| Rajendra III | |
|---|---|
| KoParakesarivarman,Narapati | |
 Chola territories c. 1246 | |
| Chola Emperor | |
| Reign | 1246–1279 |
| Predecessor | Rajaraja Chola III |
| Successor | Position disestablished (Maravarman Kulasekara Pandyan I as Pandya Emperor) |
| Died | 1279 (1280) |
| Queen | Cholakulamadeviyar |
| Issue | Semapillai Arasagandarama |
| House | Cholas |
| Dynasty | Chola |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Chola kings and emperors | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Interregnum (c. 200 – c. 848 CE) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Related dynasties
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Rajendra Chola III (reigned 1246–1279) was the lastChola emperor, who reigned from 1246 until his death in 1279. Rajendra began to take effective control over the administration, and epigraphs of Rajendra Chola III indicate there was civil war ending with the death of Rajaraja Chola III.[1] Rajendra's inscriptions laud him as the "cunning hero, who killed Rajaraja after making him wear the double crown for three years".[2]
Rajendra Chola III took bold steps to revive the Chola fortunes. He led successful expeditions to the north as attested by his epigraphs found as far asCuddappah.[3]
The king also defeated twoPandya princes, one of whom wasMaravarman Sundara Pandyan II, and briefly made the Pandyas submit to the Chola overlordship. The Hoysalas, under Vira Someswara, sided with the Pandyas and repulsed the Cholas.[4]
The Hoysalas played a divisive role in the politics of the Tamil country during this period. Exploiting the lack of unity among the Tamil kingdoms, they supported one Tamil kingdom against the other to prevent both the Cholas and Pandyas from rising to their full potential. During the period of Rajaraja III, the Hoysalas sided with the Cholas and defeated the Kadava chieftain Kopperunjinga and the Pandyas and established a presence in the Tamil country.[5]
Jatavarman Sundara Pandya I ascended thePandya throne in 1251. In the ensuing wars for supremacy, he emerged as the most victorious ruler and the Pandya kingdom reached its zenith in the 13th century during his reign. Jatavarman Sundara Pandya first put an end to Hoysala interference by expelling them from the Kaveri delta and subsequently killed their king Vira Someswara in 1262 AD near Srirangam. He then defeated Kopperunjinga, the Kadava chieftain, and turned him into a vassal. He then defeated Rajendra III and made him acknowledge the Pandya suzerainty. The Pandya then turned his attention to the north and annexed Kanchi by killing theTelugu Chola chiefVijaya Gandagopala ofNellore Cholas. He then marched up to Nellore and celebrated his victories there by doing thevirabisheka(anointment of heroes) after defeating theKakatiya ruler,Ganapati. Meanwhile, his lieutenant Vira Pandya defeated the king of Lanka and obtained the submission of the island nation.[6]
There are no confirmed reports of Rajendra Chola III having been killed in the battle so he lived in obscurity inPazhayarai up to 1279, after which there are no inscriptions found of the Cholas. This war marks the end of Cholas reign in Tamil Nadu and the Chola territories were completely absorbed by the Pandyan empire.
After the war, the remaining Chola royal bloods were ceased to exist by the Pandyan forces as a retribution for the enslaving the Pandyans for three centuries in their capital city Madurai. One such branch was the Chola/Cholaganar chiefs of Pichavaram.[citation needed] ThePandyas who were vassals of theVijayanagar Empire wasted no time and appealed toKrishnadevaraya. The latter then sent his general Nagama Nayak who defeated the Chola but then usurped the throne of Madurai instead of restoring the Pandyas.[7]
| Preceded by | Chola 1246–1280 CE | Succeeded by |