Rajendra was the son of the great Chola emperor Rajaraja I, builder of the Brihadisvara temple at Thanjavur. He served as his father's general and crown prince, leading campaigns in the Deccan, and became king in 1014.
His inscriptions call him <em>Gangaikonda Chola</em>, "the Chola who took the Ganga", and <em>Kadaram Kondan</em>, "conqueror of Kadaram".Titles from Chola inscriptions
Under him the Chola empire reached its greatest extent, from the Tungabhadra to Sri Lanka and, by sea, beyond.
To the Ganga
Rajendra completed the conquest of Sri Lanka, taking the island's capital and royal regalia. Around 1019–1023 his armies marched north through Kalinga to the Ganga and defeated Mahipala, the Pala king of Bengal. Tradition says he had pots of Ganga water carried back to the south. To mark the victory he took the title Gangaikonda Chola.
Gangaikonda Cholapuram
He built a new capital, Gangaikonda Cholapuram, with a great Shiva temple rivalling his father's at Thanjavur, and a vast reservoir, the Chola-gangam, said to have been filled with water from the Ganga. The temple, with its graceful sculptures, is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Great Living Chola Temples.
Across the sea
In about 1025 Rajendra sent a naval expedition against the Srivijaya kingdom, which controlled the sea routes through the Straits of Malacca. His inscriptions list ports in Sumatra and the Malay peninsula, including Kadaram (Kedah), taken by the Chola fleet. It was one of the most ambitious overseas campaigns of any Indian ruler, and it strengthened the trade of Tamil merchants across Southeast Asia.
How they are remembered
In 2014 India marked the millennium of his accession, and in 2025 the Gangaikonda Cholapuram temple celebrated a thousand years of his Ganga expedition. The Chola bronzes and temples of his age remain among the glories of Indian art.
Ekatmata Stotra · Stanza 21
Named in Stanza 21 of the Ekatmata Stotra — early sages and empire-builders.
अगस्त्यः कम्बुरुचिरः कौण्डिन्यो राजेन्द्रचोल:।
अशोकः पुष्यमित्रश्च खारवेलः प्रकीर्तिताः॥
Sources: Wikipedia: Rajendra I · Wikipedia: Gangaikonda Cholapuram. Written afresh for The Hindu Book; corrections welcome at [email protected].
