|
Raja Raja Chola I (also known as Raja Kesari Varman Raja Raja Devar,〔http://www.thehindu.com/arts/history-and-culture/article432582.ece〕 was one of the greatest emperors of India, who ruled between 985 and 1014 CE. He was the harbinger of the heights of Chola glory,〔A Journey through India's Past (Great Hindu Kings after Harshavardhana) by Chandra Mauli Mani p.51〕 and it was during his reign that the Chola Dynasty started to emerge as a great Empire. By conquering several kingdoms in India, he expanded the Chola Empire as far as Sri Lanka in the south, and Kalinga (Odisha) in the northeast. Raja Raja Chola (''Raja Raja'' literally translates to 'the King of Kings') was a valiant conqueror and empire builder, an able administrator, a patron of arts and letters and a renowned builder.〔 He was a noted patron of Tamil literature as during his reign the texts of the famous Tamil poets Appar, Sambandar and Sundarar were collected and edited into one compilation called Thirumurai.〔Indian Thought: A Critical Survey by K. Damodaran p.246〕 He initiated a massive project of land survey and assessment in 1000 CE which strengthened the Imperial administration and which led to the reorganization of the Empire into units known as valanadus.〔A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th century by Upinder Singh p.590〕〔Administrative System in India: Vedic Age to 1947 by U. B. Singh p.76〕 He built the famous Brihadeeswarar Temple which is one of the largest and tallest temples in India.〔The Hindus: An Alternative History by Wendy Doniger p.347〕 He fought many battles with the Western Chalukya Empire to the north and the Pandyan Dynasty to the south. By conquering Vengi, Rajaraja laid the foundation for the Later Chola dynasty. He launched several naval campaigns that resulted in the capture of Sri Lanka, Maldives and the Malabar Coast.〔Columbia Chronologies of Asian History and Culture by John Bowman p.264〕 == Personal life == The key dates of Raja Raja's rule are difficult to come by. Scholar N. Sethuraman concludes that he was born in circa 947 CE, was crowned on 18 July 985 and died in 1014 in the Tamil month of Maka.〔Sethuraman, N"Rajarajan Pirantha, Mudisudia, Neetha Naatkal", in "Arulmozhi" ed., N Kasinathan, Tamil Nadu〕 Raja Raja Chola was born in Tirukoilur (headquarters of Nadu Naadu) as Arulmozhi Varman,〔(''God & King, the Devarāja Cult in South Asian Art and Architecture: proceedings of the Seminar, 2001'' ), published for National Museum Institute by Regency Publications, 2005: "The Chola King Arulmozhivarman, after the Makuda abhiseka was called Rajaraja cholan..."〕〔(Unearthed stone ends debate - The Hindu )〕 the third child of Parantaka Sundara Chola (Aditya Karikala was the elder son and Kundhavai the elder sister) and Vanavan Maha Devi of the Velir Malayaman dynasty.〔The Body Adorned: Sacred and Profane in Indian Art by Vidya Dehejia p.42〕 Aditya Karikala was declared as the crown prince. During the lifetime of his father Sundara Chola, Arulmozhivarman had carved a name for himself through his exploits in the battles against the Sinhala and Pandyan armies. Sundara Chola’s eldest son and heir apparent Aditya II was assassinated under unclear circumstances.〔 Madhuranthaga, as the only child of Gandaraditya (the brother of Arinjaya Chola), wanted the Chola throne as he felt it was his birthright. After the death of Aditya II, Madhuranthaga was declared by Sundara Chola as the heir apparent ahead of Arulmozhivarman.〔 Arulmozhivarman ascended the throne after the death of Madhuranthaga (Uttama Chola).〔KAN Sastri, A History of South India, p163〕 The Thiruvalangadu copper-plate inscriptions say:〔Sri Brihadisvara: The Great Temple of Thānjavūr by A.K. Seshadri p.32〕 :''"…Though his subjects…entreated Arulmozhi Varman, he…did not desire the kingdom for himself even inwardly ".'' This was to say that Raja Raja was legally elected through the kind of democratic process followed by Cholas as seen in their Uttiramerur inscription. This is widely accepted as the correct interpretation. Another example of such a process is the selection of Sri Nandi Varman II to the Pallava throne. It could very much be possible that the king rejected the offer in order to continue to devote time and energy to build the resources to realize the Chola military objectives. Madhuranthaga made a compromise with Sundara Chola that Madhuranthaga will be succeeded by Arulmozhi and not his own son. The Thiruvalangadu inscription again states:〔Sri Brihadisvara: The Great Temple of Thānjavūr by A.K. Seshadri p.16〕 :''"Having noticed by the marks (on his body) that Arulmozhi was the very Vishnu, the protector of the three worlds, descended on earth, () installed him in the position of Yuvaraja (heir apparent) and himself bore the burden of ruling the earth…"'' 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Raja Raja Chola I」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|