CIIOLA, an ancient dynasty in the south of the Peninsula of India ; the Sorai of Ptolemy. Their several capitals were Arcot, Conjeveram, then Wariur, near Trichinopoly, Combaconum, Gongadaram, and lastly Tanjore. At the be ginning of the Christian era they seem to have been ruling over all the countries speaking the Tamil language ; and Mr. Ellis was of opinion that in the 8th century its princes were occupying large portions of Karnata and Telingana, and ruling over as much of the country up to the Godavery as lay east of the hills at Nundidrng. They seem to have been first checked in the 12th century, and ultimately driven back within their ancient frontiers. In this state they continued to subsist either as independent princes or feuda tories of Vijayanagar until the end of the 17th century, when a brother-of Sivaji, the founder of the Mahratta state, who was at that time an officer of the Adal Shahi government of Bijapur, being detached to aid .the last Chola raja, sup planted him in his government, and was the first ruler of the Mahratta goyornment of Tanjore. The capital of the Chola-4 the most part was at Kanchi or Conjeveramr -They must have been exercising sovereignty in the time of Ptolemy, who makes mention of ‘Arcati soren ;' and in the Mahawanso frequent references to transactions with the Chola occur 'earliest periods of the Singhalese annals. 'The Tamil traditions
abound with stories of Moeda Chakravarti, who appears to have been the subduer of the ab original or Curumber tribes; yet no trustworthy records of his origin and actions are forthcoming, neither have authentic accounts of the overthrow and extinction of any of the great southern states been yet obtained. The Chola kingdom at ono time reached as far as the river Kistna. The Ceded Districts formed part originally of the kingdom of tho Chola, with whom they were occasionally disputed by the Kalyan Chalukya ; and ultimately they constituted the principal por tion of the kingdom of Bijanagar or Anegundi. The capitals of the latter power were successively Bijanagar on the Tumbudra, Penacouda, and Chandragiri.—Elphinstone.