From words like cash (from the Tamil kasu) and Coromandel Coast (from Chola Mandalam or Chola circle) to Tamil temple architecture and economic systems that made Indian textiles world-famous ...

There is no arguing that today, the Chola period is best remembered for its overseas expansions. In 1025-26, Chola emperor Rajendra I (r. 1014-1044) dispatched an expedition to Kedah, a rich Malay ...

Deciding what to pack for a trip takes careful planning, but so does figuring out what travel clothes you’ll wear to your destination. Comfort is essential for any travel outfit, but so is ...

Women had played a central role in the rise of Chola power but as their power faded, so too did the status of their women. Chola royal women practically disappeared from the historical record from the ...

In 1024, Rajendra Chola dreamt up the grandest, riskiest, campaign ever planned by a medieval Indian ruler: an attack across the seas on Kedah (in today’s Malaysia). Both Rajendra Chola and the ...

Elaborating on how she patronised temples and built the popular support for the Chola empire, Mr. Kanisetti said she clearly saw temple construction as a very important part of the public persona.

But there really is no modern parallel to this remarkable organisation. Like the Chola state, the Five Hundred had a formidable ability to incorporate diverse groups. Its members included Brahmins, ...

The Brihadishvara temple, built in the 11th Century by King Rajaraja Chola, is a Unesco World Heritage site [Getty Images] ...

The Brihadishvara temple, built in the 11th Century by King Rajaraja Chola, is a Unesco World Heritage site It's 1000 CE - the heart of the Middle Ages. Europe is in flux. The powerful nations we ...

But what set the Cholas apart was their endless capacity for innovation. By the standards of the medieval world, Chola queens were also remarkably prominent, serving as the dynasty's public face.

Public historian Anirudh Kanisetti’s new book, Lords of Earth and Sea: A History of the Chola Empire, seeks to bring balance to the country’s civilisational understanding. “You cannot really talk ...