Pullamangis Temple - Tanjore
Finally on road to Thanjavur, 40 kilometres away, is the Pullamangis Temple. Temple historian Christopher Tedgill called it, "most wonderful, one of my favourites".
The Cholas encouraged the cult of god kings through image worship of past kings. They built temples to the memory of past kings. They ran a complex but efficient system of administration guided by the Raj Guru who combined temporal and spiritual powers. During their rule, India became a major exporting country, with plenty of surplus food, textiles, ivory, sandalwood, camphor, etc. Trade was controlled by merchants and guides who naturally became very rich. They donated their earnings to the temples, so did the common folk making temples centres of all social activities.
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