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Discuss the contribution of Rajaraja I and Rajendra I for the expansion of the Chola empire. Analyse the causes and impact of the naval expeditions of the Cholas.

  • UPSC 1993
  • Early Medieval India, 750-1200

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Between 985 and 1044 CE, Rajaraja I and his son Rajendra I took the Chola kingdom from a strong regional power to the paramount state of the peninsula and, uniquely among contemporary Indian dynasties, into open-water naval warfare against a Southeast Asian empire. Their contribution has two distinct registers — sustained territorial consolidation on land,…

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What the full answer covers

  • Rajaraja I: Consolidating the Southern Base and Opening the Seas (985–1014)
  • Rajendra I: The Gangetic Campaign and the Push Beyond the Peninsula (1014–1044)
  • The Standing Military Apparatus Behind Both Reigns
  • Causes of the Chola Naval Expeditions
  • Economic Causation
  • Diplomatic and Strategic Causation
  • …and 2 more sections, with a conclusion
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