Cola dynasty

South Indian Tamil rulers of unknown antiquity (before c. AD 200). The dynasty originated in the rich Cauvery (Kaveri) River valley, and Uraiyur (Tiruchchirappalli) was its oldest capital. The Cola country stretched from the Vaigai River in the south to Tondaimandalam in the north. Under Rajendracola Deva I (r. 1014–44), the conquest of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) was completed, the Deccan was conquered (c. 1021), and an expedition was sent as far north as the Ganges (Ganga) River (1023). His successor battled the Calukya dynasty in the Deccan. The Pandyas conquered the Cola country in 1257, and the dynasty ended in 1279. Revenue administration, village self-government, and irrigation were highly organized under the Colas.