Conquest

 

You have conquered

More than you will ever know,

Beyond Badami, the doabs,

Beyond Anuradhapura, Srivijaya

Lands you have not yet stepped

Remember, once upon a time

An empire thundered

In the Dakshin Lands

Beyond the living temples, centuries old

Also lives and breathes your ‘name’ –

Chola-mandalam, Coromandel

Today as I pass by

Unknown streets in an unknown corner

Of a nondescript land

I see your name

And wonder the extents of your conquest

Not Tanjore, nor Gangaikonda

But Ebenzer, down under in Wales

A lonely edifice bears testimony

To the oldest shrine in this land

From two centuries ago

And the covenantors,

Recalling their ship to this new land

Named this street Coromandel

Perhaps they never knew

What meant this name

Today, nor do the weary travellers perhaps

Who brave this far

But if we ever choose to delve

Deeper and deeper

We will trace back millennia

To the lands before time

We will inevitably land

In the kingdoms of your might,

In your strength,

Some of which still breathes

Beyond the majestic temples

To a tiny church of the Scotsmen

Whispering for those who can hear

Coromandel…Cholamandalam…

11^th November 2025

The Chola Empire was one of the longest-ruling and most influential dynasties in South Indian history, flourishing between the 9th and 13th centuries CE. Originating in the fertile Kaveri River valley, the Cholas built a vast maritime empire that extended across southern India, Sri Lanka, and parts of Southeast Asia (such as the Srivijaya empire), including present-day Malaysia and Indonesia. Renowned for their administrative efficiency, monumental temple architecture such as the Brihadeeswarar Temple in Thanjavur, and their thriving trade networks, the Cholas played a key role in shaping South Indian culture, language, and art. Their naval prowess also helped them establish commercial and cultural links across the Indian Ocean, spreading Tamil influence far beyond the subcontinent.

The name ‘Coromandel’ is believed to have originated from the term ‘Cholamandalam,’ meaning ‘the land of the Cholas.’ As European traders interacted with the southeastern coast of India, they adapted the local name to ‘Coromandel,’ which came to designate the entire coastal region. This name later travelled across the world through colonial expansion and trade, appearing in distant lands such as Australia and New Zealand.

Near Windsor, 50km from Sydney, lies the historic Ebenezer Church—Australia’s oldest surviving church—situated on Coromandel Road (often referred to as Coromandel Street). Ebenezer Church came into being following the arrival in the colony of New South Wales of eight families on board the ‘Coromandel’ in June 1802. These families came to the new colony with a request to be settled together. Their wish was granted by Governor Arthur King and they moved to their 100-acre land grants at Portland Head (Ebenezer) on the Hawkesbury River early in 1803. To remember the ship that brought them to this new land, they named the street ‘Coromandel’. The ship, though built by the French was refitted in the eastern Indian coast in the 18^th century, and renamed to ‘Coromandel.’

The street’s name serves as a reminder of the far-reaching maritime connections of the early modern era, when names, goods, and people from the Indian Ocean world left lasting imprints on new settlements across the globe. Which in turn reminds us of the lords of the southern lands of India who forever lent their name to the geography and to posterity.

Today, other places with the same moniker nearby include the Coromandel Coast in New Zealand, and the Coromandel Valley in South Australia among others, all of which were named in relation to ships that were named after the eastern Indian coast.

For those who still think, what’s in a name, there is a lot – under the skin of cross-continental geographies, UNESCO world heritage architectures, and maritime navigations, the arteries sometimes run deep with a very enriched history, often going back by a thousand years to a far off place, such as the land to the south of a peninsula, ruled by the greatest warlords ever…