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“gopurams”. The image of the deity was placed inside
the sanctum-sanctorum. The best examples of these
temples are at Thanjavur and Gangaikondacholapuram.
They were built by Rajaraja and Rajendra. They are
architectural marvels. The Cholas are also best known
for their metal images and stone sculpture. However,
the South Indian style of temple-building is represented
by the Pandyan temples who ruled between seventh to

A Temple at Ganhaikondacholapuram built by thirteenth centuries. The Meenakshi Temple at Madurai
Rajendra Chola built by Pandyan rulers, though does not exist, was known
for its distinctive features.

Around the Chola temples, settlements of craftsmen and
trader’s grew. The visual image of Nataraja made in the
bronzes under the Chola dynasty in the tenth century
AD, has been found. It continued to be reproduced in
metal, stone and other substances right up to the present
times. The Chola Nataraja is often said to be the supreme
statement of Hindu art. The temples were cultural
centres and the centres of craft production. They were
given devdana or land grants by the members of the royal The bronze image of Nataraja of the Chola Period
family. These lands had been provided with irrigation systems and were very productive. The
produce of the land went into maintaining the temples and specialists who worked at the
temple. They very often lived near it. The settlements around the temples also consisted of
garland markers, cooks, sweepers, musicians, dancers and others. The South Indian temples
were not only places of worship but also as cultural centres and hub of economic and social
life of the people.
aGRiCultuRe

The Cholas had become powerful on account of trade and agricultural prosperity. They had
also used this money for initiating agricultural reforms. These reforms helped to build a
strong agrarian landscape adorning their economy. Notice from the map of Chola Kingdom,
how river Kaveri branches off into several small channels before emptying into the Bay of
Bengal. These channels renewed the soils of vast flood plains year after year. The fertile
soils were responsible for agricultural prosperity of the region. Besides rice, many other
crops were also cultivated. The existence of large number of tanks of this period also points
to this agricultural prosperity. The agricultural reforms spread far and wide especially from
fifth and sixth century onward. During this period, forests were cleared in some regions
to provide land for agriculture. This land was levelled and special agricultural tools were
used. In the delta regions, embankments were built to prevent flooding. Canals were also
constructed for irrigating the lands. With long periods of sunshine two agricultural crops in
a year in some areas had become possible.
A variety of methods to irrigate the field were put to practise. These included canals in

the delta region, wells in some areas and tanks in others. These irrigation works required
planning, organising labour and resources, maintaining the works and decisions on sharing
Social Studies-7 55