Chola Empire's Lost King Rajaraja II

The Chola Empire: How South India Dominated the Indian Ocean — Fexingo History · Sep 10, 2026 · 8m · transcript

While his father Rajaraja I built the Brihadeeswarar Temple and his son Kulottunga I restored the dynasty, Rajaraja II occupies a strange silence in Chola history. This episode explores why this twelfth-century ruler is often overlooked or conflated with other kings. We examine the conflicting records from the Thiruvalangadu plates and the Kudavolai system that governed succession. Did internal strife over temple endowments weaken the central authority? We also look at the mysterious disappearance of key ministers and the shift in diplomatic focus away from Srivijaya toward the Western…