literature tells many tales where Vithoba
comes outside to meet him. Chokamela’s
memorial shrine is at the steps of the
temple, the same steps that marked
his boundary during his life. It seems
that Chokamela accepted the restric-
tions that came with his social status,
but some of his poetry expresses
social protest. For further information
see G. A. Deleury, The Cult of Vithoba,
1960; and Eleanor Zelliot, “Chokamela
and Eknath: Two Bhakti Modes of
Legitimacy for Modern Change,” in
Journal of Asian and African Studies, Vol.
15, Nos. 1–2, 1980.
Chola Dynasty
(9th–13th c. C.E.) Southern Indian
dynasty whose ancestral homeland
was the Tanjoredistrict of Tamil Nadu.
The earliest Chola capital was in the city
of Tanjore itself, but was later moved
to Gangaikondacholapuran under
Rajendra I (r. 1014–1042 C.E.). The
Tanjore district is in the CauveryRiver
delta and is extremely fertile rice-grow-
ing land. The Chola monarchs used this
agricultural strength as the foundation
for their empire. The Cholas were origi-
nally vassals of the Pallava dynastybut
became independent late in the ninth
century. In the tenth and eleventh cen-
turies, the Cholas were the dominant
power in southern India, controlling
much of peninsular India and Sri Lanka
and sending naval expeditions as far as
Malaysia. The Cholas were noted for
their public works, particularly the con-
struction of massive temples in the
Tanjore district and other parts of Tamil
Nadu; one of the most impressive was
the Brhadeshvartemple built by Raja
Raja (r. 985–1014 C.E.). On a smaller
scale, the Chola dynasty also patronized
exquisite sculptures, especially bronzes.
This dynasty’s rapid rise was marked
by an equally swift demise. By the
middle of the thirteenth century, they
had been attacked several times by
the Pandya dynasty and were finally
conquered in 1279.
Chudakarana
(“tonsure”) Samskara
The eighth of the traditional life cycle
ceremonies (samskaras). In the chu-
dakarana samskara, the hairis shaved
off of the child’s head, although fre-
quently a tuft of hair (chuda) is left. This
is the last of the childhood samskaras,
marking the ritual end of infancy, and it
is still often performed in modern India,
particularly by brahminfamilies. The
timing for this rite is usually determined
by family custom(kulachara), although
in many cases it is performed when the
child’s age is an odd number (most com-
monly at one, three, or five years old).
Since most Indian babies are born with
hair, and hair is commonly believed to
trap impurities, the chudakarana is seen
as a rite of purification where the last of
the residual impurities from childbirth
are removed. As in many other cultures,
this cut-off hair is believed to retain a
powerful connection with the child.
Traditional belief holds that in the
wrong hands, this hair could be used to
work black magic against the child.
Given this concern, the hair is usually
carefully gathered and disposed of, most
often by putting it into running water.Chunar
Sandstone quarry about twenty-five
miles south of modern Benares. This
quarry is notable as the source of the
stone for the pillars erected by the
Mauryan king Ashoka. The pillars were
set up on the major trade routes within
his empire and were inscribed with royal
proclamations known as the pillar
edicts. See also Maurya dynasty.Churail
(perhaps from the Sanskritword cur,
meaning “to steal”) Feminine malignant
spirit believed to be the ghostof a
woman who dies childless, in childbirth,
or with her desires somehow unsatis-
fied. These frustrated desires lead such
spirits to seek revenge by harming others,Chola Dynasty