Chola Kingdom

The Chola Kingdom was a kingdom located in southern and central India, controlling all of the lands south of Narmada River. It also gained Sri Lanka from Madagascar, obtained British India from a war, and annexed Bengal, Malaya and north Sumatra from Cochinchina. It was one of the first notable Indian states to have originated from outside the Indo-Gangetic Plain, instead originating from the Kaveri river region. They existed for many centuries and outlived their main ally, Mandakh. They eventually became part of the Republic of India.
== History ==
The earlier Chola family is shrouded in mystery, but it is known that they lived in southern India sometime during the existence of the Third Empire of Bharat, and most likely earlier. Some suspect their origins trace back to Byzantine control, but this is speculative. The Chola Kingdom itself began as a rebellion against the Pallava Kingdom, centered in the Kaveri river delta. After securing Gangaikonda Cholapuram, they fought against the Pallavas for several years. After a deal with Mandakh, they recieved aid from them and turned the tides against them, eventually defeating them and taking control over their land. 
With their victory against the Pallavas, they quickly grew to control most of South India, and were granted Sri Lanka from Madagascar. Chola territory eventually extended up to near Bengal, bordering the Kingdom of Cochinchina and occupying the rest of India's east coast. With the British forces weakened due to fighting multiple other fronts against Madagascar and Abyssinia, they joined in against Britain, launching an invasion and quickly overwhelming their colony, which they annexed. Rajaraja Chola died in 611AD. In 618AD, the Chola Kingdom declared war upon Cochinchina alongside Mandakh, quickly taking large chunks of Bengal. In the Treaty of Haiphong, it took all of Bengal as well as Malaya and northern Sumatra.
After some decades, they lost Bengal, but remained a noteworthy nation in southern India for centuries after their peak of power, still controlling the Tamil lands up into the ninth century. Eventually, they were annexed into the Republic of India.
Category:Nations