Kulothunga III

Kulothunga III
Chakravartin of Chola Empire KoParakesarivarman
Statue of Kulothunga III at Brihadisvara Temple.
Chola Emperor
Reign	1178–1218 CE
Predecessor	Rajadhiraja II
Successor	Rajaraja III
Born	Kumara Kulothungan Kanchipuram, Chola Empire (modern day Tamil Nadu, India)
Died	1218 CE Gangaikonda Cholapuram, Chola Empire (modern day Jayankondam, Tamil Nadu, India)
Queen	Bhuvanamuludaiyal
House	Cholas
Dynasty	Chola
Father	Sangama Chola [1] (aka) Nēriyudaiperumal
Mother	Unknown
Religion	Hinduism

Kulothunga III was a Chola emperor who ruled from 1178 to 1218 CE, after succeeding his elder brother Rajadhiraja II. Kulothunga Chola III gained success in war against his traditional foes. He gained victories in war against the Hoysalas, Pandyas of Madurai, Cheras of Venad, the Sinhalese kings of Polonnaruwa, as well as the Telugu Cholas of Velanadu and Nellore. He also restored Chola control over Karur, which were ruled by the Adigaman chiefs as vassals of the Cholas. He drove out the Hoysalas under Veera Ballala II who had made inroads in the Gangavadi and adjoining areas of Tagadur in Kongu country in an effort expand their territory. However, during the last two years of his reign, he lost in war to the resurgent Pandyas, heralded a period of steady decline and ultimately, demise of the Cholas by 1280 CE.^[2] Kulottunga III had alliances with the Hoysalas. The Hoysala king Veera Ballala married a Chola queen called Cholamahadevi and gave his daughter Somaladevi in marriage to Kulottunga III.^[3]

According to Sastri, "By his personal ability, Kulothunga Chola III delayed the disruption of the Chola empire for about a generation, and his reign marks the last great epoch in the history of Chola architecture and art as he himself is the last of the great Chola monarchs."^[2] He is credited with building a number of temples, including the Sarabeswara Temple at Tribhuvanam in Kumbakonam district, Tamil Nadu, as well as the renovation and repairs to the two temples proclaimed as tutelary deities of the Cholas, namely the Shiva temple at Chidambaram and the Sri Ranganathaswami Temple of Srirangam. Kulothunga Chola III is also renowned for his patronage of art and literature. In some of his numerous inscriptions, including those at the Srirangam temple, Kulothunga Chola III has claimed in his inscriptions his pride in wearing the crown of the race of the Sun to which the Chola emperors claimed descent from.^[2]