Nautical tigers: Contributions of cholas to India's maritime tradition

Title

Nautical tigers: Contributions of cholas to India's maritime tradition

Creator

Manoharan, N.

Description

India is known for its rich maritime tradition and heritage. Contributions of kingdoms of peninsular India - Sathavahanas, Chalukyas, Cholas, Pandyas, Pallavas, Cheras - are notable in this regard. Of all the kingdoms, Cholas stood out in their maritime ventures into Southeast Asia and Indian Ocean regions. They not only maintained strong and sophisticated navy (dubbed as "Chola Armada") but also developed ports like Mamallapuram, Kaveripattinam, Korkai, Nagappattinam, Periyapattinam, Devipattinam, Machilipatnam, Thoothukudi, Poompuhar and Arikamedu along the Coromandel coast. Cholas followed what can be called the "Watch East Policy" to mainly safeguard their trade/commercial interests. But the story is not that simple. Rajendra Chola-I went on to occupy Malaysia (then called Kadaram) and assumed the title Kadaram Kondan (one who captured Kadaram) to control the Malacca Straits. He also acquired Java and Sumatra by defeating Sailendra rulers during his digvijaya. As a result, the Bay of Bengal was once called "Chola Lake," Such expeditions not only secured trading rights of Tamil merchant guilds in the region but also brought enormous riches to the then-Chola empire. The amalgamation of projection of military power with underlying commercial interests reverberated later during the European colonization of the region and holds true even today. No wonder, various adages like "Imperial Cholas" and "Barbarians of the Southern Sea" are used in the historical literature to describe Cholas' maritime expansion during the 10th and 11th centuries. Peeking at the Cholas' maritime prowls in Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean region raises many questions: What was the larger context of Chola's maritime expedition? What were the motives behind? Were they purely commercial or were there cultural, political and military undercurrents? Seen from the current perspective, are there any parallels to maritime tussles among big powers in the region then and now?. 2025 Adluri Subramanyam Raju and R. Srinivasan. All rights reserved.

Source

The Routledge Handbook of Maritime India: History, Strategy, and Engagement;pp.19-28

Date

01-01-2025

Publisher

Taylor and Francis

Coverage

Manoharan N., Centre for East Asian Studies, Christ University, Bangalore, India

Rights

Restricted Access; Hardcopy may be available in the library

Relation

ISBN: 978-100360743-4; 978-100386360-1;

Format

online

Language

English

Type

Book chapter

Identifier

https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003607434-3

https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105010169296?origin=resultslist