Foreword

In the grandeur of their monuments, the vastness of their empire and the sophistication of their machinery for civil administration, the Cholas were the greatest of the South Indian dynasties. For over four hundred years, from 850 to 1279 A.D., they ruled over a vast empire which extended beyond the seas. They established a highly organised bureaucratic system of administration, reconciling central stability with effective decentralised local governments, and maintained a powerful standing army for protecting their far-flung empire. They had a powerful navy too, whereby they not only conquered overseas territories but also dominated the sea for a considerable time which helped them maintain active and extensive maritime and commercial activities. Their system of detailed and accurate land survey and collection of revenue are brought out in a large number of inscriptions on the walls of their temples. Above all, their contributions to art and culture are considerable, and they were the greatest temple builders of South India. Their achievement in the field of art and culture is a bright chapter of Indian history.

Shri S.R. Balasubramanyam is an eminent scholar and an international authority on Chola Art and Architecture. While his previous book on Early Chola Art deals with the temples built during the period of the first two rulers of the Chola period, the present volume carries on a further survey of monuments attributable to the period of Parantaka I and his successors up to the accession of the illustrious Emperor Rajaraja I (A.D. 907-985).

I hope that the author will pursue the subject further and bring out another volume covering the rest of the Chola period, thus completing a valuable study of this remarkable dynasty and its contributions to Indian history and culture.

New Delhi,
January 16, 1971.