Quick Review Flashcards - Click to flip and test your knowledge!
Question
Geographically, where were the three powerful kingdoms of the Cheras, Pandyas, and Cholas located?
Answer
South of the Krishna river in the southern part of the Indian peninsula.
Question
In which century did the Chola Empire arise?
Answer
The 9th century.
Question
What was the primary military development that allowed the Cholas to control sea trade in the Indian Ocean?
Answer
A powerful navy.
Question
Which Chola ruler first conceived the idea of prefixing his inscriptions with a formal record of his reign's achievements?
Answer
Rajaraja I.
Question
The Tiruvalangadu copper plates record a gift of the village Palaiyanur to a temple by which king?
Answer
Rajendra Chola.
Question
What is the royal emblem of the Chola dynasty as found on their copper-plate seals?
Answer
The tiger.
Question
On Rajendra Chola's seal, what do the two vertical fishes signify?
Answer
The royal emblem of the Pandyas, signifying their conquest.
Question
Which symbol on Rajendra Chola's seal represents the conquered Cheras?
Answer
A bow.
Question
Which animal emblem on the Chola royal seal represents the eastern Chalukyas?
Answer
The boar.
Question
Which specific inscription provides detailed information regarding Chola village administration, taxation, and land revenue?
Answer
The Uttaramerur inscription.
Question
Name two significant copper-plate grants that list the rulers and the origin of the Chola dynasty.
Answer
The Anbil and Karandi grants.
Question
Where are the Leyden grants, which record a village grant by Rajendra Chola I, currently preserved?
Answer
The Museum of Leyden in Holland.
Question
What function did inscriptions on Chola temple walls serve for the public?
Answer
Public registrations of sales, mortgages, and property transfers.
Question
In Chola temple architecture, what is the term for the gateway of the temple?
Answer
Gopuram.
Question
In a Chola temple, what is the 'garbhagriha'?
Answer
The main shrine where images of gods and goddesses were kept.
Question
What was the purpose of the 'mandapa' in the Brihadishwara temple?
Answer
It served as an audience hall where people gathered for prayers.
Question
What is the alternative name for the Brihadishwara temple located at Thanjavur?
Answer
Rajarajeshwara temple.
Question
The massive tower of the Brihadishwara temple, which rises to a height of $66$ metres, is known as the _____.
Answer
Vimana.
Question
What is the weight of the single block of stone used for the dome of the Brihadishwara temple?
Answer
$80$ tons.
Question
How many tons of granite were used in the construction of the Brihadishwara temple?
Answer
$130,000$ tons.
Question
The Brihadishwara temple contains the first known instance of a royal portrait in South Indian history; who does it depict?
Answer
Rajaraja Chola paying obeisance to Lord Nataraja.
Question
How many 'karanas', or synchronised movements of hands and feet in Bharatanatyam, are carved in the Brihadishwara temple?
Answer
$108$ movements.
Question
Which deity is the gigantic Shiva Lingam in the Brihadishwara temple cut from?
Answer
A monolithic rock.
Question
Who is the founder of the Chola rule in the Tamil land during the mid-9th century?
Answer
Vijayalaya.
Question
Which Chola ruler conquered Madurai and defeated the Pandyas and the rulers of Lanka early in the dynasty's history?
Answer
Parantaka I.
Question
Which Chola king annexed parts of the Deccan, overran Vengi, and conquered the northern half of Sri Lanka?
Answer
Rajaraja I.
Question
The word 'Coromandel' is historically derived from which Chola term?
Answer
Cholamandal.
Question
Which ruler succeeded Rajaraja I and completed the conquest of the whole island of Sri Lanka?
Answer
Rajendra Chola.
Question
To commemorate his victory over Mahipala, the king of Bengal, what title did Rajendra Chola adopt?
Answer
Gangaikonda.
Question
Where did Rajendra Chola establish his new capital following his northern campaigns?
Answer
Gangaikonda-Cholapuram.
Question
Against which South-East Asian kingdom did Rajendra Chola send a naval expedition to protect Indian merchant trade?
Answer
The kingdom of Shrivijaya.
Question
In the Chola administration, what body existed to advise the king?
Answer
A Council of Ministers.
Question
How were Chola officers typically remunerated for their service to the state?
Answer
By being given assignments in revenue-bearing lands.
Question
The Chola empire was divided into provinces known as _____.
Answer
Mandalams.
Question
What were the administrative subdivisions of a Chola 'valanadu' called?
Answer
Nadu.
Question
Which type of Chola village assembly was common to all classes of people who held land?
Answer
The Ur.
Question
What was the 'sabha' in Chola local government?
Answer
An exclusive assembly of the brahmins in villages where all land belonged to them.
Question
In Chola local administration, which assembly consisted of merchants and traders?
Answer
The Nagaram.
Question
How were land taxes collected in the Chola kingdom?
Answer
By the officials from the village councils.
Question
What specific term was used for lands donated to temples by the Cholas?
Answer
Devadaya (or devadana).
Question
Apart from the state, which institution was the largest employer in the Chola kingdom?
Answer
The temple.
Question
Which two languages were predominantly used for student education in Chola temple schools?
Answer
Sanskrit and Tamil.
Question
What were the primary sources of revenue for the Chola kingdom?
Answer
Taxes on land, produce of the land, and tax on trade.
Question
Which religious sect significantly influenced Chola art and temple construction?
Answer
Shaivism.
Question
What is the symbolic finial called that crowns the shikhara of a Chola temple?
Answer
Kalasha.
Question
In a Chola temple complex, what is the 'prakara'?
Answer
An enclosed corridor used for circumambulation.
Question
What structure in a Chola temple houses the sacred bull facing the main shrine?
Answer
The Nandi mandapa.
Question
Which casting technique was used to create the celebrated Chola bronze images?
Answer
The lost-wax technique.
Question
In the Nataraja sculpture, what does the 'damru' in Shiva's hand symbolise?
Answer
The rhythm of creation.
Question
In Chola Nataraja bronzes, what does the 'abhaya mudra' gesture represent?
Answer
The assurance of protection to devotees.
Question
In the Nataraja sculpture, what does Shiva's foot crush to symbolise the victory over ignorance?
Answer
The dwarf known as Apasmara.
Question
The 'prabhamandala' in Chola bronze art is a circle of flames representing what?
Answer
Cosmic energy.
Question
Where is Chola stone sculpture mainly displayed on the temple structure?
Answer
On temple walls, pillars, and devakoshtas (sunken wall spaces).
Question
What painting technique was used for the murals on the lime-plastered surfaces of the Brihadishwara Temple?
Answer
Fresco technique.
Question
Which group of Shaiva saints are frequently portrayed in Chola temple paintings?
Answer
The Nayanars.
Question
What were the four primary natural colours used in Chola paintings?
Answer
Red, yellow, green, and black.
Question
Besides statues, name three types of items Chola metalworkers crafted for temple use.
Answer
Lamps, bells, and vessels.