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Chola Imperial Navy

Type Object Region South Asia Time c. 985–1279

The Chola imperial navy was an ocean-going fleet established and maintained by the Chola dynasty in 10th–11th century South India, based at ports lik…

Timeline

  1. c. 985–1014Nagapattinam · Tamil NaduRajaraja I systematically expanded the warship fleet and port facilities, using Nagapattinam as the naval hub, successively conquering Sri Lanka and the Maldives and extending Chola maritime power to the southern islands of the Bay of Bengal.
  2. c. 1014–1044Bay of Bengal · Bay of BengalAfter Rajendra I's accession, the navy maintained its peak, controlling routes from the Bay of Bengal to the eastern Malacca Strait in the 1010s, escorting merchant ships and preparing larger ocean-going expeditions.
  3. c. 1020–1279Eastern Indian Ocean · Indian OceanThe navy supported Chola expeditions to the Ganges plain and Southeast Asia, then gradually declined with the dynasty's fortunes, dissolving with the empire's collapse by the end of the 13th century.

Sources