Decline of the Chola Empire

Timeline

1. 1121–1122Gangaikonda Cholapuram area · Tamil regionIn the final years of Kulottunga I's reign, Chola control over the former Pandya lands and Sri Lanka was less secure than at its height; regional governors grew powerful, and royal authority increasingly relied on religious endowments and temple networks to maintain prestige.
2. 1123–1128Pandya region (around Madurai) · Tamil regionAfter Chola hegemony loosened, the Pandya dynasty resumed its expansion, repeatedly contending with the Chola in the southern Tamil region; the Chola could no longer penetrate deep into the Madurai plains for prolonged occupation as in the time of Rajaraja I.
3. 1125–1130Throughout the Chola Empire · South IndiaChola succession changes were accompanied by struggles between royal kin and regional powers, weakening control over vassals and trade-route tax revenues. By around 1130, the political landscape of South India had shifted from Chola dominance to a multipolar order of Chola, Pandya, Hoysala, and others.