The Chola Empire's Tamil Inscriptions on the Coromandel Coast

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the Chola Empire's practice of inscribing royal orders, temple donations, and village regulations on stone and copper plates across the Coromandel Coast. They focus on the Tiruvalangadu plates of Rajendra Chola I, the Leiden copper plates, and the Uttaramerur inscriptions that detail local governance. The conversation highlights how these records provide a granular view of Chola administration, land rights, and social hierarchy, and how epigraphists like E. Hultzsch deciphered them. They discuss the controversy over the authenticity of the Tiruvalangadu plates and the light they shed on Chola expansion into the Ganges delta. Specific terms covered include brahmadeya, devadana, sabha, and tirumandira-olai. The episode also touches on the Chola use of Tamil and Sanskrit in inscriptions and the political messaging behind the choice of language. #CholaEmpire #TamilInscriptions #TiruvalangaduPlates #LeidenCopperPlates #RajendraCholaI #Uttaramerur #CoromandelCoast #Epigraphy #EHultzsch #Brahmadeya #Devadana #Sabha #TirumandiraOlai #SouthIndia #MedievalIndia #History #FexingoHistory #IndianOceanTrade Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo