Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a special ₹1,000 silver coin during the Aadi Thiruvathirai festival at the Gangaikonda Cholapuram Temple today (27 July 2025), commemorating 1,000 years of Emperor Rajendra Chola I’s historic naval expedition to Southeast Asia.
The coin, inscribed in both English and Devanagari, honours the emperor’s maritime campaign that extended Bharat’s influence overseas. Struck from 99.9% pure silver and weighing 40 grams, it features intricate designs celebrating the Chola dynasty’s legacy and naval prowess.
The commemoration marks a thousand years of this expedition and the commencement of the construction of the iconic Gangaikonda Cholapuram Temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva.
Rajendra Chola I (1014–1044 CE) was one of Bharat’s most influential rulers. He launched a maritime expedition in 1025 CE that extended Bharat’s influence to large parts of South East Asia including present-day Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Cambodia.
Rajendra Chola I established Gangaikonda Cholapuram as the imperial capital (presently in Ariyalur district, Tamil Nadu, India). Gangaikonda Cholapuram—“the city of the Chola who brought the Ganga”—was founded by Rajendra Chola I to commemorate his victory over the Ganges region, marked by bringing sacred water from the Ganga and consecrating it in the Cholagangam tank.
The temple he built there, also known as the Gangaikondacholeeswaram Temple, became a major center of Lord Shiva’s worship, architectural brilliance, and imperial administration during the Chola era, with its historical significance continuing to this day.
The Gangaikonda Cholapuram Temple is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, celebrated for its intricate sculptures, Chola bronzes, and ancient inscriptions.
The Cholas were among the longest-reigning dynasties in India (est. 300 BC to AD 1279). At the height of their power, their empire encompassed much of southern India and extended its influence over vast regions of Southeast Asia. They were also among the world’s first maritime superpowers, fielding a formidable blue-water navy in their time.
The Aadi Thiruvathirai festival, held from July 23 to 27 this year, is traditionally associated with the worship of Lord Shiva in his cosmic dancer form (Nataraja) and celebrates the rich Tamil Shaiva Bhakti tradition.
The dates of the festival each year are associated with Thiruvathirai Natchathiram/Ardra Nakshatra*. The celebrations are symbolically significant in relation to Rajendra Chola I as Thiruvathirai/Ardra is also his birth nakshatra.
*A nakshatra is a division of the sky in Hindu astronomy and astrology. The ecliptic—the apparent path of the Moon—is divided into 27 (sometimes 28) segments, each called a nakshatra or lunar mansion. Each nakshatra spans 13°20′ of the zodiac*. They are identified by specific stars or star clusters, a person’s birth nakshatra is the one where the Moon was located at their time of birth.
*There are 12 zodiac signs – Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces – 30° each in the sky.
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