Gangaikonda Cholapuram(Ariyalur): Chola emperors Raja Raja Chola and Rajendra Chola- I’s statues will be installed in Tamil Nadu announced Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

PM Modi in his address at an event held at Gangaikonda Cholapuram in Ariyalur commemorating 1,000 years of Rajendra Chola- I’s maritime expedition to Southeast Asia and marking the Aadi Thiruvathirai festival at the temple. I take a pledge today that we will install grand statues of King Raja Raja Chola and his son Rajendra Chola -I in Tamil Nadu. These statues will become modern pillars of our historical consciousness, this is our pride in the tradition of our Bharat, he said.

Modi in his 45-minute speech in Hindi said that at length about the contributions of the Chola emperors and the Shaivite tradition to the country. Referring to the Chola era as one of the golden ages of India, he added.

The Chola kings bound India with the thread of cultural unity. Today, our Government is carrying forward the same ideas of the Cholas. We are strengthening these centuries-old threads of unity through events like the Kashi Tamil Sangamam and Saurashtra Tamil Sangamam.

Our Shaivite tradition has played a huge role in the cultural formation of India. The Chola emperors were important architects of this heritage. That is why even today, Tamil Nadu is one of the living centres of the Shaivite tradition, said Modi.

Referring to the Chola rulers’ extensive diplomatic and trade relations with Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and Southeast Asia. The Chola Empire had implemented democratic electoral practices centuries earlier through the Kudavolai Amaippu system. The legacy of Raja Raja Chola and Rajendra Chola -I is synonymous with India’s identity and pride, he added.

Modi highlighted that Rajendra Chola- I established the architectural marvel of the Gangaikonda Cholapuram temple the celebration of the Ganga in the land of mother Cauvery is also a legacy of the Chola Empire.

At the temple, Modi was warmly received by the priests. Attired in a veshti and shirt, he had darshan at the Sanctum Sanctorum of the Brihadeeswarar temple and offered Deeparadhana to Lord Shiva.

After his darshan, Modi enjoyed a performance of the Thiruvasagam by renowned composer and music director Ilaiyaraaja and his team. He also released a commemorative coin honoring King Rajendra Chola- I and a booklet on Thevaram songs published by the Sahitya Akademi.

Modi visited the thematic exhibition on Shaivism and temple architecture organised by the Union Ministry of Culture. TN Governor RN Ravi, Union Minister L Murugan, TN Ministers Thangam Thennarasu and SS Sivasankar, BJP State President Nainar Nagenthran, were among those who attended the event. After the function, the PM flew back to New Delhi from Tiruchy.