Welcome dear students! Today we are going to learn about The_Cholas_and_Hoysalas_of_Dwarasamudra from Class 8 Social_Science. After studying this chapter, you will learn about the expansion of the Chola empire and their contributions to different fields. You will also learn about the establishment of the Hoysalas and their contribution to religion, literature, art, and architecture. Let us begin our journey through history.
The Cholas ruled from the year 850 to 1279. After the Pallavas, the Cholas secured a firm hold on many areas in Tamilnadu, Andhra, and Karnataka and ruled from the ninth century to the thirteenth century. The credit of spreading Indian culture in foreign lands goes to them. They constructed grand temples, and the Brihadeeshwara temple is their contribution. They became famous by encouraging Tamil literature. The Cholas were under the Pallavas for some time and later became independent. According to Sangam literature, Karikala Chola is the founder of this dynasty. Vijayalaya Chola revived the kingdom and made Thanjavur as his capital. An important king among the Cholas was Rajaraja Chola the First. He was a brave and great warrior. He was an able administrator. As the founder of the Chola empire, he strengthened its foundations and expanded his kingdom. He overpowered the Cheras, Gangas, and Pandyas. He built a naval force. He captured Sri Lanka. We can see the domination of the Tamilians in Malaysia and Singapore. Their influence in the political, economic, and cultural activities of those countries can be seen. They began overseas trade which continued till date. The Brihadeeshwara temple built by Rajaraja Chola the First in Thanjavur is a very famous one. The Chola empire weakened during the period of Rajendra Chola the Third, and the Pandyas could overpower them easily. [CHECKPOINT]
Now let us move on to the contribution of the Cholas. The Cholas had set up an able and efficient administrative system. The kingdom had been divided into mandalam, kotwangi, nadu, kurram or community of villages, and tara-kurram. There was a committee of villagers called Ur in every village. The foremost quality of the Chola administration was the development of the self-governance of the village. The grama sabhas were the first sabhas. Tara-kurram was a village. Every kurram had a village committee named mahasabha. This was also called perumguri and its members perumakkal. The members were chosen through election. Only Sanskrit scholars and rich people were allowed to stand for election. One-sixth part of the land yield was being collected as tax. Special attention had been given to the irrigation system. The Cholas constructed many lakes, and the Bellandur lake near Bangalore is one of these. They built a huge pond in Gangaikonda Cholapuram.
The Cholas were Shaivites, and they built many Shiva temples. The Brihadeeshwara temple in Thanjavur is 500 feet tall and it is in a courtyard 250 feet wide. Its shikara is 200 feet tall. The Choleshwara temple was built by Rajendra Chola. The Aprameya temple near Channapatna, the Choleshwara temple in Begur near Bangalore, and the Mukteshwara temple near Binnamangala are the temples built by the Cholas in Karnataka. The temples used to function as economic and cultural centres. The idols of Shiva, Ganapati, Vishnu, Durga, and Kartikeya of this time are famous. The Cholas established many agraharas to encourage education. The Uttaramerur agrahara is famous among these. The temples were centres of education. They were also centres of religious activities. This was a period in which Tamil literature found an all-round development. Noteworthy works are Ramayana written by Kamba, Periya Purana composed by Sekkilar, and Thirukkadeva’s Jeevaka Chintamani. [CHECKPOINT]
Next, we will study the Hoysalas of Dwarasamudra, who ruled from 984 to 1346. After the Chalukyas became weak in Karnataka, it was the Hoysalas who became strong. The founder of this dynasty, Sala, on the order of a Jain monk, Sudatta, fought with a tiger and killed it near Sosevuru village, which is today’s Angadi, in Mudigere taluk of Chikkamagaluru district. It inspired the people to exclaim Hoysala, and he established this empire. These kings made significant contributions to literature, education, art, architecture, and irrigation. Vishnuvardhana was the important Hoysala king who came after Nrupakama, Ereyanga, and Ballala. As a great king of this dynasty, he won Gangavadi from the Cholas and earned the title Talakadugonda. In order to commemorate this victory, he built the Kirtinarayan temple in Talakadu and the Chennakeshava Ramanujacharya, also known as Vijayanarayana, temple at Belur. He tried to expand his kingdom but was defeated by the Chalukyan king Vikramaditya the Sixth. Ramanujacharya could not spread the message of Vishishtadvaita sect in the Chola kingdom and came to Bittideva’s court, Bittideva being Vishnuvardhana, and under his patronage, spread his faith in the whole of Karnataka. This kingdom declined during the reign of Ballala the Third. During the same period, the Vijayanagara empire came into power.
Let us now look at the contributions of the Hoysalas. The Hoysalas had brought into practice a provincial system of administration. The power of ruling was given to the Princess, Queens, and the Royal family. The officials looked after the administration of the nadu and vishayas. In the villages, there used to be the representatives of the government like the gowda, senabova, talawara, and others. In order to encourage agriculture, the Hoysalas built innumerable lakes like the Shanti Sagara, Ballalaraya Samudra, Vishnu Samudra, and gave importance to agriculture. Land revenue was the main source of income for the kingdom. A unique feature of this society was that the king used to have a special army of guards called Garuda. When the king died, these guards would also sacrifice their lives, acting as suicide squads. [CHECKPOINT]
During the period of the Hoysalas, different religions like Jainism, Buddhism, Shaivism, Vaishnavism, Veerashaivism, and Srivaishnavism were prevalent. Mathas, Ghatikas, Brahmapuris, and Agraharas were the educational centres. There were excellent educational institutions at Melukote, Salagame, Arasikere, and other places. Here, the study of the Vedas, Vedashastras, Kannada, and Sanskrit used to be carried on. Kannada literature flourished immensely. Rudrabhatta wrote Jagannatha Vijaya, the great poet Janna wrote Yashodhara Charite, Harihara composed the Champu poem Girija Kalyana, Raghavanka authored Harishchandra Kavya, and Keshiraja wrote Shabdamani Darpana. Even in Sanskrit, memorable works were composed. Sreebhasya by Ramanujacharya and Parasharabhatta composed Sri Guna Ratnakosha. A poem from the Belur temple advocates communal harmony.
The architecture of the Hoysalas is world-famous. The Hoysalas carved their innumerable sculptures in soap stone. There are five features that can be seen in all their temples. They have the star shaped sanctum sanctorum, upapeetha which is also called Jagati, decorative panels, shikara, and pillars. There are beautiful idols of Madanikas, also known as Shilabalikas, on the brackets of the pillars of the Chennakeshava temple at Beluru. The military general, Ketamalla, built the Hoysaleshwara temple at Halebidu. The Keshava temple constructed by Somadandanayaka at Somanathapura is famous. There are many temples and basadis in Arasikere, Govindanahalli, Doddagaddavalli, and Bhadravati. All these are noted for their extremely delicate carving. The Hoysala architecture has influenced all other architectural styles of the later years. Dasoja, Chavana, Jakana, and Dankana were some of the famous sculptors of this time. [CHECKPOINT]
Now, let us carefully go through the exercises to prepare for your exams. First, we will fill in the blanks with suitable words. Number one: The capital of the Cholas was Thanjavur. Number two: The committee of the villagers in every village during the period of the Cholas was Ur. Number three: The most famous Chola educational centre or agrahara was Uttaramerur. Number four: The temple in Begur near Bengaluru built by the Cholas is the Choleshwara temple. Number five: The army of bodyguards during the time of the Hoysalas was Garuda. Number six: The poetic work written by Raghavanka is Harishchandra Kavya.
Next, we will answer the following questions in brief. Question seven: Who was the founder of the Chola kingdom? According to Sangam literature, Karikala Chola is the founder of this dynasty. Vijayalaya Chola later revived the kingdom and established Thanjavur as the capital. Question eight: Write a note on the significant features of the Chola administration. The Cholas divided their kingdom into mandalam, kotwangi, nadu, kurram, and tara-kurram. Every village had a committee called Ur. The foremost quality was the development of village self-governance. The grama sabhas were the first sabhas. Village committees called mahasabha or perumguri had elected members called perumakkal. Only Sanskrit scholars and rich people could contest elections. One-sixth of the land yield was collected as tax. Special attention was given to irrigation, with many lakes constructed. Question nine: Describe the encouragement given by the Hoysalas to literature. The Hoysalas greatly encouraged literature in both Kannada and Sanskrit. In Kannada, Rudrabhatta wrote Jagannatha Vijaya, Janna wrote Yashodhara Charite, Harihara composed Girija Kalyana, Raghavanka authored Harishchandra Kavya, and Keshiraja wrote Shabdamani Darpana. In Sanskrit, Ramanujacharya wrote Sreebhasya and Parasharabhatta composed Sri Guna Ratnakosha. Educational institutions at Melukote, Salagame, and Arasikere promoted the study of Vedas, Vedashastras, Kannada, and Sanskrit. [CHECKPOINT]
Finally, we have activities for you to complete. Activity one asks you to collect the pictures of Hoysalas dynasty temples and prepare a report. You should gather images of the Chennakeshava temple at Belur, the Hoysaleshwara temple at Halebidu, and the Keshava temple at Somanathapura to observe their star-shaped sanctums, soapstone carvings, and Shilabalika sculptures. Activity two asks you to learn more about the Belur shilabalikas from your teacher. You should discuss the artistic details, postures, and cultural significance of these Madanika sculptures with your teacher to understand Hoysala craftsmanship better.
Thank you for listening! Keep revising and practicing. Goodbye! [CHAPTER_COMPLETE]