Rajendra Chola was not one to rest on his illustrious father’s laurels. Early on in his reign, he led victorious campaigns against the Rashtrakutas and the Western Chalukya empire – firming Chola reign over the deccan. In 1017, he led a naval campaign to Sri Lanka and extended his control over the southern parts of the island, which even his father had not be able to do.

A year later, he marched north and towards the Ganges river. In this expedition, the Chola armies defeated the Palas (modern day Bengal), then the Kamboja Pala kingdom and the Chandra dynasty.

For his peerless northern conquests in the regions around the Ganges, Rajendra Chola earned the sobriquet Gangaikonda Chola (the Chola who took over the Ganga).

The Kingdom Of Srivijaya

Srivijaya was a powerful Malayan city-state, which ruled most of the Malay Archipelago out of the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. With a powerful navy, Srivijaya extended control over the Strait of Malacca and the Sunda Strait – allowing them to exert almost unchallenged influence over any naval trade which happened through the region.

The Srivijaya kingdom was at its peak in 12th century, when its rule extended over Sumatra, the Malay Peninsula, Western Java and modern day Philippines. A famous ‘war gate’ made of large jewels, the Vidhyadara Torana, was said to greet visitors at the entrance of their capital city at Palembang.

During the times of Rajaraja and Rajendra Chola, Srivijaya was ruled by the Shailendra dynasty. The relationship between the Cholas and the Shailendra kings were not always fraught – in 1006 (during the reign of Rajaraja Chola), King Maravijayattungavarman of Srivijaya had constructed the Chudamani Vihara at Nagapattinam.

The Chola – Srivijaya War

There are varying accounts of what caused Rajendra Chola to embark on his South-East Asian campaign.

Some suggest that it was his desire to use his naval strength to expand his empire over the trade rich regions of South-East Asia. Other sources suggest that the causes lie in the relationship between the Chola Empire and the Khmer kingdom.

The Khmer king Suryavarman I is said to have requested help from Rajendra Chola in his conflict with the Tambralinga kingdom. This in return resulted in the Tambralingas approaching Srivijayan king Sangrama Vijayatungavarman for his support – triggering of a conflict between the Cholas and Srivijaya.

Famous Tamil historian K A Nilakanta Sastri also opined that Srivijaya’s attempts to limit the Cholan trade with China could also have been a reason for the conflict.

The war began on 1025 CE, with the Chola Navy setting sails towards the east armed with a strategy that would take the Srivijayan forces completely by surprise.

At the time, ships sailing from India to Srivijaya would look to dock at the ports of Lamuri or Keday in the Malay Peninsula and then proceed onto the Strait of Malacca. Srivijayan defenses were organised with this line of attack in mind. (Refer below map for visual details)