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{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=April 2018}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{POV|date=June 2022}}
{{Notability|date=June 2022}}
{{Refimprove|date=June 2022}}
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{{Infobox military unit
| unit_name = Chola Navy
| native_name =
| image =
| image_size = 300px
| caption =
| start_date =
| country = [[Chola Dynasty|Chola Empire]]
| allegiance = Chola Dynasty
| branch =
| type = [[Navy|Naval Force]]
| command_structure = [[Chola military]]
| garrison =
| garrison_label =
| equipment =
| equipment_label =
| nickname =
| size =
| motto =
| battles =
| ceremonial_chief = Chola Emperor (''Chakravarthy'') – notably, [[Rajaraja I]] and [[Rajendra I]]
| ceremonial_chief_label =
| notable_commanders =

| identification_symbol =
| identification_symbol_label =
| identification_symbol_2 =
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}}

The '''Cholas''' did not have a standing navy in the modern sense. The maritime force of Cholas was formed by using ships used for trade, as they did not have a dedicated ship for naval combat. The ships were used for transporting the land army overseas.<ref name="MajumdarHistCult3" />{{rp|251}}<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Sakhuja |first1=Vijay |last2=Sakhuja |first2=Sangeeta |title=Nagapattinam to suvarnadwipa: Reflections on the chola naval expeditions to Southeast Asia |editor-last1=Kulke |editor-first1=Hermann |editor-last2=Kesavapany |editor-first2=K. |editor-last3=Sakhuja |editor-first3=Vijay |publisher=Institute of Southeast Asian Studies |year=2009 |location=Singapore |pages=76–90 |chapter=Rajendra Chola I’s Naval Expedition to Southeast Asia: A Nautical Perspective}}</ref>{{rp|77}}

The Cholas were at the height of their power from the latter half of the 9th century CE through the early 13th century CE.<ref name="SastriHOSI"/>{{rp|5}} Between 1010 and 1153 CE, Rajaraja's successors continued the expansion, making the Chola Empire a military, economic and cultural power in [[South Asia|South]] and [[South-East Asia]].<ref name="keay">Keay, John (12 April 2011), ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=0IquM4BrJ4YC India - A History]'', Open Road + Grove/Atlantic, {{ISBN|978-0-8021-9550-0}}.</ref>{{rp|215}} During this period, the Chola Navy helped expand the empire with Naval expeditions to the [[Pala Empire|Pala]] of [[Pataliputra]], along the [[Ganges]] and the [[Chola invasion of Srivijaya]] (present-day Indonesia) in 1025 CE,<ref name=meyer73>Meyer, p. 73</ref> as well as repeated embassies to China.<ref name="SastriHOSI"/>{{rp|158}} The Chola Navy declined in the 13th century when the Cholas fought land battles with the [[Chalukyas]] of Andhra-Kannada area in South India, and with the rise of the [[Pandyan dynasty]].<ref name="SastriHOSI">{{cite book | title=[[A History of South India: From Prehistoric Times to the Fall of Vijayanagar]]| last=Sastri|first=K. A. Nilakanta |author-link=K.A. Nilakanta Sastri| year=1955| publisher=Oxford University Press}}</ref>{{rp|175}}

==History==
{{Main|Chola Dynasty}}
===Imperial Chola period (848–1070 CE)===
{{see also|Medieval Cholas}}
====Rajaraja I and Rajendra I====
{{Gallery
|title=Chola territorial extent
|width=200 | height=200
|align=center
|File:Rajendra map new.svg|c.1030 CE (under [[Rajendra I]])
|File:Chola Empire map2.png|c.1055 CE (under [[Rajendra Chola II|Rajendra II]])
|File:Rajendra map new.png|c.1065 CE (under [[Virarajendra Chola]])
}}

Under [[Rajaraja Chola I]] and his son [[Rajendra Chola I]], the dynasty became a military, economic and cultural power in [[Asia]].<ref name="kulke">{{cite book |last1=Kulke |first1=Hermann |title=A History of India |last2=Rothermund |first2=Dietmar |date=2004 |publisher=Psychology Press |isbn=978-1138961159 |location=Berlin}}</ref>{{rp|115}}<ref name="keay" />{{rp|215}} Rajaraja Chola conquered peninsular [[South India]], annexed parts of [[Sri Lanka]] and occupied the islands of the northernmost atolls of the Maldives.<ref name="keay" />{{rp|215}} Rajendra Chola sent a victorious expedition to North India that touched the river [[Ganges]] and defeated the [[Pala Empire|Pala]] ruler of [[Pataliputra]], [[Mahipala]]. He also successfully raided kingdoms of [[Maritime Southeast Asia]].{{efn|name=Sastri2}}<ref name="SastriCholas">{{cite book |last=Sastri |first=K. A. Nilakanta |title=The CōĻas |publisher=University of Madras |year=1935 |author-link=K.A. Nilakanta Sastri}}</ref>{{rp|211–220}}<ref name="meyer73" />

An inscription from [[Sirkazhi]], dated to 1187 AD, mentions a naval officer called Araiyan Kadalkolamitantaan alias Amarakon Pallavaraiyan. He is mentioned as the ''Tandalnayagam'' of the ''Karaippadaiyilaar''. The term ''Karaippadaiyilaar'' means "forces or army of the seashore" and the title ''Tandalnayagam'' is similar to ''Dandanayaka'' and means "commander of the forces". The title ''Kadalkolamitantaan'' means "one who floated while the sea was engulfed".<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2swhCXJVRzwC&q=chola+pallavaraiyan&pg=PA92|title=Nagapattinam to Suvarnadwipa: Reflections on the Chola Naval Expeditions to Southeast Asia|author=Hermann Kulke, K Kesavapany, Vijay Sakhuja|year=2009|publisher=Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2009|pages=92–93|isbn=9789812309372}}</ref>

==Trade, commerce, and diplomacy==
The Cholas excelled in foreign trade and maritime activity, extending their influence overseas to China and Southeast Asia.<ref name="kulke" />{{rp|116–117}} A fragmentary Tamil inscription found in [[Sumatra]] cites the name of a merchant guild ''Nanadesa Tisaiyayirattu Ainnutruvar'' (literally, "the five hundred from the four countries and the thousand directions"), a famous merchant guild in the Chola country.<ref name="kulke" />{{rp|118}} The inscription is dated 1088, indicating that there was an active overseas trade during the Chola period.<ref name="kulke" />{{rp|117}}

Towards the end of the 9th century, southern India had developed extensive maritime and commercial activity, especially with the Chinese and [[Arab]]s.<ref name=kulke/>{{rp|12,118}} The Cholas, being in possession of parts of both the west and the east coasts of peninsular India, were at the forefront of these ventures.<ref name=kulke/>{{rp|124}}<ref>Tripathi, p 465</ref><ref>Tripathi, p 477</ref> The [[Tang dynasty]] of China, the [[Srivijaya]] empire in the Malayan archipelago under the Sailendras, and the [[Abbasid]] [[caliphate]] at [[Baghdad]] were the main trading partners.<ref name="SastriCholas"/>{{rp|604}}

===Cooperation with the Chinese===
Chinese [[Song Dynasty]] reports record that an embassy from ''Chulian'' (Chola) reached the Chinese court in the year 1077,<ref name=kulke/>{{rp|117}}<ref name=keay/>{{rp|223}}<ref>See Thapar, p xv</ref> and that the king of the Chulien at the time was called ''Ti-hua-kia-lo''.<ref name="SastriCholas"/>{{rp|316}} It is possible that these syllables denote "Deva Kulo[tunga]" (Kulothunga Chola I). This embassy was a trading venture and was highly profitable to the visitors, who returned with "81,800 strings of copper coins in exchange for articles of tributes, including glass articles, and spices".{{efn|name=Sastri1}}<ref name="SastriHOSI"/>{{rp|173}}

==Vessels and weapons==
<gallery mode="packed" widths="170" heights="200">
Periplus 244 Indian coins.png|Left: Kurumbar or [[Pallava dynasty|Pallava]] coin of the [[Coromandel coast]]; showing a two-masted ship like the modern coasting vessel or ''[[Dhoni (fishing vessel)|d'honi]]'', Right: [[Satavahana dynasty|Andhra]] coin from Eastern Indian coast, showing a two-masted ship, ca. 1st–3rd century AD.
Ajanta Caves boat sketched by Mookerji.jpg|Sketch of a ship based on a mural in [[Ajanta Caves]], ca. 6th century.
</gallery>

Information regarding Chola vessels is lacking. Because of this, the technique used for naval battles and how the battles were fought is unknown. R.C. Majumdar argues that the naval battles fought by Chola are basically land battles fought on ships, and the ships used were transports used for transporting the army.<ref name="MajumdarHistCult3">{{cite book |last=Majumdar |first=Romesh Chandra |url=https://archive.org/details/struggleforempir05bhar/page/250/mode/2up?q= |title=The History and Culture of the Indian People, Volume V: The Struggle for Empire |publisher=[[Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan]] |year=2001 |location=Mumbai |author-link=R. C. Majumdar}}</ref>{{rp|251}}

Rajendra Chola's inscriptions mentioned the term ''kalam'', which is a usual term for a ship. Tamil inscription of 1088 from Barus, Sumatra and dated to 1088 mentioned ''marakkalam'' (timber ship). The size of the ship and where it was constructed are unknown. A Tamil inscription of about 1200/1256 AD from Krishnapattinam, on the Andhra coast, mentioned several sea vessels: There are ''marakkalam'', ''toni'', ''kalavam'', ''vedi'', and ''padavu''. Their size is not recorded, Y. Subbarayalu thinks that the ''marakkalam'' may have been the biggest since it was mentioned first, and it may be about 4 times bigger than ''padavu'' since it was charged 4 times the charge on ''padavu''. The ''toni'' (also pronounced as [[Dhoni (fishing vessel)|''dhony'']]) was charged the same amount as ''marakkalam'', but according to Subbarayalu they may be smaller than ''marakkalam'' in size. The ''dhony'' continued operating in the 19th century, plying the routes between Sri Lanka and Madras (Chennai). The ''dhony'' was {{convert|70|feet|m|2}} long, {{convert|20|feet|m|2}} wide, {{convert|12|feet|m|2}} deep, with no decks, and had one mast.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Subbarayalu |first=Y. |title=Nagapattinam to suvarnadwipa: Reflections on the chola naval expeditions to Southeast Asia |editor-last1=Kulke |editor-first1=Hermann |editor-last2=Kesavapany |editor-first2=K. |editor-last3=Sakhuja |editor-first3=Vijay |publisher=Institute of Southeast Asian Studies |year=2009 |location=Singapore |pages=91–95 |chapter=A Note on the Navy of the Chola State}}</ref>{{rp|93-94}}

==Campaigns==
Chola military campaigns late 10th and early 11th centuries were in fact plundering raids. This is done to ensure the entry of spoils, which can be in the form of livestock, jewelry, and other forms of property.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Spencer |first=George W. |date=1976 |title=The Politics of Plunder: The Cholas in Eleventh-Century Ceylon |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2053272 |journal=The Journal of Asian Studies |volume=35 |issue=3 |pages=405–419 |doi=10.2307/2053272 |jstor=2053272 |s2cid=154741845 |issn=0021-9118}}</ref>{{rp|405, 407}}

==See also==
* [[Chola dynasty]]
* [[Chola military]]
* [[Dravidian architecture]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Footnotes==
{{notelist|refs=
{{efn|name=Sastri1|''"The Tamil merchants took glassware, [[camphor]], [[sandalwood]], [[rhinoceros]] horns, [[ivory]], rose water, [[asafoetida]], spices such as [[Black pepper|pepper]], [[cloves]], etc."'' – [[K.A. Nilakanta Sastri]], ''A History of South India'', p 173}}
{{efn|name=Sastri2|The ''kadaram'' campaign is first mentioned in Rajendra's inscriptions dating from his 14th year. The name of the [[Srivijaya]] king was Sangrama Vijayatungavarman. – [[K.A. Nilakanta Sastri]], ''The CōĻas'', pp 211–220}}
}}

==External links==
* http://www.tifr.res.in/~akr/crab_webtifr.html (Indian subcontinent section)
* https://web.archive.org/web/20080514170634/http://www.sabrizain.demon.co.uk/malaya/early2.htm
* https://web.archive.org/web/20091203133836/http://www.tsr8283.com/general/history.htm
* http://nandhivarman.indiainteracts.com/2007/11/01/chola-maritime-conquests-and-technological-grandeur/
* http://www.cmi.ac.in/gift/Archeaology/arch_tambaramhistory.htm
* http://www.sangam.org/articles/view2/print.php?uid=1012
* https://web.archive.org/web/20081105144141/http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/NAVY/History/1600s/Prakash.html
*{{citation|last=Keay|first=John|title=India: A History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0IquM4BrJ4YC|date=12 April 2011|publisher=Open Road + Grove/Atlantic|isbn=978-0-8021-9550-0}}
* {{Citation | last = Tripati | first = Sila | title = Ships on Hero Stones from the West Coast of India | journal = International Journal of Nautical Archaeology | volume = 35 | issue = 1 | pages = 88–96 | date = April 2006 | year = 2006 | language = en | url = http://www.sabrizain.org/malaya/library/herostones.pdf | doi = 10.1111/j.1095-9270.2005.00081.x | s2cid = 162192060 }}
* {{Citation | last = Rao | first = K.V. Ramakrishna | title = The Shipping Technology of Cholas | journal = 27th Annual South Indian History Congress | pages = 326–345 | year = 2007 | url = https://sangam.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/The-Shipping-Technology-of-Cholas-2007.pdf }}
[[Category:Chola Empire|Navy]]
[[Category:Military of Chola]]
[[Category:History of Thanjavur]]
[[Category:Military history of Southeast Asia]]
[[Category:Naval history of India]]
[[Category:Disbanded navies]]

Chola Navy - Revision history

Bot at 02:25, 30 November 2022