# Rajendra III

Chola kings and emperors :
Early CholasEllalan205 BCE– c. 161 BCEKulakkottanIlamchetchenniKarikalaNedunkilliNalankilliKillivalavanKopperuncholanKochchengananPerunarkilli :
Interregnum (c. 200 – c. 848 CE) :
Medieval Cholas Vijayalaya 848–871? Aditya I 871–907 Parantaka I 907–955 Rajaditya Chola 935–949 Gandaraditya 949–962 Arinjaya 955–956 Parantaka II (Sundara) 950–980 Aditya II (Karikala) 966–971 Uttama 971–987 Rajaraja I 985–1014 Rajendra I 1012–1044 Rajadhiraja 1018–1054 Rajendra II 1051–1063 Rajamahendra 1060–1063 Virarajendra 1063–1070 Athirajendra 1067–1070 :
Later Cholas Kulothunga I 1070–1120 Vikrama 1118–1135 Kulothunga II 1133–1150 Rajaraja II 1146–1173 Rajadhiraja II 1166–1178 Kulothunga III 1178–1218 Rajaraja III 1216–1256 Rajendra III 1246–1279 :
Related :
Related dynasties Telugu Chodas of Andhra Chodagangas of Kalinga Nidugal Cholas of Karnataka :
Chola society
Ganges Expedition
Chola government
Chola military
Chola Navy
Chola art and architecture
Chola literature
Flag of Chola
Great Living Chola Temples
Solesvara Temples
Poompuhar
Uraiyur
Melakadambur
Gangaikonda Cholapuram
Thanjavur
Tiruvarur
Legendary early Chola kings :
vte :
Rajendra Chola III came to the Chola throne in 1246 CE. Rajendra began to take effective control over the administration, and epigraphs of Rajendra Chola III indicate there was civil war ending with the death of Rajaraja Chola III. Rajendra's inscriptions laud him as the "cunning hero, who killed Rajaraja after making him wear the double crown for three years".

## Northern expeditions

Rajendra Chola III took bold steps to revive the Chola fortunes. He led successful expeditions to the north as attested by his epigraphs found as far as Cuddappah.

## Initial success against the Pandyas

The king also defeated two Pandya princes, one of whom was Maravarman Sundara Pandyan II, and briefly made the Pandyas submit to the Chola overlordship. The Hoysalas, under Vira Someswara, sided with the Pandyas and repulsed the Cholas.

## Hostility with the Hoysalas

The Hoysalas played a divisive role in the politics of the Tamil country during this period. Exploiting the lack of unity among the Tamil kingdoms, they supported one Tamil kingdom against the other to prevent both the Cholas and Pandyas from rising to their full potential. During the period of Rajaraja III, the Hoysalas sided with the Cholas and defeated the Kadava chieftain Kopperunjinga and the Pandyas and established a presence in the Tamil country.

## War with Jatavarman Sundara Pandya

Jatavarman Sundara Pandya I ascended the Pandya throne in 1251. In the ensuing wars for supremacy, he emerged as the most victorious ruler and the Pandya kingdom reached its zenith in the 13th century during his reign. Jatavarman Sundara Pandya first put an end to Hoysala interference by expelling them from the Kaveri delta and subsequently killed their king Vira Someswara in 1262 AD near Srirangam. He then defeated Kopperunjinga, the Kadava chieftain, and turned him into a vassal. He then defeated Rajendra III and made him acknowledge the Pandya suzerainty. The Pandya then turned his attention to the north and annexed Kanchi by killing the Telugu Chola chief Vijaya Gandagopala of Nellore Cholas. He then marched up to Nellore and celebrated his victories there by doing the virabisheka(anointment of heroes) after defeating the Kakatiya ruler, Ganapati. Meanwhile, his lieutenant Vira Pandya defeated the king of Lanka and obtained the submission of the island nation.

## Aftermath the Pandya war

There are no confirmed reports of Rajendra Chola III having been killed in the battle so he lived in obscurity in Pazhayarai up to 1279, after which there are no inscriptions found of the Cholas. This war marks the end of Cholas reign in Tamil Nadu and the Chola territories were completely absorbed by the Pandyan empire.

## Fate of Cholas

After the war, the remaining Chola royal bloods were reduced to the state of being chieftains by the Pandyan forces as a retribution for the enslaving the Pandyans for three centuries in their capital city Madurai. Many Chola royal bloodlines who were officials and chieftains still ruled a small part of land till the British rule in India whereby they participated in their fight for independence against the British rule. There is mention of a Chola chief called Veerasekhara Chola in the early 16th century (1520 AD) who defeated the Pandyas and occupied Madurai. The Pandyas who were vassals of the Vijayanagar Empire wasted no time and appealed to Krishnadevaraya. The latter then sent his general Nagama Nayak who defeated the Chola but then usurped the throne of Madurai instead of restoring the Pandyas.