Which of the following animals was the emblem of the Chola dynasty?

Correct — D. The Chola emblem was the tiger, the mark that identifies Chola coins, seals and banners — option (d).

Learn it as the Tamil triad. Chola: tiger. Pandya: fish. Chera: bow and arrow. These three are the muvendar, the three crowned kings of the Sangam age, and their emblems are how their issues are told apart.

Later Chola emblems show the tiger set beside the fish and the bow, read as a claim of overlordship over the other two houses.

Why the others are wrong

• (a)
  Horse — The horse is not one of the Tamil dynastic emblems. The recorded emblems of the three crowned kings are the tiger, the fish and the bow.
• (b)
  Wolf — The wolf belongs to none of the dynasties in this group. The Chola mark is the tiger.
• (c)
  Elephant — The tempting one. The elephant is everywhere in south Indian temple sculpture and in dynastic armies, but the Chola emblem itself was the tiger.

The three ancient Tamil dynasties are told apart by their emblems, and SSC asks them by the animal or object rather than by a king's name.

Chola: tiger. Chera: bow and arrow. Pandya: fish. The emblems appear on their coinage and in Sangam poetry, which is why they survive as a fixed set.

The Cholas revived as an imperial power under Vijayalaya in the ninth century and reached their height under Rajaraja I and Rajendra I, with Thanjavur as the capital.

Key facts

• The emblem of the Chola dynasty was the tiger.
• The Pandya emblem was the fish and the Chera emblem the bow and arrow.
• The Cholas, Cheras and Pandyas are the muvendar, the three crowned kings of the Sangam age.
• Rajaraja I ruled from 985 to 1014 CE, with Thanjavur as the Chola capital.

Common traps

• Picking the elephant because it is the animal most associated with south Indian temples.
• Swapping the Chera and Pandya emblems. The bow is Chera and the fish is Pandya.

No directly related past PYQ was found.