I have some very exciting news - my book, Rajaraja Chola, King of Kings, has been published by Aleph Book Company and is out in the big wide world, in bookstores, libraries and online, for anyone who might be interested. It has been a labour of love for the past several years. The book is no longer "mine", in the safe cocoon of my computer and accessible only to me, but has been released into the vast unknown, where I have no control over how it will be received, what people will make of it. This is nerve-wracking, to say the least, but in an oddly satisfying way. After all, that has been its destiny all along.
The book tells the story of Rajaraja Chola, an extraordinary king of the sun-born Chola dynasty that
ruled in southern India over a thousand years ago. Brilliant, ambitious, ruthless, a visionary, and
so much more, he made his mark in grand fashion, and his kingdom was a powerhouse of
military, economic, administrative, artistic and religious accomplishment.
In order to properly understand and appreciate Rajaraja, we need to learn about his history, the
complexities of the circumstances that led to his becoming king. This book delves into the long,
event-filled Chola odyssey that was filled with breathtaking feats and heart-stopping
catastrophes. It journeys far into the past, to the era of the Sangam poets who lived around 2000
years ago, when an earlier Chola dynasty ruled over small tracts of land around the Kaveri delta.
The latter-day Chola scions claimed descent from these kings who included legendary heroes
like Karikala and Kochengannan. The story moves forward in time, exploring the tumultuous
milieu and circumstances that led to the birth of the “Imperial” Chola line, of which Rajaraja was
the shining star.
The core of the book is about Rajaraja, his life and times, the geopolitics, the
military victories, the Bhakti movement that inspired the religious life of the Cholas, the
monumental Brihadeeshwara temple, the stunning Chola bronzes, the trade wars, the
administration and organization, the life of women, and a whole lot more.
The story then moves on to Rajaraja’s son, Rajendra, a brilliant and worthy successor who took
his father’s legacy to even greater heights, enjoying great success on the battlefield, “capturing”
the river Ganga, building a temple to rival his father’s, invading the cities of the Srivijaya
kingdom in southeast Asia. His sons succeeded him and endured triumphs and humiliations in
equal measure. With the accession of Rajaraja’s great-grandson Kulothunga, the lunar dynasty of
the eastern Chalukyas joined hands with the Cholas and the fortunes of this great dynasty rose
and fell, before succumbing to their greatest rivals, the Pandyas.