Rajendra Chola (1014 – 1044 CE)
All along, we had been told that India had never conquered any country. Indian psyche never stepped out of the boundaries to conquer alien lands. That’s what our history books talk about. It looks there is a whole lot of conspiracy in not giving due credit to the Chola Dynasty of South, which conquered many countries outside Indian sub-continent. A brief on the conquests of Rajendra Chola, who ruled from 1014 to 1044 CE.
Rajendra Chola I was a Chola emperor of South India (present day Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka and Telangana) who succeeded his father Rajaraja Chola I to the throne in 1014 CE. During his reign, he extended the influence of the Chola Empire to the banks of the river Ganga in North India and across the Indian Ocean to the West and South East Asia, making the Chola Empire, one of the most powerful maritime empires of India. Rajendra’s conquests included Sri Lanka, Maldives, and territories of Srivijaya in Malay Peninsula, Southern Thailand, Sumatra and Java in South East Asia. The Cholas extracted tribute from Thailand and the Khmer kingdom of Cambodia. He defeated Mahipala, the Pala king of Gauda in present day Bengal and Bihar, and to commemorate his victory he assumed the title of 'Gangaikondachola', literally the Chola who conquered the (kingdoms near) Ganga and also built a new capital city called Gangaikonda Cholapuram
Raja Raja Chola I (Father of Rajendra Chola I) conquered the northern half of Sri Lanka during his reign. Rajendra invaded Ceylon in 1017 CE and annexed the entire island.
South-East Asia campaign of Rajendra Chola I
Srivijaya was a kingdom centered on Palembang in Sumatra, ruled by the Sailendra dynasty. During the reign of Mara Vijayatungavarman, Srivijaya had cordial relations with the Chola Empire during the reign of Rajaraja Chola I; Mara Vijayatungavarman built a Chudamani Vihara at Nagapattinam. Mara was succeeded by Sangrama Vijayatunggavarman.
Khmer Emperor Suryavarman I made war on the kingdom of Tambralinga (in the Malay Peninsula). Suryavarman I requested aid from Rajendra. After learning of Suryavarman's alliance with Rajendra Chola, Tambralinga requested aid from Srivijaya, which was granted by Sangrama. This eventually led to the Chola expedition against the Srivijiya Empire. This alliance somewhat also had a religious nuance, since both the Chola Empire and the Khmer Empire were Hindu Shivaist, while Tambralinga and Srivijaya were Mahayana Buddhist.
In 1025 CE, Rajendra led Chola forces across the Indian Ocean and invaded Srivijaya, attacking several places in Malaysia and Indonesia. The Chola sacked Kadaram (the capital) and Pannai in Sumatra and Malaiyur in the Malay Peninsula. Rajendra also invaded Tambralinga and the Langkasuka Kingdom in modern Malaysia and south Thailand. The Chola forces captured the last ruler of the Sailendra Dynasty Sangrama Vijayatunggavarman. The Chola invasion was the end of Srivijaya. Srivijaya's maritime power declined under Chola attack. After this the Chola Empire conquered large portions of Srivijaya, including its ports of Ligor, Kedah, and Tumasik (now Singapore).
