11.The Rise of Small Kingdom.
1.1 The Rise of Small Kingdoms in South India The medieval
era of five hundred years (700–1200 CE) saw some important developments in
southern India. Many regional kingdoms
rose and fell. Ashoka's edicts mention
three main kingdoms of Cholas, Pandyas and Cheras. In the later period, the kingdoms of
Chalukyas and Pallavas rose in the area of present Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh
and Tamil Nadu. The Rashtrakutas ruled
over the northern part of Deccan during this time. Let us study about Cholas and Pandyas in
detail now. Round Airawati Sopara Ellora
Nagpur MUMBAI NASIK AURANGABAAD KALINGA CHALUKYAS HYDERABAD ni RASHTRAKUTAS
Vatapi PALLAVAS CHENNAIO CHERAS Mahabalipuram e Kanchipuram CHOLAS Thanjavur
Madurai INDEX Ancient Town MODERN TODAY INDIA PANDA 82 Boundary of India
CHOLAS in Class - VI, we have studied about Chalukyas
(Karnataka) and Pallavas (Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu). The beginning of the medieval period saw the
expansion and rise of the Chola empire.
They defeated the Pallava kings and the other local rulers. They built a strong navy and even conquered
helped in the spread of Indian culture to foreign countries. Sri Lanka (earlier Ceylon), parts of South -
East Asia and the islands of Maldives and Lakshadweep and the founder of Cholas
was Vijayalaya who Chola kingdom extended from Nellore to Pudukotta and Mysore
to Madras (now Chennai). defeated
Pallavas. His grandson Prantaka - 1
defeated the Pandaya kings of Madurai and ruled for 46 years (907-953 CE). The Chola empire rose as the supreme power
under the greatest Chola king, Rajaraja - l (1012-44 CE). He pursued a policy of conquest for 14 years
and conquered the Chalukya kingdom of Vengi and captured Kerala and Madurai. He also built the famous temple Rajrajeshwara
at Tanjore. The Rajrajeshwara temple
(Tanjore) walls of the temple depicting his conquests, Rajaraja - I was
succeeded by his son, Rajendra Chola, who ruled for 28 years. He Do You Know? expanded his territories over Andaman and
Rajaraja spread the message of Vedas Nicobar Islands, Sumatra, Malaya and
Pegu. He among the common people. defeated the Pala king Mahipala of Bihar The
Kings performed Ashvamedha Yajnas to and Bengal. He took the title of Gangaikondai celebrate
their conquests. (Victor of Ganga). Constant wars and internal conflicts led to
the disintegration of Chola empire in about 1279 CE. The rise of Hindu kingdom at Vijaynagar gave
the final blow to Chola dynasty. The
PANDYAS The kingdom of Pandyas was established in the seventh century CE. They regarded over Madurai, Tirunelvelli and
parts of Travancore. It is reputed to be
the most ancient of the Tamil states.
Kandungori started the Pandya rule.
His son Maruvarman Avani Sulamani came into conflict with the
Pallavas. He aligned with Cholas and
defeated the Pallavas. The Pandyas
carried on frequent wars with Sri Lanka.
In the eleventh century, they were compelled to submit to the supremacy
of the mighty Cholas. But, in the thirteenth
century they asserted their independence again under 83
Jalavarman Sundara Pandya, who ruled from 1251-1272. Gradually, the Pandyas became the leading
power in the south. Unfortunately, a
civil war broke out among a number of contenders to the throne which sealed the
fate of this kingdom. The muslim
invaders plundered and looted the kingdom and made it weak in the sixteenth
century, the Pandya kingdom was absorbed in the kingdom of Vijaynagar. GOVERNANCE IN SOUTH INDIA Administration The
king was the head of the state. His
office was hereditary. His prime duty
was to protect the people from internal disturbance and external attacks. The rights of the king were unlimited. The central administration was divided into
different departments. The king ran the
administration with the help of the ministers.
The kingdom was divided into provinces (mandalams). Each province was under the control of an
official who worked according to the instructions of the king. Economy Land revenue was the main source of
income. It was fixed at one - third of
the produce by the Chola rulers. The
economic condition of the people was good.
Agriculture, trade and weaving were the chief occupations of the
people. The irrigational facilities were
well - developed which increased the agricultural yield. The Chola rulers spent a major part of the
income on public welfare. Society The
society of south India was also caste - ridden like that of north India. The Brahmins (priestly class) and Kshatriyas
(warrior class) dominated the lower castes.
The peasants tilled the land which belonged to the rulers or the
temples. Religion Religion played an
important part in the life of people in south India. Buddhism and Jainism were not popular
there. Hinduism was the most popular
religion. Vedic sacrifices were quite
common. The cult of Lord Vishnu and Lord
Shiva also became important during this time.
Kanchipuram was an important center of studies of Sanskrit and regional
languages like Tamil. It was also a
center of pilgrimage Kanchipuram temple for Hindu devotees. The Bhakti saints preached the teachings of
the epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata.
The epics were translated into many south Indian languages. Many great literary works like
Silappaadikaram and Mannimekaalai (Tamil) were written during this period. page
84.
Education were the temples of south India were not only the
places of worship but also important centers of culture, administration and
education. Each temple had an attached
matha, which provided free where fairs, contests and other cultural education,
boarding and lodging to the students, some temples emerged as leading cultural
centers activities organized. Though
Sanskrit continued as the language of Do You Know? Scholars, Tamil, Kannada and Telugu also the
famous saints and philosophers of this period progressed were Shankaracharya
and Ramanuja. Art and Architecture The
rulers of the southern kingdoms were not only great warriors but also great
patrons of art and architecture. They
built a number of important temples. The
large rock - cut temples at Mahabalipuram and the Kailashnath were built in the
eighth century. The Shiva temple of
Tanjore and the bronze statue of Nataraja are fine examples of Chola art. Mahabalipuram temple Nataraja Kailashnath
temple 85
Do you know?
SHANKARACHARYA Many years ago when the practice of Dharma was on the
decline in India, Adi Shankara appeared on the scene and propagated the ancient
Vedic Dharma in the form of Advaita or the philosophy of non-duality. At an early age, Adi Shankara learnt the
Vedas. He realised that oneness
(Ekatvam) is the essence of all knowledge.
This is the Doctrine of Advaita- "The absolute is one alone. 'Shankaracharya
taught the rules of Bhakti, Yoga and Karma to brighten the intellect and purify
the heart. Advaita is the awareness of the divine in everything and everywhere.
Shankara suggested satsanga as The very
first step in sadhana. Satsanga means company of wise and good people. He
established four Maths in four extreme corners of India to spread the message
of Advaite all over the country. They are: 1. North - Jyotirmatha at Badrinath.
2. West - Shardapitha at Dwarka. 3. East
- Govardhanmatha at Puri. 4. South - Sringerimatha at Sringeri. Shankaracharya
lived only for thirty - two years, but during that time, he purified and
consolidated the various schools of worship and brought them under the umbrella of one philosophical principle,
Advaita. Keywords edict: an order, or a command. and education patron: someone
who protects or supports an artist, or an art form. matha: a place, usually
attac hed to a temple, where students
were provided with free boarding, lodg 86
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