Chola Mandala Administration

Timeline

1. 850–1000Kaveri Delta · Tamil NaduAfter the Chola revival, the empire took the Nadu as its basic administrative unit, subdivided into valanadus and ur villages; local nattar and temple committees managed land, irrigation, and taxes; copper-plate inscriptions show temples increasingly serving as fiscal and archival centers.
2. 1051–1060Thanjavur and Gangaikonda Cholapuram · Tamil NaduRajaraja I died in battle against the Cholas in 1052 and Rajaraja II succeeded him; mandala administration continued to work with local self-governing bodies through offices such as perundanam and velan, maintaining Nadu taxation, military mobilization, and overseas trade management, with the center supervising localities through inscriptions and dispatched officials.
3. 1061–1150Sri Lanka and Southeast Asian trading stations · Sri LankaThe Chola mandala system extended overseas, bringing parts of Sri Lanka and Southeast Asian trade nodes within the empire's administrative radius through conquest or investiture of local rulers, control of ports, and temple donation networks, forming a cross-regional layer of governance.