Kulothunga II and the Temple Rivalry That Split an Empire

The Chola Empire: How South India Dominated the Indian Ocean — Fexingo History · Jul 1, 2026 · 8m · transcript

Episode 132 of The Chola Empire series digs into the reign of Kulothunga II (c. 1133–1150 CE), a lesser-known monarch whose religious policy sparked a lasting schism. While prior episodes covered temple economies and royal women, this one explores the bitter Chola–Hoysala conflict over the Tiruvannamalai temple, and the emperor's controversial patronage of the Vaishnava philosopher Ramanuja, which alienated powerful Saiva factions. We trace how Kulothunga II's attempts to centralize authority through temple networks backfired, leading to the rise of the Hoysala kingdom under…