Chola Dynasty: Did you mean...?

Like many great civilisations, the origins of the Chola, a Tamil Hindu dynasty in southern India, are shrouded in the temporal mists of uncertainty and obscurity. It is however known that they were influential from at least the 3rd century...

The great Temple of Tanjore (Thanjavur) was built between 1003 and 1010 AD in the reign of the great King Rajaraja, founder of the Chola Empire which stretched over all of South India and the neighbouring islands. Source: UNESCO TV /...

This map shows the extent of the Chola Empire during the reign of Rajendra I Chola (1012 - 1044 CE), around c. 1030 CE. It also shows the naval conquests of the Cholas in both India and Southeast Asia.

The Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE) was one of the greatest in Imperial Chinese history. It was a golden age of reform and cultural advancement which lay the foundation for policies which are still observed in China today. The second emperor, Taizong...

The Shang Dynasty (c. 1600-1046 BCE) was the second dynasty of China, which succeeded the Xia Dynasty (c. 2070-1600 BCE) after the overthrow of the Xia tyrant Jie by the Shang leader, Tang. Since many historians question whether the Xia Dynasty...

The Han Dynasty (202 BCE - 220 CE) was the second dynasty of Imperial China (the era of centralized, dynastic government, 221 BCE - 1912 CE) which established the paradigm for all succeeding dynasties up through 1912 CE. It succeeded the...

This is a Chola artist's depiction of the king Rajendra I (1014-44 CE) fighting his enemies, including elephants, in a Chola-built temple "almost a thousand years ago" (Exact date not known). Location: Kolaramma Temple, Kolar, Karnataka...

The Rashtrakuta Dynasty ruled parts of South India from the 8th to the 10th century CE. At its zenith, their kingdom included the modern state of Karnataka in its entirety along with parts of the current Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra...

The imperial Ming dynasty ruled China from 1368 to 1644. It replaced the Mongol Yuan dynasty which had been in power since the 13th century. Despite challenges from abroad and within, the Ming dynasty oversaw an unprecedented growth in China's...

A bronze Chola sculpture of the Hindu god Shiva as the Lord of the Dance or Shiva Nataraja. He is represented in his triple role as Creator, Preserver, and Destroyer. Created c. 11th century CE. (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)