu-ventar ...

of Venad, the

Sinhalese kings The monarchs of Sri Lanka, also referred to as the Sinhalese monarchy, were the heads of state and rulers of the Sinhala Kingdoms located in present-day Sri Lanka, from 543 BCE (according to chronicles) until its abolition in 1815 CE. The Sinha ...

of Polonnaruwa, as well as the

Telugu Cholas The Telugu Chodas or Telugu Cholas were rulers who ruled parts of present-day Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and southern Odissa as samantas (vassals) of the Pallavas, and later as vassals of the Imperial Cholas. There are many branches like Re ...

of Velanadu and

Nellore Nellore, also spelt as Nelluru, is a city located on the banks of Penna River, in Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh, India.Karur Karur () is a municipal corporation (India), municipal corporation in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of Karur district and is administered by the Karur Municipal Cor ...

, which were ruled by the

Adigaman Athiyaman, also known as Athiyan, Adhiyaman, Adigaman, or as Sathiyaputhra in Indo-Aryan, were a line of rulers based in Thagadur, present day Dharmapuri, in northern Tamil country, dating back to at least the 3rd century BCE. They were one o ...

chiefs as vassals of the Cholas. He drove out the

under

Veera Ballala II Veera Ballala II (reigned 22 July 1173–1220) was the most notable king of the Hoysala Kingdom. His successes against the Yadavas of Devagiri, the Kalachuris of Kalyani, Southern Kalachuris, the Pandya Dynasty, Pandyas of Madurai and t ...

who had made inroads in the Gangavadi and adjoining areas of Tagadur in Kongu country in an effort expand their territory. However, during the last two years of his reign, he lost in war to the resurgent

, heralded a period of steady decline and ultimately, demise of the

Cholas The Chola dynasty () was a Tamil dynasty originating from Southern India. At its height, it ruled over the Chola Empire, an expansive maritime empire. The earliest datable references to the Chola are from inscriptions dated to the 3rd cen ...

by 1280 CE. Kulottunga III had alliances with the Hoysalas. The Hoysala king Veera Ballala married a Chola queen called Cholamahadevi and gave his daughter Somaladevi in marriage to Kulottunga III. According to Sastri, "By his personal ability, Kulothunga Chola III delayed the disruption of the Chola empire for about a generation, and his reign marks the last great epoch in the history of Chola architecture and art as he himself is the last of the great Chola monarchs." He is credited with building a number of temples, including the

Sarabeswara Sharabha (, ) or Sarabha is an eight-legged part-lion and part-bird deity in Hindu religion, who is described as more powerful than a lion or an elephant, possessing the ability to clear a valley in one jump in Sanskrit literature. In later li ...

Temple at Tribhuvanam in

Kumbakonam Kumbakonam (formerly spelt as Coombaconum or Combaconum), or Kudanthai, is a city municipal corporation in the Thanjavur district in the States of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located from Thanjavur and from Chennai and is the hea ...

district, Tamil Nadu, as well as the renovation and repairs to the two temples proclaimed as tutelary deities of the Cholas, namely the

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

temple at

Chidambaram Chidambaram is a major town and municipality in Cuddalore district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, on the banks of the Vellar River where it meets the Bay of Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Chidambaram taluk. The town is believed to b ...

and the Sri Ranganathaswami Temple of

Srirangam Srirangam is a neighbourhood in the city of Tiruchirappalli in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. A river island, Srirangam is bounded by the Kaveri River on one side and its distributary Kollidam on the other side. Considered as the first among ...

. Kulothunga Chola III is also renowned for his patronage of art and literature. In some of his numerous inscriptions, including those at the Srirangam temple, Kulothunga Chola III has described in his inscriptions his pride in wearing the crown of the race of the Sun to which the Chola emperors derived lineage from.

Military campaigns

The reign of Kulothunga Chola III is a story of the triumph of the personal ability of the monarch against the forces of disruption that were steadily increasing in their number and in the intensity of their action. Kulothunga Chola III brought order to the besieged kingdom and reversed the weakness in the

administration that had set in during the rule of his predecessors

Rajaraja Chola II Rajaraja II was a Chola dynasty, Chola emperor who reigned from 1150 to 1173. He was made his heir apparent and Co-Regent in 1146 and so the inscriptions of Rajaraja II count his reign from 1146. Rajaraja's reign began to show signs of the comi ...

and

Rajadhiraja Chola II Rajadhiraja Chola II (1166–1178 CE) reigned as the Chola emperor succeeding Rajaraja Chola II. Rajaraja Chola II chose Rajadhiraja II, a maternal grandson of Vikrama Chola as he had no sons. Rajadhiraja II's father was Sangama chola (Neriyudai ...

.Nilakanta Sastri, ''A History of South India'', p. 178 During the rule of his predecessors

and his successor

between 1146–1178 CE, the hold of the central administration over the outlying parts of the empire was becoming less firm; and even at the centre, the administrative system was beginning to betray signs of weakness. Everywhere feudatory chieftains were becoming more and more assertive. The growing independence of the central power on the part of feudatories noticed in the reign of

became more pronounced under

. The Sambuvaraya, Kadavaraya, Malaiyaman chieftains and the Telugu-Chodas of

Nellore Nellore, also spelt as Nelluru, is a city located on the banks of Penna River, in Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh, India.Pandya The Pandya dynasty (), also referred to as the Pandyas of Madurai, was an ancient Tamil dynasty of South India, and among the four great kingdoms of Tamilakam, the other three being the Pallavas, the Cholas and the Cheras. Existing sinc ...

affairs first claimed the attention of Kulothunga Chola III. The civil war in the Pandya country had not yet settled when he came to the throne, and the Chola forces were still involved in active fighting there. Kulothunga Chola III succeeded for the best part of his reign to continue the Chola hegemony on the

Pandya The Pandya dynasty (), also referred to as the Pandyas of Madurai, was an ancient Tamil dynasty of South India, and among the four great kingdoms of Tamilakam, the other three being the Pallavas, the Cholas and the Cheras. Existing sinc ...

kingdom. Parakramabahu of

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

, known as Ilangai in Tamil, renewed his efforts against the

and even persuaded

Emperor Vira Pandya to make common cause with him. Vikrama Pandya sought the help of Kulothunga Chola III against Vira Pandya, which led to an invasion of the

Pandyan The Pandya dynasty (), also referred to as the Pandyas of Madurai, was an ancient Tamil dynasty of South India, and among the four great kingdoms of Tamilakam, the other three being the Pallavas, the Cholas and the Cheras. Existing sinc ...

kingdom by Kulothunga Chola III. The battle resulted in the defeat of the

and Sinhala forces, Vira Pandya was driven into exile, and Vikrama Pandya was installed on the throne of

Madurai Madurai ( , , ), formerly known as Madura, is a major city in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District, which is ...

. This campaign ended before 1182. From his exile, with the aid of his allies, Vira Pandya made another effort to retrieve his fortune, but the attempt was stopped by Kulothunga Chola III on the battlefield of

Nettur Nettur is a village segment which comes under the jurisdiction of Thalassery municipality, in the state of Kerala, India. It is situated in North Thalassery en route to Kannur via NH 17. The Anjarakandi-Thalassery state Highway passes through N ...

. Thence, Vira Pandya fled to

Ceylon Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

'. This was Kulothunga Chola III's first campaign in the

kingdom and he met with unprecedented success. The success in this war culminated in there being "no further fighting as both the ruler of

Venad Venad was a medieval kingdom between the Western Ghat mountains of India with its capital at city of Quilon.Noburu Karashmia (ed.), A Concise History of South India: Issues and Interpretations. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2014. 143 ...

and Vira Pandya made up their minds to submit to Kulothunga Chola III and offered their obeisance to the open ''durbar'' (court) at

, where

emperor performed a "Virabhishekam" and anointment of war heroes, who contributed to the

victory against the

and their allies from Sinhala and

kingdoms." Between 1185–1186, Kulothunga Chola III undertook a second campaign against the

King Vira Pandya following a rebellion by him and non-payment of tribute to his

overlord. This time, however,

King Vira Pandya did not get the usual support from the Sinhala and

kingdoms. Kulothunga Chola III also seems to have grown from strength to strength, for in his first ten years, in addition to his feuds against his traditional enemies the

and Sinhala kingdoms, he was able to reign on his traditional feudatories, who had taken advantage of the relatively weaker authority of Kulothunga Chola III's predecessors

and

and had started to assert their independence.Nilakanta Sastri, ''Advanced History of India'', p. 296''South Indian Inscriptions: Miscellaneous inscriptions in Tamil (4 pts. in 2)'' But even after attaining success while vanquishing the combined armies of his enemies, Kulothunga Chola III showed remarkable poise and dexterity in his conduct and treatment of the defeated adversaries. After being caught with his allies on the battlefield after trying to overthrow the

from his exile, 'Vira Pandya was treated better than he had a right to expect. His life was spared and he was allowed some land and other wealth suited to his new station'. Possibly, Kulothunga Chola III also had a hand in the identification and enthronement of the next

monarch Vikrama

after his victory over Vira

. A few years after Kulothunga Chola III's campaigns in Kongu country to quell

Hoysala The Hoysala Kingdom was a kingdom originating from the Indian subcontinent that ruled most of what is now Karnataka, India, Karnataka, parts of Tamilnadu and South-Western Telangana between the 11th and the 14th centuries Common Era, CE. The c ...

incursions and restoration of

power in the area, the

ruler Jatavarman Kulasekhara Pandyan, who 'succeeded Vikrama Pandyan in 1190 to the throne in

, provoked Kulothunga Chola III by his insubordination. About 1205, Kulothunga Chola III led a third expedition into the Pandya country, sacked the capital and demolished the coronation hall of the

'. The act of demolishing the Coronation Hall of a vanquished enemy is interpreted by historians as either being a conduct indicative of the weakness of his own position, or recognition by the

of the steadily increasing power from 1150 CE of the

, who in any case never reconciled themselves to

suzerainty or domination, but were for the most part powerless in changing their subordinate position. The last quarter of the period 1150–1225 CE, in which

kings

and Kulothunga Chola III were prominent figures marks some high-points in terms of preservation and extension of traditional

territories between 1150–1200 CE, while the last part marks the emergence as the paramount imperial power of the

, culminating in their becoming the most powerful empire in the region between

Deccan The Deccan is a plateau extending over an area of and occupies the majority of the Indian peninsula. It stretches from the Satpura and Vindhya Ranges in the north to the northern fringes of Tamil Nadu in the south. It is bound by the mount ...

in the north, Kalinga in the east, the

Konkan The Konkan is a stretch of land by the western coast of India, bound by the river Daman Ganga at Damaon in the north, to Anjediva Island next to Karwar town in the south; with the Arabian Sea to the west and the Deccan plateau to the eas ...

and

Mysore Mysore ( ), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of Mysore district and Mysore division. As the traditional seat of the Wadiyar dynasty, the city functioned as the capital of the ...

plateau on the west and south west, and Kanniyakumari and

Eelam Eelam (, ''īḻam'', , also spelled Eezham, Ilam or Izham in English) is the native Tamil name for the South Asian island now known as Sri Lanka. Eelam is also the Tamil name for the spurge (a plant), toddy (an intoxicant) and gold. (Onli ...

in the south and south east respectively. The rise of the

between 1215–1230 CE contrasted directly with the decline of the

which started during the last part of Kulothunga Chola III's reign, mainly between 1214–1217 CE.

War with Hoysalas (1187–1188 to 1215 CE)

After the second Pandya war, Kulothunga Chola III undertook campaign in Kongu to check the growth of

power in that quarter. Apparently,

King

I tried to extend his rule beyond the

Kaveri The Kaveri (also known as Cauvery) is a Rivers of India, major river flowing across Southern India. It is the third largest river in the region after Godavari River, Godavari and Krishna River, Krishna. The catchment area of the Kaveri basin i ...

Tungabhadra The Tungabhadra River () starts and flows through the state of Karnataka, India, for most of its course, then through Andhra Pradesh where it ultimately joins the Krishna River near Murvakonda. The Tungabhadra derives its name from two strea ...

basin northwards to the Malaprabha basin in

Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...

country. He had gained some success initially against the

Western Chalukya The Western Chalukya Empire ( ) ruled most of the western Deccan, South India, between the 10th and 12th centuries. This Kannada dynasty is sometimes called the ''Kalyani Chalukya'' after its regal capital at Kalyani, today's Basavakalyan i ...

King

Someshvara IV Someshvara IV (; ) was the last king of the Western Chalukya empire. He made a brief attempt after 1189 to revive the Chalukya kingdom by defeating the waning Kalachuris of Kalyani, Kalachuri kingdom. He managed to capture Basavakalyana briefly ...

and against the

Yadava The Yadava (), not to be confused with Yadav, were an ancient Indian people who believed to have descended from Yadu (legendary king), Yadu, a legendary king of Chandravamsha lineage. The community was formed of various clans, being the #T ...

-Seuna Dynasty King Bhillama, both of whom he defeated in battle. However,

had to face hostility initially between 1175–1180 CE from mainly the sons and successors of the Kalachuri king Bijjala of Tardavadi including Sovideva, Someshvara and Sangama between 1175–1185 CE. Though after the rule of King Bijjala, the Kalachuri had not been as strong and ruled in quick succession till 1183 CE, however, they succeeded in keeping up the hostilities against Hoysala Ballala II. The Kalachuris continued to war against the

under

(1173–1220). Faced with reverses from his enemies in the north

country,

tried to expand his territory eastwards and made some inroads into the areas adjoining the Kongu country like Tagadur which were administered by Adigaiman chiefs as vassals of the

. As a result, by 1186–87, Kulothunga Chola III who wound up his expedition against the

kingdom, had to deal immediately with the incursion of the

. Kulothunga Chola III set off for 'Kongu to check the growth of

power in that quarter. He fought successfully against

in 1187–88, re-established

suzerainty over

chiefs of Tagadur, defeated a

Chera The Chera dynasty ( or Cēra, ), also known as Keralaputra, from the early historic or the Sangam period in Tamil-speaking southern India, ruled over parts of present-day states Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The Cheras, known as one of the mu-ventar ...

ruler in battle and performed a ''virabhisheka'' in Karuvur in 1193. His relations with

Veera Ballala II seem to have become friendly afterwards, for Ballala married a Chola princess'. Kulothunga Chola III's successful diplomacy with the

would stand him in good stead in periods of difficulty during the last part of his rule, by which time the

empire grew into the paramount power in both

South India South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of ...

and

Following his successful campaigns against

s of

Karur Karur () is a municipal corporation (India), municipal corporation in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of Karur district and is administered by the Karur Municipal Cor ...

and the kings of

, Kulothunga Chola III proudly proclaimed in his inscriptions as the conqueror of these regions and the 'crowned head of the

'. Thus, in terms of military achievements, Kulothunga Chola III rivalled his predecessors. Also, his rule, which was the third longest among the

emperors, being for 40 years after

Parantaka Chola I Parantaka Chola I (Tamil language, Tamil: பராந்தக சோழன் I; 873–955) was a Chola Empire, Chola emperor who ruled for forty-eight years, annexing Pandyan dynasty, Pandya by defeating Maravarman Rajasimha II, Rajasimhan I ...

(52 years),

Kulothunga Chola I Kulottunga Chola I ('; Middle Tamil: Kulōttuṅka Cōḻaṉ; Classical Sanskrit: Kulottuṅgā Cōḷa; 1025–1122) also spelt Kulothunga (), born Rajendra Chalukya ( Telugu: Rājēndra Cāḷukyuḍu), was a Chola Emperor who reigned fro ...

(50 years) was for the most part (1178–1215) peaceful, stable and prosperous as borne out in his numerous inscriptions found in

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of South India ** Telugu literature, is the body of works written in the Telugu language. * Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Tel ...

and

countries.

Wars in the Telugu country (1187–1208 CE)

Vengi Vengi or Venginadu ( Telugu: వేంగి) is a historic region located in present-day Andhra Pradesh, India spread over the Godavari and Krishna river deltas. Its capital was located at Pedavegi, near Eluru. Vengi was a prominent city in a ...

, about the end of the reign of

, the Velanadu or Velanati Cholas had declared their independence. They were followed by the Nellore branch of the

Telugu Chodas The Telugu Chodas or Telugu Cholas were rulers who ruled parts of present-day Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and southern Odissa as samantas (vassals) of the Pallavas, and later as vassals of the Imperial Cholas. There are many branches like Re ...

which began with Beta, a feudatory of

Vikrama Chola Vikrama Chola, known as Kō Parakēsari Varman, was a 12th-century ruler (''r. c''. 1118–1135 CE''The Cōḷas.'' 62-63.) of the Chola Empire in southern India. He succeeded his father Kulothunga I (''r. c.'' 1070–1120 CE) to the throne.''The ...

. The Velanati and Nellore Chodas had strongly aligned with

in his war with the

ruler

Someshvara III Someshvara III (; ) was a Western Chalukya king (also known as the Kalyani Chalukyas), the son and successor of Vikramaditya VI. He ascended the throne of the Western Chalukya Kingdom in 1126 CE, or 1127 CE. Someshvara III, the third king i ...

in 1125–1126, which led to the recovery of

after its short occupation by the

Western Chalukyas The Western Chalukya Empire ( ) ruled most of the western Deccan, South India, between the 10th and 12th centuries. This Kannada dynasty is sometimes called the ''Kalyani Chalukya'' after its regal capital at Kalyani, today's Basavakalyan i ...

under

Vikramaditya VI Vikramaditya VI (r. 1076 – 1126 CE) became the Western Chalukya King after deposing his elder brother Someshvara II, a political move he made by gaining the support of Chalukya vassals during the Chola invasion of Chalukya territory.Sen ...

in 1118–1119. The successor of

had very little control over

Nellore Nellore, also spelt as Nelluru, is a city located on the banks of Penna River, in Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh, India.Nilakanta Sastri, ''A History of South India'', p. 181 However, Kulothunga Chola III, after his accession in 1178 immediately focussed on recovery of Vengi by reigning in the Velanadu and Nellore Chodas and bringing them back into the

fold. The exact years and details of Kulothunga Chola III's campaigns in Nellore against the

Nellore Chodas Cholas of Nellore also known as Nellore Chodas or Nellore Cholas, were one of the branch of Telugu Chola families who ruled over parts of Andhra Pradesh in the 11th and 14th centuries. They were chieftains to Imperial Cholas, Kakatiyas and W ...

, followed by the war against the Velanadu Chodas are not available. 'But', what is clear is that 'there was a recovery under Kulothunga Chola III, whose sway was acknowledged by the Telugu Choda rulers Nallasiddha, and his brother Tammu Siddha, from 1187 to the end of Kulothunga Chola III's reign. There was, however, an interlude during which Nallasiddha occupied Kanchi in 1192–93'. This was the time between 1187–88 to 1191–92, when Kulothunga Chola III was waging wars against

in the Kongu and

countries, against the

, twice against the

, who were also aided by the king of

. Being away to the west and south of the Chola country, the hold of Kulothunga Chola III over

Kanchipuram Kanchipuram (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: '; ), also known as Kanjeevaram, is a stand alone city corporation, satellite nodal city of Chennai in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu in the Tondaimandalam region, from ...

, immediately after subduing the Nellore Chodas, was perhaps, not as strong. He also could not turn attention towards the occupation of

by Nallasiddha, the Nellore Choda ruler as 'Kulothunga Chola III first had to wind up his campaigns against the Hoysalas, the two wars against the Pandyas and Cheras of Venad, all of which, owing to his valour, leadership and war skills ended successfully', and hence, could not immediately lead an expedition against the Nellore Choda ruler Nallasiddha. However, Kulothunga III met with equally successful results against the Nellore Chodas, as he did in his wars against the Hoysalas, Pandyas aided by the kings of Eelam, and the Cheras in his previous war campaigns, even though there indeed was an interlude of 18 to 20 months between 1193–1195 CE. In 1195 CE Kulothunga Chola III invaded the areas controlled by Nallasiddha Choda and his feudatories, both in the Telugu country, ostensibly with an eye on his subsequent campaign to recover

from the Velanadu Chodas, and 'in

'. The twin attacks on the Telugu Choda positions were a complete success and ultimately Nallasiddha Choda 'was driven out of

by Kulothunga Chola III in 1196'. Apparently, there was peace for nearly ten years from 1196 CE, following the quelling in war by Kulothunga Chola III of his rivals and feudatories like Hoysalas, Pandyas, Cheras of Venad, and finally the Telugu Chodas. The Telugu Chodas were to acknowledge suzerainty of the Cholas up to 1216–18 CE. This interlude allowed Kulothunga Chola III to consolidate on his war gains and concentrate on administration and development work in the

territories. He had also by this time initiated construction work on the famous Sarabeswarar temple at Tribhuvanam, near

Thanjavur Thanjavur (), also known as Thanjai, previously known as Tanjore, Pletcher 2010, p. 195 is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the 12th biggest city in Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is an important center of southern Indian religion, art ...

district. In his inscriptions, Kulothunga Chola III also lists

across the Northern Circars, which is the area comprising modern Prakasham, the

West Godavari The West Godavari district is a coastal district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh with an administrative headquarters in Bhimavaram. As of the 2011 Census of India, the district has an area of and a population of 1,779,935. It is bounded ...

and

East Godavari East Godavari is a district in the Coastal Andhra region of Andhra Pradesh, India. Its district headquarters is at Rajamahendravaram. Geography This district is surrounded by: * North East: Alluri Sitharama Raju district * North West: Eluru d ...

districts of

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...

. 'Kulothunga Chola III waged war once again in the north in 1208 CE when he claims to have subdued Vengi'. Further, Kulothunga Chola III also claims to have 'entered' Warangal, capital of the

Kakatiya The Kakatiya dynasty (IAST: Kākatīya) was a Telugu dynasty that ruled most of eastern Deccan region in present-day India between 12th and 14th centuries. Their territory comprised much of the present day Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, and p ...

kingdom, which 'was ruled at the time by the powerful monarch Ganapati'. This is a pointer to the fact that Kulothunga Chola III did venture northwards to

and on the way back there was a skirmish with the

forces, which did not lead to any territorial loss to the

. In any case, there is no inscriptional or epigraphical evidence left by the

Kakatiyas The Kakatiya dynasty (IAST: Kākatīya) was a Telugu dynasty that ruled most of eastern Deccan region in present-day India between 12th and 14th centuries. Their territory comprised much of the present day Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, and p ...

claiming to have subdued the

under Kulothunga Chola III.

Loss to the Pandyas (1216–1217 CE) and decline of the Cholas (1217–1280 CE)

In the war against the Jatavarman Kulasekhara in 1205, Kulothunga Chola III had demolished the coronation hall of the

, although he followed up his action by restoring the defeated

ruler back to the throne. However, as the future events proved, 'the success of Kulothunga Chola III was by no means complete and the seed was thrown for a war of revenge'. Besides, the other wars waged before and after his

invasions had also drained both the aging Kulothunga Chola III physically, and also his treasury. After the first expedition against the Pandyas between it was mainly between 1192–1205 CE that Kulothunga Chola III had to undertake his expeditions against the

, Nellore Chodas in Kanchi, Velanadu Chodas at Vengi, followed by a skirmish with the

between

Rajahmundry Rajahmundry ( ), officially Rajamahendravaram, is a city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and district headquarters of East Godavari district. It is the fifth most populated city in the state. During British rule, the district of Rajahmu ...

and Visaiyavadai (modern

Vijayawada Vijayawada ( ), formerly known by its colonial name Bezawada, is the second largest city and a major commercial hub in the Andhra Pradesh state of India. The city forms an integral part of the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region and is situated on th ...

), followed by his third victorious expedition against the

in 1205 against Jatavarman Kulasekhara Pandyan. In 1208 CE, Kulothunga Chola III again led an expedition, this time against the Velanadu Chodas. As a consequence, there was overall peace in the

dominions, between 1208–1215 CE, after the recovery of

from the Velanadu Chodas. During this period, Kulothunga Chola III concentrated on some developmental activities in his country, including construction, repair and restoration activities in temples and other religious places. He was reassured mainly because his enemies and feudatories had been brought under control and their loyalty had been secured. There was no rebellion from the

, intrusions from the Nellore or Velanadu Chodas had stopped and the kingdoms of

(

) and

also had been subdued. Kulothunga Chola III apparently failed to notice that the

princes, who always administered their territory by dividing it among themselves, were more or less united at most times, though they did not have the military strength to overwhelm and overcome the

in war. This was also due to the Pandyas also not having a strong leadership who could mobilize his resources and forces so as to carve out a niche or distinct identity as a powerful kingdom in

. However, it appears there was a change in approach of the,

, who from the times of

, adopted a policy of letting the defeated kings to rule without there being a

representative to administer those provinces despite subjugating the Pandyas and

. This policy reversed the practice followed mainly from the times of

Raja Raja Chola I Rajaraja I ( Middle Tamil: ''Rājarāja Cōḻaṉ''; Classical Sanskrit: ''Rājarāja Śōḷa''; 3 November 947 – January/February 1014), also known as Rajaraja the Great, was a Chola emperor who reigned from 985 to 1014. He was known for ...

and his son

Rajendra Chola I Rajendra I (26 July 971 – 1044), often referred to as Rajendra the Great, was a Chola Empire, Chola Emperor who reigned from 1014 to 1044. He was born in Thanjavur to Rajaraja I. His queen was Vanavan Mahadevi and he assumed royal power as ...

who, after defeating the

and conquering

, sent a Chola prince to directly rule the Pandya country with the royal titles Chola-

. 'After the conquest of the Pandya country by

, the princes of the local royal family were allowed to rule as they liked, subject to the vague suzerainty of the Cholas'.Nilakanta Sastri, ''A History of South India'', p. 176 An important reason for this was the involvement of the Chola kings in the periodic but many a times fierce succession disputes that arose among the Pandya princes leading 'to the intervention of the Chola and Sinhalese rulers on opposite sides, which brought no good to either' kingdom. One such prominent war in the Pandyan country took place 'soon after the installation of

(1163–1178 CE)', and 'out of the ashes of this civil war arose the

power which in its renewed strength soon swallowed both the

and

Ceylonese Sri Lankan or Ceylonese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Sri Lanka ** Demographics of Sri Lanka * Sri Lankan people, or of Sri Lankan descent; this includes: ** Sinhalese people, the ethnic majority ** Sri Lankan T ...

kingdoms'. Some political setbacks although not in terms of loss of territory in wars, adversely affected the

during the reign of Kulothunga Chola III itself. While he recovered

with ease in 1208 CE from the Velanadu Chodas, their power in any case had disappeared after 1186 CE and their territories had been divided among five chieftains. Ultimately Ganapatideva, the powerful

monarch, had made their country subordinate to his rule by 1214 CE. The subsequent defeat of the

by the

Ganapatideva in 1216 also immensely handicapped Kulothunga Chola III, for the services of his erstwhile subordinates and feudatories were no longer available to him. As a consequence, 'towards the close of reign, the

reprisal overwhelmed him' and heralded the decline of the

which continued till the demise of the

empire in 1280 CE. In 1216 CE, 'Jatavarman Kulasekhara, whom Kulothunga Chola III had humiliated in a signal manner in 1205, was followed on the throne, more than ten years later, by his younger brother, Maravarman Sundara Pandya, who wanted to avenge the wrongs he had shared with brother and invaded the

country soon after his accession'. Kulothunga Chola III, having ruled for almost 40 years, was aging and did not have the support of his erstwhile feudatories and subordinates at this time. The zeal and determination of Maravarman Sundara Pandya under whom the

would gradually but firmly revive and become the paramount power in South India under his capable successors, and 'the swiftness of the attack rendered

resistance feeble'.Nilakanta Sastri, ''A History of South India'', pp. 192–193 In the absence of any allies to support him against the

, Kulothunga Chola III had the ignominy of seeing

and

Uraiyur Uraiyur (also spelt Woraiyur) is a locality in Tiruchirapalli city in Tamil Nadu, India. Uraiyur was the ancient name of Tiruchirappalli City. Now, it has become one of the busiest areas in Trichy City. It was the capital of the early C ...

being sacked by the forces of Maravarman Sundara Pandya. Kulothunga Chola III and his son, ''yuvaraja'' Rajaraja Chola III were driven into exile. It was now Maravarman Sundara Pandya's turn to repeat the act of Kulothunga Chola III, in performing a ''virabhishekam'' in the coronation hall of the

at Ayirattali in

district. The

monarch did not stop at this, he marched up to

where he worshipped at the famous shrine of

Nataraja Nataraja (/ n̪əʈəɾɑd͡ʒᵊ/ ,, ; , ''Naṭarājar'' Telugu: నటరాజు,''Naṭarāju''), also known as Adalvallan (), is a depiction of Shiva, one of the main deities in Hinduism, as the divine cosmic dancer. His dance is ca ...

. On his way back,

Maravarman Sundara Pandyan Maravarman Sundara Pandyan I was a Pandyan king, who ruled regions of South India between 1216–1238 CE. He laid the foundation for the Pandya revival, after being dominated by the Cholas for several centuries. Accession Sundara Pandyan ca ...

fixed his camp at Pon Amaravati in

Pudukottai Pudukkottai Municipal Corporation is the administrative headquarters of Pudukkottai district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is one of the oldest Heritage city located on the banks of the Vellar River. It has been ruled, at different t ...

. At this time, Kulothunga Chola III appealed for aid to

, with whom the

monarch had marital alliance.

responded quickly, and 'sent an army under his son

Vira Narasimha II Vira Narasimha II was the Hoysala king of Kuntala from 1220 until 1234, with his kingdom located in what is now Karnataka in India. During his reign the Hoysalas gained much influence in the affairs of the Tamil country. He defeated the Kada ...

. Maravarman Sundara Pandya, therefore, had to make peace with the

and restore the

kingdom to Kulothunga Chola III and Rajaraja Chola III, after they made formal submission at Pon Amaravati and acknowledged him as suzerain. This was the beginning of the second empire of the

though it was not yet quite the end of that of the

. The wheel of fortune had thus, turned a full circle during the last part of Kulothunga III's reign itself, and from being the powerful suzerains of the once-dominated

, it was the turn of

to remain dominated and subservient to their arch-enemy, during the best part of their remaining existence between 1217 CE to 1280 CE. The period 1217–1280 CE was a period was a period of continuous decline of the

which is also characterized by the steady and constant growth of the renewed power of the

. Kulothunga Chola III and his son Rajaraja Chola III became tribute-paying subordinates of Maravarman Sundara Pandya. The aging Kulothunga Chola III did not live long after sustaining defeat against the

and died in 1218 CE. He was succeeded by his son and heir-apparent Rajaraja Chola III (1218–1256 CE).

Administration and architecture

Kulothunga Chola III was a great builder and his reign is a noteworthy period in Chola architecture. Among many well known constructions, He initiated commissioned the

or Kampahareswara temple at Tribhuvanam near

which is considered a great specimen of

Dravidian Architecture Dravidian architecture, or the Southern Indian temple style, is an architectural idiom in Hindu temple architecture that emerged from Southern India, reaching its final form by the sixteenth century. In contrast with North Indian temple styl ...

. Its general design resembles the

Brihadisvara Temple Brihadishvara Temple, called Rajarajesvaram () by its builder, and known locally as ''Thanjai Periya Kovil'' () and ''Peruvudaiyar Kovil'', is a Shaivite Hindu temple built in a Chola architectural style located on the south bank of the Cau ...

, but the temple of Sarabeswara still has several significant features that distinguish it from their earlier models i.e. the

s at both

and

Gangaikonda Cholapuram Gaṅgaikoṇḍa Chōḻapuram is a village located near to Jayankondam, Ariyalur district, Tamil Nadu, India. It became the capital of the Chola dynasty in c. 1025 by Chola emperor Rajendra Chola I, Rajendra I, and served as the capital for a ...

. The temple also contains an excellent series of

Ramayana The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics ...

reliefs on its walls and was consecrated by Kulothunga Chola III's spiritual guru, Isvarasiva. Besides this temple, Kulothunga also contributed to the extension and renovation of many temples around his kingdom. He also constructed a large number of public buildings, most of which were religious structures, which are enumerated in his inscriptions found at

Pudukkottai Pudukkottai Municipal Corporation is the administrative headquarters of Pudukkottai district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is one of the oldest Heritage city located on the banks of the Vellar River. It has been ruled, at different t ...

, Tamil Nadu and in another Sanskrit inscription engraved around the central shrine of Kampahareswara Temple at Tirubhuvanam on the outskirts of

Thanjavur District Thanjavur District is one of the Districts of Tamil Nadu, 38 districts of the States and territories of India, state of Tamil Nadu, in southeastern India. Its headquarters is Thanjavur (Tanjore) . The district is located in the delta of the Cauv ...

, Tamil Nadu. This temple is also called the Tribhuvanavireswara temple in his inscriptions.'The Colas', p.399, K.A.Nilakanta Sastri (1955) Kulothunga Chola III also erected the mukha-mandapa of Sabhapati, the gopura of Goddess Girindraja (Sivakami) and the verandah around the enclosure (''prakara harmya'') in the Siva Temple of

. He also improved and expanded the great

temples at Tiruvidaimarudur,

Thiruvarur Thiruvarur () also spelt as Tiruvarur is a municipality in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of Thiruvarur district and Thiruvarur taluk. The temple chariot of the Thyagaraja t ...

, Ekambareswarar Temple at

and the Halahalasya Temple at

. In addition, the Rajarajeswara ( Airavateswara temple) at

Darasuram Darasuram or Dharasuram is a neighbourhood in the city of Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, India. The area is known for the Airavateswara temple constructed by the Rajaraja Chola II in the 12th century CE. The temple is a recognised UNESCO World Heritage ...

received Kulothunga Chola III's devoted attention. At the

temple at

, Kulothunga Chola III built the sabha mandapam and the big gopura of the shrine of Valmikeswara. Kulothunga Chola III was keenly aware of the secular religious traditions of the

monarchy. Contrary to popular impression, the

kings, despite constructing some of the largest temples for Siva, nonetheless considered the

temple of

, called ''Periya Koil'' or "big temple" in Saivite parlance as well as the Sri Ranganathaswami Temple of

, also called ''Periya Koil'' or simply "big temple" in Vaishnavite parlance as their "Kuladhanams" or tutelary deities which attests their secular outlook in religious matters. Such a declaration was made for the first time in the inscriptions of the second

emperor

Aditya I Aditya Chola I, the son of Vijayalaya Chola, was the Chola king who laid the foundation of the Chola Empire with the conquest of the Pallava Kingdom and the occupation of the Western Ganga Kingdom and Kongu Nadu. Aditya Chola I was succee ...

, which was also repeated by his son

and this was also repeated by Kulothunga Chola III (in his inscription No. 133) at the Sri Ranganathaswami Temple at Srirangam. "Siddhanta Ratnakara", a theological treatise, was written and composed by Shri Srikantha Sambhu, father of Isvarasiva, the spiritual guide of Kulothunga Chola III during the reign of this monarch. In the 23rd and 24th years of Kulothunga's reign there was a widespread famine in the Chola kingdom. Kulothunga organised relief by ordering construction of tanks and river embankments. Kulothunga died some time in 1218 and Rajaraja Chola III became the Chola king.

Inscriptions

The inscriptions of Kulottunga III mostly begin with the introduction ''Puyal vaayttu valam peruga''. His achievements are mentioned incrementally, viz., he claims to have taken Madurai and the crowned head of

are found as early as the 4th year, to this Ilam (Sri Lanka) is added in the 10th year and then followed by

Karuvur Karur () is a municipal corporation in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of Karur district and is administered by the Karur Municipal Corporation. It is located on the banks of the rivers Amaravathi, Kave ...

in the 16th year. He also had the alias ''Tribhuvanaviradeva'' and bore the title ''Tribhuvanachakravarthi''. An inscription from the Mahalingswami temple in Tiruvidaimarudur dated in the 28th year of the king's reign refers to the 16th year of his predecessor Sungadavirtha Kulottunga Chola I. Among the places mentioned is Vikramasolanallur in Tiruvalundur nadu a sub-division of Jayangondachola valanadu. The king and his namesake, Kulottunga I are both mentioned together in an inscription of their successor Rajaraja III. An inscription from Govindaputtur dated in the sixteenth year of Kulottunga III mentions that as per a sanction accorded in the seventh year of Periyadevar

a garden of areca-palms was made a ''devadana''(gift) to the temple. Further it states that an inquiry was held in regards to the management of this gift.

Notes

References

{{Reflist, colwidth=30em 1218 deaths Chola emperors 12th-century Indian monarchs 13th-century Indian monarchs Year of birth unknown