Chola.

This is coolbert:

"War - - what is it good for? Absolutely nothing!" - - Edwin Starr.

Thanks for the idea from the TV program by Michael Wood. English journalist/historian/world traveler.

Here is an instance of where an empire, forged in war, as they say, became great, prosperous, providing enlightened and beneficial rule. An empire that could not have come into being WITHOUT WAR!!

The Chola Empire!

King Rajaraja, an expansionist ruler, around the year 1000 C.E., embarked on a series of wars, creating an empire that ruled the east of coast of India, the Maldive Islands, Sri Lanka. Rajaraja understood the value of naval power, extending his rule and dominion to the Malay peninsula, Sumatra, Java, and Borneo!

"Rajaraja Chola I (Tamil) is one of the greatest kings of the Chola Empire, who ruled between 985 and 1014 CE . . . His undefeated reign and his son the great Rajendra Chola I's unparalleled military conquests brought considerable strength and power enabling the Chola kingdom to last for more than four centuries"

"The Chola Dynasty (Tamil) as a Tamil dynasty that ruled primarily in southern India until the 13th century."

"The Cholas were at the height of their power continuously from the later half of the 9th century till the beginning of the 13th centuries. Under Rajaraja Chola I and his son Rajendra Chola I, the dynasty became a military, economic and cultural power in Asia."

The list of Chola wars as began [?] by Rajaraja is pretty extensive:

* "War against Vengi"

* "Kalinga conquest"

* "Western Chalukya Wars"

* "Ganga Wars"

* "Northern Wars"

* "Southern Wars"

* "Naval Conquests" [Maldive Islands, Sri Lanka, Malay [Malacca], Sumatra, Java, Borneo]

ONLY BY WAR [??] WAS THE CHOLA ABLE TO PUT TOGETHER THAT PERFECT MIX OF GEOGRAPHIC EXPANSIVENESS, POPULATION, RESOURCES, COUPLED WITH ORGANIZATIONAL ABILITY, BUREAUCRACY, AND AGGRESSIVENESS THAT ALLOWED THE CHOLA EMPIRE TO THRIVE IN A MANNER BENEFICIAL TO THE VAST MAJORITY OF SUBJECTS SUBSERVIENT AND UNDER THE DOMINION OF RAJARAJA!!

But NOT A DESPOTIC AND CRUEL REGIME RULING WITH A HEAVY HAND!! Beneficent to a fault almost? The wealth created by the Chola allowed for all the fine arts, trade, civil works projects to proceed and prosper in a manner not seen before or since within Tamil culture!

Fine arts such as:

* Literature.

* Sculpture.

* Architecture.

Also:

* Civil works projects of immense size [befitting an empire with resources at the ready], dams, irrigation, etc.

"The Cholas left a lasting legacy. Their patronage of Tamil literature and their zeal in building temples have resulted in some great works of Tamil literature and architecture. The Chola kings were avid builders and envisioned the temples in their kingdoms not only as places of worship but also as centres of economic activity. They pioneered a centralised form of government and established a disciplined bureaucracy."

During the British Raj, the English were fond of saying that within the British Empire, the Tamil were the most law abiding and civil subjects, cultivating the most productive lands, yielding three crops per year.

War - - what good is it good for??!! Well, you can ask the question - - how much better will it be when mankind can create great works of literature, sculpture, architecture and build immense public works projects, without having to first create an empire "forged in war"!!??

Well - - yes - - but ask yourself the question, when and where does it happen - - that empires are "forged" peacefully?

[Rajaraja did conquer and rule much of Sri Lanka. Set off a chain of events that have resulted in the Eelam Tamil Tigers and the continuous and now millennial long struggle between the Hindu Tamil and the Buddhist Sinhalese. THE CURRENT SRI LANKAN CONFLICT HAS LITTLE TO DO WITH THE MACHINATIONS OF THE COLONIAL POWERS AND THEIR LEGACY! ]

coolbert.