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the Cholas
A history of the Colas of South India with over 100 illustrations.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1935
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About the author
K.A. Nilakanta Sastri
38 books79 followersKallidaikurichi Aiyah Nilakanta Sastri (August 12, 1892 – June 15, 1975) was an Indian historian and Dravidologist who is generally regarded as the greatest and most prolific among professional historians of South India
Nilakanta Sastri was born in a poor Brahmin family in Kallidaikurichi near Tirunelveli, on August 12, 1892.[2] He completed his FA in M.D.T Hindu College, Tirunelveli and his college education in Madras Christian College.[3][4]
Sastri obtained his MA by coming first in the Madras Presidency. He joined the Hindu College as lecturer in 1913 where he taught till 1918.[5][6] He served as Professor of History, Banaras Hindu University from 1918 to 1920.[5] After that he became the Principal of the (then) newly started Arts College of Annamalai University.[7] In 1929, he was employed as Professor of History at National College, Trichy. The same year, he succeeded Sakkottai Krishnaswamy Aiyangar[8] as the Professor of History and Archaeology at the Madras University,[1] a post he held till 1946.[3] He was the Professor of Indology (Currently renamed as Department of History and Archaeology) at the University of Mysore from 1952 to 1955.[1][3][5] He was appointed as the ex-officio Director of Archaeology for the Mysore State in 1954. He was also the President of the All-India Oriental Conference in the early 1950s.[9] From 1957 to 1972, he served with the UNESCO's Institute of Traditional Cultures of South East Asia, as the Director of the institute.[1][3] In 1957, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian honour. In the summer of 1959, he was a visiting professor at the University of Chicago where he delivered a series of lectures on South Indian History .[5] Nilakanta Sastri died in 1975.[1]
Eminent Historian Professor R.S. Sharma writes of him as: "K.A. Nilakanta Sastri, the great historian from South India, was not a revivalist. His "History of South India" is a very dependable book."[10] Tamil historian A R Venkatachalapathy views him as "arguably the most distinguished historian of twentieth-century Tamil Nadu".
In 1915, a Bengali historian Jadunath Sarkar, wrote an essay Confessions of a History Teacher in the Modern Review regretting the lack of acclaimed historical works in vernacular languages and stressed that efforts should be made to write history books and teach history in vernacular languages.[11] Nilakanta Sastri, who was then a young teacher in Thirunelveli, wrote a letter to the newspaper opposing Sarkar's suggestion by saying that "English serves me better as a medium of expression than Tamil - I mean in handling historical subjects. Perhaps the vernacular is not so well off in this part of the country as it should be".[11] Sastri's comments evoked sharp criticism from the nationalist poet Subramanya Bharathi.[11][12] According to Venkatachalapathy, Sastri's Tamil proficiency was not good and he relied on Tamil scholar S. Vaiyapuri Pillai for understanding Tamil literary works. Thus he was not able to analyze the changing meaning of words over time. Venkatachalapathy says, the professional historiography in Tamil Nadu practiced during K. A. Nilakanta Sastri's period there was rarely any interrogation of sources (except in terms of authenticity and chronology.
In all, Nilakanta Sastri authored 25 historical works mostly on the history of South India.[1]
Sastri, K. A. Nilakanta (1929). The Pāṇḍyan Kingdom from the Earliest Times to the Sixteenth Century. Luzac.
Sastri, K. A. Nilakanta (1932). Studies in Chola history and administration. University of Madras.
Sastri, K. A. Nilakanta (1935). The Cholas. University of Madras.
Sastri, K. A. Nilakanta (1936). A comprehensive history of India. Orient Longman.
Sastri, K. A. Nilakanta (1941). Historical method in relation to problems of South Indian history. University of Madras.
Sastri, K. A. Nilakanta (1945). Gleanings on social life from the Avadanas. Indian Research Institute.
Sastri, K. A. Nilakanta (1946). Furth
Nilakanta Sastri was born in a poor Brahmin family in Kallidaikurichi near Tirunelveli, on August 12, 1892.[2] He completed his FA in M.D.T Hindu College, Tirunelveli and his college education in Madras Christian College.[3][4]
Sastri obtained his MA by coming first in the Madras Presidency. He joined the Hindu College as lecturer in 1913 where he taught till 1918.[5][6] He served as Professor of History, Banaras Hindu University from 1918 to 1920.[5] After that he became the Principal of the (then) newly started Arts College of Annamalai University.[7] In 1929, he was employed as Professor of History at National College, Trichy. The same year, he succeeded Sakkottai Krishnaswamy Aiyangar[8] as the Professor of History and Archaeology at the Madras University,[1] a post he held till 1946.[3] He was the Professor of Indology (Currently renamed as Department of History and Archaeology) at the University of Mysore from 1952 to 1955.[1][3][5] He was appointed as the ex-officio Director of Archaeology for the Mysore State in 1954. He was also the President of the All-India Oriental Conference in the early 1950s.[9] From 1957 to 1972, he served with the UNESCO's Institute of Traditional Cultures of South East Asia, as the Director of the institute.[1][3] In 1957, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian honour. In the summer of 1959, he was a visiting professor at the University of Chicago where he delivered a series of lectures on South Indian History .[5] Nilakanta Sastri died in 1975.[1]
Eminent Historian Professor R.S. Sharma writes of him as: "K.A. Nilakanta Sastri, the great historian from South India, was not a revivalist. His "History of South India" is a very dependable book."[10] Tamil historian A R Venkatachalapathy views him as "arguably the most distinguished historian of twentieth-century Tamil Nadu".
In 1915, a Bengali historian Jadunath Sarkar, wrote an essay Confessions of a History Teacher in the Modern Review regretting the lack of acclaimed historical works in vernacular languages and stressed that efforts should be made to write history books and teach history in vernacular languages.[11] Nilakanta Sastri, who was then a young teacher in Thirunelveli, wrote a letter to the newspaper opposing Sarkar's suggestion by saying that "English serves me better as a medium of expression than Tamil - I mean in handling historical subjects. Perhaps the vernacular is not so well off in this part of the country as it should be".[11] Sastri's comments evoked sharp criticism from the nationalist poet Subramanya Bharathi.[11][12] According to Venkatachalapathy, Sastri's Tamil proficiency was not good and he relied on Tamil scholar S. Vaiyapuri Pillai for understanding Tamil literary works. Thus he was not able to analyze the changing meaning of words over time. Venkatachalapathy says, the professional historiography in Tamil Nadu practiced during K. A. Nilakanta Sastri's period there was rarely any interrogation of sources (except in terms of authenticity and chronology.
In all, Nilakanta Sastri authored 25 historical works mostly on the history of South India.[1]
Sastri, K. A. Nilakanta (1929). The Pāṇḍyan Kingdom from the Earliest Times to the Sixteenth Century. Luzac.
Sastri, K. A. Nilakanta (1932). Studies in Chola history and administration. University of Madras.
Sastri, K. A. Nilakanta (1935). The Cholas. University of Madras.
Sastri, K. A. Nilakanta (1936). A comprehensive history of India. Orient Longman.
Sastri, K. A. Nilakanta (1941). Historical method in relation to problems of South Indian history. University of Madras.
Sastri, K. A. Nilakanta (1945). Gleanings on social life from the Avadanas. Indian Research Institute.
Sastri, K. A. Nilakanta (1946). Furth
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 18, 2019
The Cholas (சோழர்கள்) Volume 1 is authored by Sri K.A. Nilakanta Sastri. This volume that I read now is the translation of the book in English to Tamil by Sri K.V.Raman. Sri Sastri has written many books on History of South India. Generally Indian History books by foreign authors and Indian authors are mostly covering the history of India, falling north of Vindhyas. Even in the Discovery of India by Jawaharlal Nehru, the South Indian history is mentioned as a passing remark. But Sri Sastri has written many books on the Indian history of the land south of Vindhyas.
In this book about the Cholas, the author has tried to bring to book the history of the Chola clan, starting from the famous Karikalan. But the early history is not deducible with reference to specific authoritative records such as stone inscriptions etc., Therefore, the author has relied upon the references made to the Chola kings in the Tamil Sangam literature such as Pattinappalai, Puranaanooru etc., thanks to U.Ve.Swaminatha Ayyar who made a great attempt to bring such literatures to print. The author bases his research on the 'Mahavamsa' indicating the history of Sri Lanka, Periplus of the Erythraean Sea and other notes by the Chinese and Arabian travellers to India.
After the fall of first of Chola dynasty during Pallava and Kalabhras, In about 850CE, Vijayalaya managed to recapture the lands around Thanjavur from Mutharaiyars and establish the second term of Chola dynasty. From then on, the Chola kings had a practice of recording their achievements, issue of grants to temples and other honorable people as stone incriptions and placing them on the walls of temples they built in their dominion. Also they inscribed such details on copper plates and made them secure with temple treasures. These inscriptions not only bore the achievements of the kings who caused the inscriptions, but also had the history of their predecessors in throne. These details were unearthed during Archaeological excavations and the history of the period were made authentic by comparing the inscriptions by various kings of concurrent times.
The author has made a great attempt in collecting such inscriptions form the archaeological survey of India and other authorities and has brought to book the history of not only the Cholas, but also Pandyas, Chalukyas, Sri Lankan monarchs and other contemporary rulers.
An interesting study and hence could cover the book of nearly six hundred pages in a relatively shorter period. This is Volume 1, and I am taking up volume 2 for study. A good read for those interested in history, especially of Tamil and Telugu history and Sangam literature.
The above volume 1 is accompanied with volume 2 (சோழர்கள் புத்தகம் 2)
Just completed the volume 2 of the above book. While volume 1 contains the history of Cholas from Karikala in brief and from Vijayalaya (850 CE) to Kulothunga III (1218 CE) in detail, volum 2 describes the attributes of Chola dynasty such as administration of the kingdom, Land revenue aspects, measurements of land, grains, metals like gold etc., This volume explains in detail about the development of Tamil literature during Chola period. Interestingly, famous Tamil literary works like Kalingathu Parani by Jayam kondar, Kamba Ramayanam by Kambar, Periya Puranam by Sekkizhar were written during the reign of Kulothunga I, II etc., who were mostly recognised Talugu Chodas or the descendants of Vengi/Chalukya dynasty related to Cholas by their daughters line.
One more interesting aspect in this volume is the clear and detailed explanation of the architectural achievements of Cholas in constructing Temples like Big Temple in Thanjavur by Raja Raja I, Gangai konda Chozhapuram by Rajendra I, Dharasuram by Rajaraja III. The photos of stone structures found in volume I is explained in Volume II. So, while reading volume II, ensure that volume I is kept handy for reference.
The alphabetical notes (or index) at the end of the volume gives a brief idea about the personalities of the history covered in this book, list of many books which found mention in history etc., enabling us to buy or download such books for a detailed study.
In toto this book by Sri K.A.Nilakanta Sastry is a treasure for those who are interested in Tamil literature, arts and history.
In this book about the Cholas, the author has tried to bring to book the history of the Chola clan, starting from the famous Karikalan. But the early history is not deducible with reference to specific authoritative records such as stone inscriptions etc., Therefore, the author has relied upon the references made to the Chola kings in the Tamil Sangam literature such as Pattinappalai, Puranaanooru etc., thanks to U.Ve.Swaminatha Ayyar who made a great attempt to bring such literatures to print. The author bases his research on the 'Mahavamsa' indicating the history of Sri Lanka, Periplus of the Erythraean Sea and other notes by the Chinese and Arabian travellers to India.
After the fall of first of Chola dynasty during Pallava and Kalabhras, In about 850CE, Vijayalaya managed to recapture the lands around Thanjavur from Mutharaiyars and establish the second term of Chola dynasty. From then on, the Chola kings had a practice of recording their achievements, issue of grants to temples and other honorable people as stone incriptions and placing them on the walls of temples they built in their dominion. Also they inscribed such details on copper plates and made them secure with temple treasures. These inscriptions not only bore the achievements of the kings who caused the inscriptions, but also had the history of their predecessors in throne. These details were unearthed during Archaeological excavations and the history of the period were made authentic by comparing the inscriptions by various kings of concurrent times.
The author has made a great attempt in collecting such inscriptions form the archaeological survey of India and other authorities and has brought to book the history of not only the Cholas, but also Pandyas, Chalukyas, Sri Lankan monarchs and other contemporary rulers.
An interesting study and hence could cover the book of nearly six hundred pages in a relatively shorter period. This is Volume 1, and I am taking up volume 2 for study. A good read for those interested in history, especially of Tamil and Telugu history and Sangam literature.
The above volume 1 is accompanied with volume 2 (சோழர்கள் புத்தகம் 2)
Just completed the volume 2 of the above book. While volume 1 contains the history of Cholas from Karikala in brief and from Vijayalaya (850 CE) to Kulothunga III (1218 CE) in detail, volum 2 describes the attributes of Chola dynasty such as administration of the kingdom, Land revenue aspects, measurements of land, grains, metals like gold etc., This volume explains in detail about the development of Tamil literature during Chola period. Interestingly, famous Tamil literary works like Kalingathu Parani by Jayam kondar, Kamba Ramayanam by Kambar, Periya Puranam by Sekkizhar were written during the reign of Kulothunga I, II etc., who were mostly recognised Talugu Chodas or the descendants of Vengi/Chalukya dynasty related to Cholas by their daughters line.
One more interesting aspect in this volume is the clear and detailed explanation of the architectural achievements of Cholas in constructing Temples like Big Temple in Thanjavur by Raja Raja I, Gangai konda Chozhapuram by Rajendra I, Dharasuram by Rajaraja III. The photos of stone structures found in volume I is explained in Volume II. So, while reading volume II, ensure that volume I is kept handy for reference.
The alphabetical notes (or index) at the end of the volume gives a brief idea about the personalities of the history covered in this book, list of many books which found mention in history etc., enabling us to buy or download such books for a detailed study.
In toto this book by Sri K.A.Nilakanta Sastry is a treasure for those who are interested in Tamil literature, arts and history.
March 5, 2017
It is an old book. Much information I gathered and got much insight into the sangam age literature. The images are not bad. Thanks to the author.
January 13, 2020
Just want to repeat the same that I mentioned over his book “History of South India “
It is sad that no one available to continue his extraordinary works with the current findings and informations
It is sad that no one available to continue his extraordinary works with the current findings and informations
December 12, 2020
A fabulous narrative of the Chozha empire
November 6, 2014
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February 16, 2016good
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews