High Middle Ages · South Asia · War

1019

Rajendra Chola reaches the Ganges

1019

A Chola expeditionary force, having fought its way through Kalinga and defeated the Pala king Mahipala of Bengal, reached the banks of the Ganges. Soldiers filled vessels with sacred water to carry back to the Tamil south. Rajendra commemorated the feat by founding Gangaikonda Cholapuram as a new capital, its very name a trophy of conquest carved in stone.