Latest / The Chola Empire: How South India Dominated the Indian Ocean — Fexingo History
The Chola Empire's Tamil Military Guilds: The Velakkara and the Kaikkolar
In this episode of The Chola Empire, Lucas and Luna explore the forgotten military guilds that underpinned Chola power. While the Ayyavole and Manigramam merchant guilds dominated trade, the Velakkara and Kaikkolar warrior guilds formed the backbone of the Chola army and navy. Lucas explains how the Velakkara were hereditary soldiers who served as palace guards and were also deployed overseas, even being granted land endowments in Sri Lanka. He then turns to the Kaikkolar, a weaver caste that supplied soldiers to Chola armies and also served as temple servants. The episode covers the famous…
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