Kulothunga Chola II was a 12th century king of the Chola Dynasty

Chola Dynasty

The Chola dynasty was a Tamil dynasty which was one of the longest-ruling in some parts of southern India. The earliest datable references to this Tamil dynasty are in inscriptions from the 3rd century BC left by Asoka, of Maurya Empire; the dynasty continued to govern over varying territory until...

 of the Tamil people

Tamil people

Tamil people , also called Tamils or Tamilians, are an ethnic group native to Tamil Nadu, India and the north-eastern region of Sri Lanka. Historic and post 15th century emigrant communities are also found across the world, notably Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, South Africa, Australia, Canada,...

 of South India

South India

South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...

. He succeeded his father Vikrama Chola

Vikrama Chola

Kōpparakēsarivarman Vikrama Chola was a 12th century king of the Chola empire. He succeeded his father Kulothunga Chola I to the throne in 1120 C.E. A insscription of his from Sidlaghatta in Karnataka mentions the Saka date 1042...

 to the throne in 1135 CE. Vikrama Chola made Kulothunga his heir apparent

Heir apparent

An heir apparent or heiress apparent is a person who is first in line of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting, except by a change in the rules of succession....

 and coregent in 1133 CE, so the inscriptions of Kulothunga II count his reign from 1133 CE.

Kulothunga II reigned over a period of general peace and good governance. There is no record of any warfare except for the consolidation of Chola control over the conquered Eastern Chalukyas

Eastern Chalukyas

Eastern Chalukyas were a South Indian dynasty whose kingdom was located in the present day Andhra Pradesh. Their capital was Vengi and their dynasty lasted for around 500 years from the 7th century until c. 1130 C.E. when the Vengi kingdom merged with the Chola empire...

 territories, which had been won by his father.

Kulothunga II is known to have been popular as evidenced by Sekkizhar

Sekkizhar

Sekkizhar was a poet and scholar of Tamil Shaiva Siddhanta, a Saiva saint contemporary with the reign of Kulothunga Chola II. He compiled and wrote the Periya Puranam , 4253 verses long,recounting the life stories of the sixty-three Shaiva Nayanars, the poets of Shiva who composed the liturgical...

's work Periya Puranam

Periya Puranam

Periya Puranam , that is, the great purana or epic, sometimes also called Tiruttontarpuranam is a Tamil poetic account depicting the legendary lives of the sixty-three Nayanars, the canonical poets of Tamil Shaivism. It was compiled during the 12th century by Sekkizhar...

.

Patron of Chidambaram

Chidambaram

Chidambaram

Chidambaram is a fast growing industrial city in Eastern part of Tamil Nadu and the taluk headquarters of the Cuddalore district. It is located in 58 km from Pondicherry, 60 km from Karaikal, and 240 km south of Chennai by rail...

 is one of those five places where Chola princes were invested with the crown. Kulothunga was a great devotee of the Chidambaram Temple

Chidambaram Temple

Thillai Natarajah Temple, Chidambaram is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva located in the town of Chidambaram, East-Central Tamil Nadu, South India. The temple is known as the foremost of all temples to Saivites and has influenced worship, architecture, sculpture and performance art for over two...

 to Shiva

Shiva

Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...

 in that city, and he celebrated his coronation there. He also financed an elaborate renovation of the temple. The poem Kulothunga Cholan Ula describes in the work carried out. It is possible that this renovation work was a continuation of work started by Vikrama Chola.

Personal life and family

Kulothunga II preferred to live in Chidambaram rather than the royal capital at Gangaikonda Cholapuram

Gangaikonda Cholapuram

Gangaikonda Cholapuram was erected as the capital of the Cholas by Rajendra Chola I, the son and successor of Rajaraja Chola, the great Chola who conquered a large area in South India at the beginning of the 11th century C.E. It occupies an important place in the history of India. As the capital...

.

His chief queen was Tyagavalli, also known as Buvanamulududaiyal. Mukkokilan, a princess of the Malayaman

Malayaman

The Malayamān family dynasty of the Velir royal house were chiefs who ruled Nadu Naadu of Tamilakkam during the Sangam period and worked closely with the early Cholas of the Chola Dynasty and the Chera Dynasty. Chiefs of this dynasty readily took the title Chēdirāyan, and delighted in their rule...

 family, was another queen.

Of the various titles had, Anapaya was perhaps his favourite. It is found in his inscriptions as well in the poetic tribute Kulothunga Cholan Ula. He was also called Tirunirruchola.

Kulothunga II was succeeded by Rajaraja Chola II

Rajaraja Chola II

Rajaraja Chola II succeeded his father Kulothunga Chola II to the Chola throne in 1150 C.E. He was made his heir apparent and coregent in 1146 C.E and so the inscriptions of Rajaraja II count his reign from 1146 C.E...

 in 1150 CE.