Udaiyar (History of Cholas - Part 2) is a tale written by Balakumaran as a sequel to Ponniyin Selvan and is completed in six novels. Rendered in the Tamil language, this book revolves around the rule of Rajaraja Chola during which time, the big temple at Tanjore was constructed.
Taking you all the way back to 1000 CE, the story's focal point lies in the building of the Tanjore Temple. This was a revolting development at the time and it is brought out by the mindset of Rajaraja Chola's courtiers, countrymen and relatives are very contrasting to it.
Some very appalling innovations were introduced around the time when the temple was being built, which have been accounted in detail in this book. Rajaraja's brother's death has also been highlighted in the book, bringing a tantalizing twist to the anecdote.
The writer has thrown light upon the mental conflicts that Rajaraja faced while setting out to construct the temple. His idea of building a temple stemmed from the need to express his intensified love and adoration for his country and people.
While Rajaraja erected the temple to serve as a reminder of him and his people, the big question here is how will this country stand up to those expectations? Communicating the economy of India, the author shows how Rajaraja had planned to correct land boundaries and partitions between cultivable and uncultivable lands.
The story goes on to elaborate on how the ruler thought of improvement in every aspect of the administration and made sure it was executed. Published by Visa Publications in 2013, Udaiyar (History of Cholas - Part 2) is available in hardcover.