The Cholas were the most famous of the three dynasties that ruled ancient Tamil Nadu. The other two were the Cheras and the Pandyas.

Early Cholas

The early Cholas ruled between the 1st and the 4th centuries A.D. The first and the most famous king of the early Cholas was Karikalan. He is well known for his great engineering marvel, "Kallanai", a great anaikut (dam used for irrigation) across the river Cauvery which is being used till date. He was succeded by Nedumudikilli. Chola power declined with frequent attacks by the Pallavas, Cheras and Pandyas , but they rose to power again around the 9th century.

Note on etymology

• kallaNai is a Tamil compound word which can be split as kal (stone) and aNai (bund or dam)
• aNaikut is an anglicisation of the Tamil word pair aNai + kattu (structure or construction)
• The Tamil consonant 'N' is pronounced like 'ñ'

Medieval Cholas

The Medieval Cholas rose to prominence when the king Vijayalaya defeated the Pallavas and captured Thanjavur. The Medieval Chola kings went on to capture most of South India, Bengal, and some foreign islands like Indonesia. Until around the 13th century, the Chola Empire was the most powerful in South India.

The greatest kings among the Medieval Cholas were Rajaraja Chola-I (reigned 985-1014) and his son Rajendra Chola-I (reigned 1014-42). Under them, Chola power reached its zenith. The Rajaraja conquered Kerala and a part of Sri Lanka. Rajendra later completed the conquest of Sri Lanka, crossed the Ganges and marched across Kalinga to Bengal, and sent out a great naval expedition that occupied parts of Myanmar, Malaya, and Sumatra. For 300 years the Chola kingdom supported a flourishing social and economic life, marked by a flowering of Hindu culture. Rajendra, to commemorate his victory over the Ganges, created a new capital and named it Gangaikonda Cholapuram.

By the 13th century, the Chola kingdom had exhausted its resources and was on the decline. It succumbed to an attack by the Hoysalas from the west and the Pandyas from the south. The last king of the Medieval Cholas was Rajendra Chola-III.

The emblem of the Chola empire was the tiger, which was featured on the Chola flag, coins and in other contexts of political significance.

List of Medieval Chola Kings

Name of King	Reign Period	Son of	Capital
Vijayalaya Chola	848-881	Is not available	Thanjavur
Athiththa Chola	871-907	Vijayalya Chola	Thanjavur
Paranthaha Chola-I	907-955	Athiththa Chola	Thanjavur
Kandarathiththa Chola	950-957	2nd Son of Paranthaha Chola-I	Thanjavur
Arinchchaya Chola	956-957	3rd Son of Paranthaha Chola-I	Thanjavur
Paranthaha Chola-II	957-970	Arinchchaya Chola	Thanjavur
Uththama Chola	973-985	Kandarathiththa Chola	Thanjavur
Rajaraja Chola-I	985-1014	Paranthaha Chola-II	Thanjavur
Rajendra Chola-I	1012-1044	Rajaraja Chola-I	Gangaikonda Cholapuram
Rajadhiraja Chola-I	1018-1054	Eldest Son of Rajendra Chola-I	Gangaikonda Cholapuram
Rajendra Chola-II	1051-1063	2nd Son of Rajendra Chola-I	Gangaikonda Cholapuram
Virarajendra Chola	1063-1070	Rajendra Chola-II	Gangaikonda Cholapuram
Athirajendra Chola	1067-1070	Virarajendra Chola	Gangaikonda Cholapuram
Kulothunga Chola-I	1070-1120	Son of the daughter of Rajendra Chola-I	Gangaikonda Cholapuram
Vikkrama Chola	1118-1135	Kulothunga Chola-I	Gangaikonda Cholapuram
Kulothunga Chola-II	1133-1150	Vikkrama Chola	Gangaikonda Cholapuram
Rajaraja Chola-II	1146-1163	Kulothunga Chola-II	Gangaikonda Cholapuram
Rajadiraja Chola-II	1163-1178	Cousin of Rajaraja Chola-II	Gangaikonda Cholapuram
Kulothunga Chola-III	1178-1218	Rajaraja Chola-II	Gangaikonda Cholapuram
Rajaraja Chola-III	1216-1256	Kulothunga Chola-III	Gangaikonda Cholapuram
Rajendra Chola-III	1246-1279	Rajaraja Chola-III	Gangaikonda Cholapuram

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