In the tenure of which governor-general an attempt was made for the first time to codify hindu and muslim customary laws? [a] lord cornwallis [b] warren hastings [c] william bentinck [d] charles metcalfe
Answers
“First, Rajendra needed a large tract of land, to station his army of nine lakh men, which was available there. Secondly, Thanjavur was surrounded by rivers, and so logistically Gangaikondacholapuram was a better choice. Thirdly, recruitment of soldiers was easier. Before Rajendra’s time, many soldiers and even generals in the Chola army were from Kerala. Many of Raja Raja’s soldiers were from Pandya land. But Rajendra’s army had mainly Surutimans (now called Moopanars) and Vanniyars, who lived in the areas around Gangaikondacholapuram,” says Dr. L. Tyagarajan, retired Principal of Government Arts College, Ariyalur, who recorded 513 new inscriptions in Ariyalur and Perambalur districts. His Ph.D. thesis on the Historical Archaeology of Ariyalur region won plaudits from many scholars.
“Since Gangaikondacholapuram was a major commercial centre, many towns nearby became important trade centres,” says Tyagarajan. Powerful merchant guilds, like disai ayirathu ainootruvar, manigramathar, padinen vishayattar, sankarappadiyar and anjuvannathar migrated to these areas.
A bustling city called Vikramacholapuram (now called Vikramangalam) came up. A highway linking Thanjavur and Gangaikondacholapuram passed through Vikramangalam. Coin moulds found near Vikramangalam indicate the presence of a mint there. Muthuvaancheri was a pearl centre. Terracotta pipes for melting iron found in Alavai show that weapons were made here. “Places named Keezhvannam and Melvannam point to the presence of gold assayers (vannakkan) here,” says Tyagarajan. Inscriptions say that orders were passed by Chola kings seated on a golden throne under a pearl-studded canopy in the Vikramangalam palace.