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Balaji Chandramohan
New Delhi, August 11, 2025
Amidst multifaceted diplomatic and military challenges, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invoked India’s illustrious maritime past to project a confident national image and signal strategic intent to both allies and adversaries.
In a recent address at the valedictory function of the Aadi Thiruvathirai festival, held at Gangaikonda Cholapuram in Tamil Nadu and organised by the Ministry of Culture, the Prime Minister extolled the legacy of the Chola emperors—Rajaraja Chola and Rajendra Chola—as emblematic of India’s civilisational pride and unity, encapsulated in the ethos of “Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat.”
A Maritime Epoch of Vision and Valour
Rajaraja Chola I (r. 985–1014 CE) and his son Rajendra Chola I (r. 1014–1044 CE) presided over one of the most formidable and culturally vibrant empires in South Indian history.
Rajaraja Chola consolidated power through administrative reform, temple patronage, and naval expansion, commissioning the grand Brihadeeswarar Temple in Thanjavur, a marvel of Dravidian architecture. His successor, Rajendra Chola, extended the empire’s reach far beyond the Indian subcontinent. In a daring maritime campaign, he launched a naval armada that subdued the Srivijaya Empire in Southeast Asia, capturing key port cities such as Palembang and Kadaram (modern-day Kedah).
These expeditions were not mere conquests but strategic assertions of trade dominance, cultural diplomacy, and naval prowess.
Rajendra’s establishment of Gangaikonda Cholapuram, named after his symbolic retrieval of the sacred Ganges water, reflected both spiritual reverence and imperial ambition. Together, these rulers exemplified a synthesis of governance, maritime strategy, and cultural dissemination, laying the foundations for India’s historical engagement with the Indo-Pacific.
Strategic Resonance
Mr Modi underscored that the Gangaikonda Cholapuram Temple, commissioned by Rajendra Chola, remains globally revered as an architectural marvel.
He noted that the celebration of the Ganga in the land of Mother Cauvery is a testament to the Chola Empire’s enduring legacy.
The cultural symbolism is particularly poignant given that Nagapattinam, once a bustling Chola harbour, is today a confluence of religious traditions, home to both the revered Vailankanni Matha Shrine and the Nagore Dargah, reflecting India’s pluralistic spirit.
Mr Modi also referenced the historical trade links between the Chola dynasty and the Polynesian world, as documented by historian V R Ramachandra Dikshitar in Origin and Spread of the Tamils.
These ancient maritime connections illustrate India’s longstanding engagement with the South Pacific, predating modern diplomatic frameworks.
Maritime Doctrine and National Aspiration
India’s maritime ascendancy under the Cholas, marked by commercial expansion, naval innovation, and cultural outreach, serves as a blueprint for contemporary strategic thinking.
Mr Modi emphasised that to become a developed nation, India must reinforce its naval capabilities, pursue unity, and safeguard its core values. He expressed satisfaction that the nation is progressing in alignment with this vision.
The Chola era’s economic and strategic achievements continue to inspire modern India, particularly through the Eastern Fleet and the Andaman and Nicobar Tri-Command. Tamil merchant guilds such as the Ainnurruvar, Manigramam, and Nanadesi exemplified proto-globalisation, operating across vast maritime networks and fostering cross-cultural exchange.
Reclaiming a forgotten Maritime Heritage
Rajendra Chola’s naval expeditions, meticulously planned and executed, extended Indian influence across Southeast Asia, challenging the Srivijaya Empire and forging ties with Song China.
His campaign, involving an estimated sixty warships, targeted strategic ports like Palembang, Kedah, and Pannai, which were vital nodes on the maritime silk route.
Unlike the colonial incursions of European powers, the Chola approach was integrative rather than domineering. Their governance model harmonised coastal administration, port infrastructure, and trade guilds with naval strategy. Temple inscriptions and copper-plate grants attest to the existence of maritime corporations such as the Ayyavole and Manigramam, which coordinated commerce and sustained diplomatic linkages.
This indigenous maritime vision, predating Vasco da Gama and the East India Company, demonstrated India’s capacity for seaborne diplomacy and strategic outreach.
Rajendra Chola’s expeditions disseminated Indian art, architecture, religion, and language across Southeast Asia, forging a cultural affinity that endures to this day.
The Indo-Pacific Engagement
India’s contemporary Look East Policy, bolstered by naval diplomacy and trade relations with Southeast Asia, must now extend to the South Pacific.
The Nation’s peninsular geography offers a strategic advantage that can be harnessed for broader regional engagement. In this context, the Chola Dynasty’s maritime legacy offers valuable lessons in vision, integration, and execution.
By evoking the grandeur of the Chola Empire, Mr Modi has reaffirmed that India’s strategic consciousness predates colonial subjugation.
This civilisational memory, now reclaimed, offers a compelling narrative for India’s maritime resurgence in the Indo-Pacific century.
Balaji Chandramohan is our New Delhi Correspondent.
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