History Made Of

In popular culture Rajaraja Cholan , a 1973  Tamil  film starring  Sivaji Ganesan Ponniyin Selvan  by  Kalki  revolves around the life of Raja Raja Chola, the mysteries surrounding the assassination of  Aditya Karikalan  and the subsequent accession of  Uttama to the Chola throne Nandipurathu Nayagi  by  Vembu Vikiraman  revolves around the ascension of Uttama Chola to the throne and Raja Raja's naval expedition Rajaraja Cholan  by Kathal Ramanathan Udaiyar  by  Balakumaran Kandalur Vasantha Kumaran Kathai  by  Sujatha  which deal with the situations leading Raja raja to invade Kandalur Rajakesari  and  Cherar Kottai  by Gokul Seshadri deal with the Kandalur invasion and its after-effects Kaviri Mainthan , a 2007 novel by Anusha Venkatesh

Personal life Raja raja was born as Arulmozhivarman and his adopted name  Raja Raja  literally means King of Kings. He was also known as  Rajaraja Sivapada Sekhara  (he who had the feet of Lord Shiva  as his crown). His elder sister  Kundavai Pirāttiyār  assisted Raja Raja in administration and management of temples. Raja Raja had at least four queens including Ōlōkamādēviyār and Thiripuvānamādēviyār and at least three daughters. He had a son  Rajendra  with Thiripuvānamādēviyār.His first daughter  Kundavai married  Chalukya  prince Vimaladithan. He had two other daughters named Mathevalzagal and Ģangamādevī. Raja Raja died in 1014 in the  Tamil month  of Maka and was succeeded by Rajendra Chola I.

Inscriptions A typical lithic inscription of the Chola period Due to Rajaraja's desire to record his military achievements, he recorded the important events of his life in stones. An inscription in  Tamil from  Mulbagal  in  Karnataka  shows his accomplishments as early as the 19th year. An excerpt from such a  Meikeerthi , an inscription recording great accomplishments, follows: “ ஸ்வஸ்திஸ்ரீ் திருமகள் போல பெருநிலச் செல்வியுந் தனக்கேயுரிமை பூண்டமை மனக்கொளக் காந்தளூர்ச் சாலைக் களமறூத்தருளி வேங்கை நாடும் கங்கைபாடியும் நுளம்பபாடியும் தடிகை பாடியும் குடமலை நாடும் கொல்லமும் கலிங்கமும் எண்டிசை புகழ்தர ஈழ மண்டலமும் இரட்டபாடி ஏழரை இலக்கமும் திண்டிறல் வென்றி தண்டால் கொண்டதன் பொழில் வளர் ஊழியுள் எல்லா யாண்டிலும் தொழுதகை விளங்கும் யாண்டே செழிஞரை தேசுகொள் ஸ்ரீ்கோவிராஜராஜகேசரி பந்மரான ஸ்ரீராஜராஜ தேவர் ” “ In the 19th year of the reign of sri-Kōv-IRājarāja-IRājakēsaripanmar who,- while his heart rejoiced that like the goddess of fortune, the goddess ...

Arts and architecture Raja Raja Chola embarked on a mission to recover the hymns after hearing short excerpts of  Thevaram  in his court.He sought the help of Nambi Andar Nambi. It is believed that by divine intervention Nambi found the presence of scripts, in the form of cadijam leaves half eaten by white ants in a chamber inside the second precinct in  Thillai Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram . The  brahmanas  ( Dikshitars ) in the temple opposed the mission, but Rajaraja intervened by consecrating the images of the saint-poets through the streets of Chidambaram. Rajaraja thus became to be known as  Tirumurai Kanda Cholan  meaning one who saved the  Tirumurai .Thus far Shiva temples only had images of god forms, but after the advent of Rajaraja, the images of the Nayanar saints were also placed inside the temple. Nambi arranged the hymns of three saint poets  Sambandar ,  Appar  and  Sundarar  as the ...

Administration Before the reign of Raja Raja I, parts of the Chola territory were ruled by hereditary lords and princes who were in a loose alliance with the Chola rulers.Raja Raja initiated a project of land survey and assessment in 1000 which led to the reorganization of the empire into units known as valanadus. From the reign of Raja Raja Chola I until the reign of  Vikrama Chola  in 1133, the hereditary lords and local princes were either replaced or turned into dependent officials. This led to the king exercising a closer control over the different parts of the empire. Rajaraja strengthened the local self-government and installed a system of audit and control by which the village assemblies and other public bodies were held to account while retaining their autonomy. [ To promote trade, he sent the first Chola mission to  China . Officials Rajendra Chola I  was made a co-regent during the last years of Rajaraja’s rule. He was the supreme ...

Military conquests Rajaraja created a powerful standing army and a considerable navy. A number of regiments are mentioned in the Thanjavur inscriptions. These regiments were divided into elephant troops, cavalry and infantry and each of these regiments had its own autonomy and was free to endow benefactions or build temples. Early campaigns Rajaraja began his first campaign in the eighth year of his reign. The  Pandyas ,  Cheras  and the  Sinhalas  allied against the Cholas. In 994, Rajaraja destroyed the fleet of the Chera king Bhaskara Ravi Varman Thiruvadi (c. 978–1036) in the  Kandalur War . Rajaraja defeated the Pandya king Amarabhujanga and captured the port of Virinam. To commemorate these conquests, Rajaraja assumed the title  Mummudi Chola , a title used by  Tamil  kings who ruled the three kingdoms of  Cholas ,  Pandyas  and  Cheras . In 1008, Rajaraja captured  Udagai  ...