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{{More citations needed|date=May 2007}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2020}}
{{infobox national military
|country = Chola Empire
|name = Chola military
|native_name = சோழர் படை
|image = [[File:Chola flag.png|150px]]
|caption = '''Note''': The flag is designed without reference for illustrating the [[Chola Flag]]
|image2 =
|caption2 =
|founded = 300 BC
|current_form =
|disbanded = 1280 AD
|branches = Chola military
*Chariot Corps
*Elephant Corps
*Cavalry Corps
*Infantry Corps
*Auxiliary Forces
*Other
**Archers
**Swordsman
**Velaikkarappadaigal (Guards regiment)
**Strike Corps
**Medical Corps
[[Chola Navy]]
* Kanni (tactical formation)
* Thalam (self-sustained unit)
* Mandalam (Task force)
* Ganam (Fleet-Squadron)
* Ani (battle group)
* Pirivu (Fleet)
|headquarters = [[Thanjavur]], [[Chola Empire]]
|flying_hours =

|commander-in-chief = [[Chakravarti]] or [[Maharaja]]
|commander-in-chief_title= [[Commander-in-chief|Supreme Commander]]
|minister =
|minister_title =
|commander = [[Senaithalaivar]]
|commander_title = [[Commander-in-chief]] or [[Commander]]

|age =
|conscription =
|manpower_data =
|manpower_age =
|available =
|available_f =
|fit =
|fit_f =
|reaching =
|reaching_f =
|active =
|ranked =
|reserve =
|deployed =

|amount =
|percent_GDP =

|domestic_suppliers =
|foreign_suppliers =
|imports =
|exports =

|history = Invasions
* [[Chola occupation of Anuradhapura|Invasion of Anuradhapura, 993]]
* [[South-East Asia campaign of Rajendra Chola I|South-East Asia campaign, 1025]]
* [[Chola invasion of Kadaram (1068)|Invasion of Kadaram, 1068]]
* [[Chola invasion of Kalinga (1097)|Invasion of Kalinga, 1097]]
* [[Chola invasion of Kalinga (1110)|Invasion of Kalinga, 1110]]
Battles
*[[Battle of Takkolam|Battle of Takkolam (949 CE)]]
*[[Battle of Kandalur Salai|Battle of Kandalur Salai (988 CE)]]
*[[Battle of Donur|Battle of Donur (1007 CE)]]
*[[Battle of Koppam|Battle of Koppam (1054 CE)]]
*[[Battle of Kudal-Sangamam|Battle of Kudal-Sangamam (1062 CE)]]
*[[Battle of Vijayawada|Battle of Vijayawada (1068)]]
*[[Battle of Nettur|Battle of Nettur (1188 CE)]]
|ranks = Senathipathi (Marshal of the Army) 
Thalapathi (General) 
Anipathi (Colonel)
}}
{{Chola history}}
The '''Chola Military''' ({{Lang-ta|சோழர் படை}}) was organized in the [[Medieval Era|medieval era]] by emperor [[Rajaraja Chola I]]. The [[Chola]]s of the [[Vijayalaya Chola|Vijayalaya]] Dynasty, who ruled parts of [[South India]] and [[Lanka]] between the tenth and thirteenth centuries CE, were dependent on their army and navy to expand and maintain order in their vast empire. Chola was the head of this army and navy.

== Origins ==
Chola inscriptions mention numerous regiments by specific names. Rajaraja Chola I created a powerful standing army and a considerable navy, which achieved even greater success under his son [[Rajendra Chola I]]. The army consisted of the [[Infantry]], [[Cavalry]] and [[War elephant|Elephant]] corps. There is no evidence of traditional Chariot corps found in ancient [[Hindu]] literature; rather, there were other specialists, like bowmen (''villaligal'').

At its peak, the Cholan army is said to have had two million soldiers simultaneously fighting for their kingdom. Chinese geographer '''[[Chau Ju-kua]]''', writing in around 1225, gave the following account of the Chola Army:
<blockquote>''This [Chola] country is at war with the kingdom of the [west] of India. The government owns sixty thousand war elephants, every one seven or eight feet high. When fighting these elephants carry on their backs houses, and these houses are full of soldiers who shoot arrows at long range, and fight with spears at close quarters''.<ref name="elephants">The kings themselves used to fight in battlefields riding on such war elephants. There are a few occasions of the king dying in the battlefield on these elephants. [[Parantaka I]]'s son Rajaditya died at Sripurambayam. The Chola king [[Rajadhiraja Chola I]] died on an elephant fighting the Chalukya army at Thakolam The epithet ''Yanai-mel-thunjiya'' (who died on an elephant) is attached to these kings in their inscriptions indicating their valour.</ref></blockquote>

== Organisation and administration ==
The Army of the Cholas followed the ancient Indian tradition of ''Chaturangabala'' for organization and ''Sadangabala'' for administration, the fourfold force and sixfold control. In its shortened form, it is called ''RathaGajaTuraPadai'', where ''Ratha'' is the chariot, ''Gaja'' the elephant, ''Tura'' the horses, and ''Padai'' the infantry. It was said that an army with proportional growth of the said forces was a balanced and well-composed one.

In addition to the divisions, there were the ''Nadapu'' – the commissariat and ''Payanam'' – the admiralty and logistics. The addition to these, bureaucratic reforms revolutionized the Chola Army, resulting in victories on a massive scale.<ref>''The Encyclopedia of Military History from 3500 B.C. to the Present'', Page 1458–59 by Richard Ernest Dupuy, Trevor Nevitt Dupuy -1986,</ref>

The regiments of the Chola Army had a degree of autonomy and were free to endow benefactions and build temples in their own names. Some regiments were entrusted with the management of minor temple shrines and were expected to provide for them. Others took money from the temple on interest, which they agreed to pay in cash. It is not known for what purposes they used this money, although the transactions serve to reveal the army's interest and involvement in the temples.

=== Senai ===
'''Commanding Officer's Rank''': ''Senathipathi'' (Lord of the Army) 
'''Modern equivalent''': Marshal of the Army

The standing army was organized into multiple ''Senai''s. The composition of each depended on its deployment or stationed location and role. Normally, a Chola ''Senai'' was the largest organizational unit. At various times in its existence, the army had between one and three ''Senai''s.<ref>Historical Military Heritage of the Tamils By Ca. Vē. Cuppiramaṇiyan̲, Ka.Ta. Tirunāvukkaracu, International Institute of Tamil Studies, Pages 152-156</ref>

=== Thalam ===
'''Commanding Officer's Rank''': ''Thalapathi'' – equivalent to the naval rank of ''Kalapathi''. 
'''Modern equivalent''': General

The ''Senai'' is divided into various ''Thalam''s. A ''Thalam'' is a self-sustaining army formation with its own material resources and inventory. A ''Thalam'' usually contains:
* 3 ''Yanaipadai'' – elephant corps, each with 300–500 elephants.
* 3 ''Kudhiraipadai'' – cavalry corps, each with 500–1000 horses.
* 6 ''Kaalaatpadai'' – infantry corps, each with 2000–3000 men.
* 2 ''Thalpadai'' – [[auxiliaries]], a mix of infantry & cavalry, each with 1000–2000 Men and 500–1000 Horses. They could be used as rear-guard units as well as a guerilla force in times of withdrawal.
* 2 ''Marathuvarani'' – [[medical corps]] of about 200–300 doctors with horse-drawn carriages and medical provisions.
* 1 or 2 ''Oosipadai'' – [[strike corps]]

=== Ani ===
'''Commanding Officer's Rank'''': ''Anipathi'' (Lord of Group) 
'''Modern equivalent''': [[Colonel]]

A ''Thalam'' is subdivided into various ''Ani''s, which is one-third of a ''Thalam'', with
* 1 ''Yanaipadai''
* 1 ''Kudhiraipadai''
* 2 ''Kaalatpadai''
* 2 ''Thalpadai''

== Regiments ==
The prominence given to the army from the conquest of the [[Pandyas]] down to the last year of the king’s reign is significant and shows the spirit with which the king treated his soldiers. Rajaraja evidently gave his army its due share in the glory derived from his extensive conquests. The army composed chiefly of [[Kaikolar]]s (men with stronger arms), which were royal troops receiving regular payments from the treasury. (e.g. ''Arul mozhideva-terinda-kaikola padai''; in this, ''arulmozhideva'' is the king's name, ''terinda'' means well known, and ''padai'' means regime)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wk4_ICH_g1EC&pg=PA491|title=Kaikolar}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://drive.google.com/file/d/1db0kdWgWVf2z9oxl1smUT02adimFNPra/view|title=Kaikolappadai}}</ref>

The following regiments are mentioned in the [[Tanjavur]] inscriptions:

* ''Uttama- Chola-terinda-Andalagattalar''
* ''Perundanattu Anaiyatkal'' – Elephant corps.
* ''Pandita-Chola-Terinda-villigal'' – Archers
* ''Nigarili- Chola terinda-Udanilai-Kudiraichchevagar'' – Cavalry
* ''Mummadi- Chola-terinda-Anaippagar'' – Elephant corps
* ''Vira- Chola-Anukkar''
* ''Parantaka-Kongavalar'' – Light Infantry
* ''Mummadi- Chola-terinda-parivarattar''
* ''Keralantaka-terinda-parivarattar''
* ''Mulaparivara-vitteru'' alias ''Jananatha-terinda-parivarattar''
* ''Singalantaka-terinda-parivarattar''
* ''Sirudanattu Vadugakkalavar''
* ''Valangai-Parambadaigalilar''
* ''Sirudanattu-Valangai-Velaikkarappadaigal''
* ''Aragiya- Chola-terinda-Valangai-Velaikkarar''
* ''Aridurgalanghana-terinda-Valangai-Velaikkarar''
* ''Chandaparakrama-terinda-Valangai-Velaikkarar''
* ''Ilaiya-Rajaraja-terinda-Valangai-Velaikkarar''
* ''Kshatriyasikhamani-terinda-Valangai-Velaikkarar''
* ''Murtavikramabharana-terinda-Valangai-Velaikkarar''
* ''Rajakanthirava-terinda-Valangai-Velaikkarar''
* ''Rajaraja-terinda-Valangai-Velaikkarar''
* ''Rajavinoda-terinda-Valangai-Velaikkarar''
* ''Ranamukha-Bhima-terinda-Valangai-Velaikkarar''
* ''Vikramabharana-terinda-Valangai-Velaikkarar''
* ''Keralantaka-vasal-tirumeykappar''
* ''Anukka-vasal-tirumeykappar'' – Personal bodyguards
* ''Parivarameykappargal'' – Personal bodyguards
* ''Palavagai-Parampadaigalilar''
* ''Perundanattu-Valangai-Velaikkarappadaigal''

''Velaikkarappadaigal'' or ''Velaikkarar'' is the equivalent of "Guards regiment" or "King's Regiment"—a royal suffix given in honor of their loyalty and bravery. Some historians like Stein also propose that they were drawn from the civilian population during wartime, suggesting they were more like a national guard. They are mentioned in the [[Mahavamsa]]; according to that account, the [[Sinhala Kingdom|Sinhalese]] kingdom tried to use them as mercenaries against the Chola empire. They were later silenced and decommissioned when they refused and rebelled.

There are almost seventy of such regiments that have been found in these inscriptions. In most of the foregoing names, the first portion appears to be the surnames or titles of the king himself or that of his son. That these regiments were called after the king or his son shows the attachment that the Chola king bore towards his army.

It may not be unreasonable to suppose that these royal names were prefixed to the designations of these regiments after they had distinguished themselves in some engagement or other. It is worthy of note that there are elephant troops, cavalry and foot soldiers among these regiments.

Top officers took various titles after the different kings such as ''Rajaraja chola Brahmarajan'', ''Rajarajakesari Muvendavelar'', ''Jayamkondachola Villuparaiyar'', ''Uttamachola Muvendavelar'', ''Manukula Muvendavelar'', ''Nittavinotha Muvendavelar'', ''Atirajendra'' ''Muvendavelar'', M''ummudi chola pallavaraiyar'', and ''Viranarayanan Muvendavelan''.<ref name="The Travancore state manual, Volume 1, page 192">''The Travancore state manual, Volume 1, page 192''</ref>

== Garrisons ==
The army was stationed throughout the country in the form of local garrisons and in cantonments called ''Kadagams''. After the troubles in the [[Pandya]] country, [[Kulothunga Chola I]] stationed his army in a number of military colonies along the main route to Pandya from Chola lands. One such colony was found at Kottaru and another at Madavilagam near [[South Arcot]] district in [[Tamil Nadu]].<ref>''South Indian Inscriptions'', vol. 3</ref>

== Recruitment ==
There are no records of Chola recruitment methods or the number of permanent troops in the army. In feudal times, the children of warriors and soldiers readily joined the army in keeping with the spirit of chivalry and Tamil martial tradition. They were a highly motivated and professionally trained force with a very strong martial tradition. Some of the regiments clearly had martial customs and history of their own and the members of such regiments clearly exhibited high levels of discipline, pride and self-esteem.

The presence of military cantonments called ''Kadagam'' in [[Sangam period|Sangam]] [[Tamil language|Tamil]] indicates that there were regular training and military practices as part of the Tamil martial arts tradition. The ''Palayam'' system was based on a feudal class structure of warriors, farmers, artisans and merchants, where the distinctions between the [[caste]] statuses of the constituent classes were strictly enforced. To symbolize this society, Tamil warriors wore swords in everyday life because the system was maintained by their military prowess. These martial tradition and practices were later outlawed by the British. The modern Indian army has a Madras regiment that serves as the sole unit for all of South India.

There were military colonies known as ''nilai puram''. A ''nilaipuram'' contained a number of forts. In Keralasinga Valanadu of the North Pandya country, there were five ''nilaipurams''. These were named after the five coronational names of the Pandyas: ''Sundara'', ''Kulasekhara'', ''Vikrama'', ''Vira'', and ''Parakrama Pandya''.

== Navy ==
{{Main|Chola Navy}}
The Chola Navy comprised the naval forces of the Chola Empire along with several other naval arms of the country. It played a vital role in the expansion of the Chola Empire, including the conquest of the [[Ceylon]] islands and Sri Vijaya (present-day [[Indonesia]]), the spread of [[Shaivism]], Tamil architecture and Tamil culture to Southeast Asia, and in curbing the piracy in Southeast Asia in the tenth century.

There is evidence that even in the time of [[Parantaka I]], there was a considerable navy involved in the numerous invasions of Lanka. [[Rajendra Chola]]'s naval victories in [[Srivijaya]] were a culmination of centuries of naval tradition. All the Tamil kingdoms had some sort of navy in their arsenal.

The Cholas continued the ancient tradition and gave much attention to developing their naval strength. The conquest of Sri Lanka and [[Maldives]] and the embassies sent to [[China]] show the success of the Chola Navy. The Chola Admirals acted as ambassadors in many South-East Asian Kingdoms during this time.

During the reigns of RajaRaja Chola I and his son Rajendra Chola I, it is said that the Cholan navy had over one million naval soldiers.

Many types of ships (including [[Colandia]]) and naval weapons were employed in the navy.

== Notes ==
{{reflist}}

== References ==
* Chau Ju-Kua: his work on the Chinese and Arab trade in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, Trans. by Rukuo Zhao; Friedrich Hirth; William Woodville Rockhill
* {{cite book | first= Kulke | last= Hermann |author2=Rothermund D| orig-year= 2000| year=2001 | title= A History of India | publisher= Routledge | isbn= 0-415-32920-5}}
* {{cite book | first= K.A| last= Nilakanta Sastri| orig-year= 1935| year= 1984| title= The CōĻas| publisher= University of Madras | location= Madras}}
* {{cite book | first= K.A | last= Nilakanta Sastri| orig-year= 1955| year= 2002| title= A History of South India| publisher= OUP| location= New Delhi}}
* {{cite book | first= Rama Sankar| last= Tripathi| year= 1967| title= History of Ancient India| publisher= Motilal Banarsidass Publications| location= India| isbn= 81-208-0018-4}}

[[Category:Chola Empire|Military]]
[[Category:Military history of India]]
[[Category:Military of Chola| ]]

Chola military - Revision history

CleanupBot at 05:21, 11 December 2022