Are Tamils overhyping Rajaraja Chola as one of the greatest emperors in world history? Before we try to answer this we should always remember that life, personalities and history do not operate in binaries. Beauty and brutality, generosity and selfishness, devotion and treachery, can and do exist in one person. That is what makes history and historical personalities so fascinating. It is true that Rajaraja's army unleashed a fierce attack on Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka. They reduced it to rubble in their attempts to recover the Pandyan crown jewels. It is true that he fought ruthless battles with thousands of casualties in Deccan. This was how history played itself out not just in Chola lands, but all over the world. Attributing a false sense of “fair play" to medieval politics diminishes them and our understanding of their world. Thinking about them as good guys and bad guys blinds us to history's messy reality. Imposing our modern ideas and attitudes on the rulers of over a thousand years ago makes no sense, and only distorts our understanding and perception of history.
Rajaraja didn't earn the title "Raja Raja" which means "King of Kings" because of his heroic actions on the battlefield. It was his personality that distinguished him from the rest of the emperors of his time. He turned out to be a remarkable architect, an efficient economist, a lover of art and literature, an eminent philosopher, and above all a supreme thinker. His sweeping administrative reform indicates an extraordinary level of genius. Power and the desire for the throne corrupt everyone. We see in Rajaraja a man who refused to accept the Chola throne when it was offered to him in 969 AD by the people upon the death of his elder brother who was the crown prince.
He was one of those few rulers who really cared about people's happiness. He was an emperor for all his people in his empire, not just those in the Chola territories. He commissioned large-scale irrigation works that nourish agriculture to this day not just in Tamil Nadu but in the entire South India. It is said that 50% of rice production in Tamil Nadu is still done using irrigation schemes he founded 1000 years ago. He invested a lot in education and conducted large-scale land surveys throughout his empire to abolish unfair taxation and introduce progressive taxation.
He reorganized his vast empire into administrative units called "Valanadus", where each village retained almost absolute autonomy, remnants of which survive only in a tragically diminished form in Tamil Nadu. He relegated his power and established self-governing local bodies in a period where every emperor wanted power for himself. He believed in data-driven decision-making and maintained copious records. Even at village and town councils, he introduced the audit bureau to organize general affairs and collect granular data. He was extremely detail-oriented - one sees this in his inscriptions, how he conducted his land survey and organization, how he administered his kingdom, and how he built and ran his magnum opus, the Brihadeeshwara temple. Everything was recorded meticulously.
He exhibited remarkable foresight, recognizing that global trade holds the key to the future. He understood that whoever controlled global trade would dominate the world. This philosophy is still valid today. Under his leadership, there was a phenomenal increase in inland and overseas trade networks. He even sent emissaries to China and secured exclusive trade deals with the Chinese. He understood the importance of creating a blue-water navy to dominate global trade. Having a keen eye for talent he brought in shipbuilders from around the world and commission them along with local shipbuilders to build ships to modernise the Chola navy. He invaded the Maldives as a pilot to test his newly formed navy's blue water capabilities. He laid the groundwork for Chola's dominance across the Indo-Pacific Ocean.
While all this was going on, he also had some time to rediscover all forgotten Tamil literature. He established institutions to revive Tamil music and dance traditions. He built the pyramid-shaped Brihadeeshwara temple which was the tallest building in the world with the utmost passion and brilliant architectural style. Due to its flawless construction, this temple survived 6 major earthquakes in the last 1000 years without damage. Not forgetting Chola Bronze casting an art so assiduously practised by Rajaraja himself in his own time. The majority of today's world-famous Chola bronzes were created during his reign.
Rajaraja had a clear vision and tireless energy in implementing his ideas and aspirations. He was also a political and organisational genius. His intellectual supremacy is evident in the way he implements his innovations and accomplishes any herculean task with remarkable foresight, along with a proper insight into resolving intricate problems both in the war field and in day-to-day administration.
Let me tell you how I judge a person. There is a beautiful couplet written 2000 years ago by Tamil philospher-poet Valluvar which say "குணம்நாடிக் குற்றமும் நாடி அவற்றுள் மிகைநாடி மிக்க கொளல்". It means "weigh a man's merits and defects and see whichever weighs more."
When Rajaraja Chola ascended the throne, the Tamil civilization entered centuries of grandeur. He was the architect who laid the foundation for a small Chola kingdom to become a multi-ethnic powerhouse in Asia. He left behind a stupendous legacy in art, architecture, religion and literature, which has not lost its sheen even after a thousand years. So he is undoubtedly a mastermind of his age whose activities ushered Asia into unprecedented cultural prosperity in the following centuries. That undoubtedly makes him the greatest emperor of his time in the world. He is indeed one of the greatest emperors in world history. So Rajaraja Chola was indeed rightfully called the "KING OF KINGS".
