Kamini Dandapani’s ‘Rajaraja Chola: King of Kings’ is a layman’s history of Cholas

Bharati Jagannathan

HARD on the heels of Mani Ratnam’s megastar film ‘Ponniyin Selvan’ comes a big book on the same subject. And in some ways, there is something cinematic about the book as well: its grand canvas, larger-than-life portrayal of the Chola ruler, the breathless recital of his glory and greatness, his prowess on the battlefield, his multiple talents and patronage of the arts. All that is missing in the book is the romantic aspect!

However, it would be grossly incorrect to dismiss this volume as a text version of popular cinema on a historical hero. Considering that the author has no formal training in the discipline of history, this volume succeeds to a remarkable degree in being a serious monograph on Rajaraja Chola. It aspires, at the same time, to be a popular read, and again succeeds to a considerable degree. But having a foot each in two boats carries some predictable risks and this volume definitely tumbles into the waters fairly frequently.

Adopting the rigours of academia, the book carries fairly extensive endnotes, though some of the books and articles referenced in the text fail to appear in the bibliography, which is particularly vexatious in the case of partially referenced endnotes. Nor does the all-too-frequent ‘ibid’ always refer back to the previous endnote, which leaves the academic reader all at sea. Considerations of readability for the non-specialist might lie behind the decision to dispense with diacritics, but inconsistency in transliteration of proper nouns leaves everyone bemused.

Rajaraja Chola is best remembered for constructing the grand Brhadisvara or Rajarajesvara temple at Tanjavur. Having succeeded to the throne in 985 CE, Rajaraja both expanded and consolidated Chola power, which his ancestor Vijayalaya had established in the previous century in the Kaveri basin. Interestingly, the Cholas were also one of the three major powers mentioned in the Sangam texts of the early centuries of the Common Era. Most scholars consider the relationship between the Sangam Cholas and the imperial Cholas to be tenuous at best; this book, without saying it in so many words, seems to imply a continuity that appears scarcely tenable.

While it is evident that the author has consulted a wide range of texts fairly carefully, several interpretations, especially of inscriptional sources, are rather literal. Though she does mention that one needs to take eulogies and panegyrics with a pinch of salt, the lack of training to read against the grain shows. For instance, the presence of coins of a particular ruler/dynasty in a region is not necessarily indicative of the region being under that particular king/dynasty’s rule. Coinage in the pre-modern period had intrinsic value as metal and travelled well beyond the region it was issued in, as can be seen from the vast hordes of Roman coins found in South India.

The author tends to attribute to the king all-important activities in his realm, from the details of village administration to establishment of port cities, failing to recognise that local governance or maritime trade would have come up autonomously of the rulers, and judicious kings would have encouraged and tapped into them. One needs to understand that, an exception like the Mauryan king Asoka notwithstanding, the notion of a welfare state, or even a state that delivers public goods, is only as recent as the 19th century. Similarly, while the patronage of Chola royal ladies was crucial in the flowering of art, the credit for the aesthetics should go to the artisans.

The language tends to be a tad too flowery. On far too many occasions, the author crams in multiple descriptions, almost as though she cannot bear to give up any of the nice phrases that could be employed in the said context. An editor’s strict pen should have trimmed the excess.

While these are the limitations, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, and, as a historian with an interest in the same period and region, would certainly recommend it for both lay readers and the academically inclined.