Vijayalaya Chola's Conquest of Thanjavur (c. 850)

Name: Vijayalaya Chola's Conquest of Thanjavur (c. 850)
Start: 848
End: 850

Type Event Region South Asia Time 848–850

Around 850 CE, Vijayalaya Chola seized Thanjavur from Pallava power, establishing the foundation of the medieval Chola dynasty and marking its rise f…

Timeline

840–848Kaveri River delta · Tamil NaduVijayalaya was originally a local chieftain under the Pallavas, accumulating military strength in the Kaveri River delta and preparing to seize a strategic stronghold amid shifting power among South Indian states.
848–850Thanjavur · Tamil NaduVijayalaya led his army to take the city of Thanjavur, defeating or displacing the local Pallava garrison and establishing the Chola royal center in this fertile agricultural region, inaugurating the medieval Chola line.
850–870Thanjavur · Tamil NaduAfter the conquest, Vijayalaya built fortifications at Thanjavur and patronized Shiva temples (as later traced in the tradition of the Vijayalaya Cholesvara temple), consolidating Chola rule over the Tamil heartland.

Sources

Encyclopaedia Britannica: Chola dynasty https://www.britannica.com/topic/Chola-dynasty
South Indian Inscriptions, vol. II (Chola inscriptions) — Epigraphia Indica