The Chola Invasion That Shattered Srivijaya

In 1025 CE, the Chola Emperor Rajendra Chola I launched a devastating naval expedition across the Bay of Bengal, striking at the heart of the Srivijaya Empire. While earlier episodes explored Srivijaya’s trade networks and Buddhist scholarship, this episode focuses on the military catastrophe that exposed its vulnerabilities. We trace the Chola fleet’s journey from Kanchipuram to Palembang, examining the Tamil inscriptions that detail the sacking of Kadaram (Kedah) and the capture of the Srivijayan king’s relatives. This event marked a pivotal shift in Southeast Asian power dynamics, weakening Srivijaya’s monopoly over the Strait of Malacca and paving the way for new maritime powers. Through the lens of the Thiruvalangadu plates, we uncover how a distant Indian dynasty’s ambition reshaped the archipelago’s political landscape. #SrivijayaEmpire #CholaDynasty #RajendraCholaI #KadaramCampaign #MaritimeHistory #SoutheastAsiaHistory #TamilNaduHistory #StraitOfMalacca #MedievalNavalWarfare #BuddhistEmpires #IndianOceanTrade #Archaeology #Epigraphy #ThiruvalangaduPlates #Palembang #Kedah #BayOfBengal #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo