Chola kingdom lead him to the contemplation of God in the third book of the Divine Comedy For Dante, who draws on St Bernard’s treatise On Loving God, the courtly relationship guides the lover not only to accomplish great feats but also to grow close to God through his chaste and pure love for a lady (Meanwhile lustful lovers who not repent of their sins—like Paolo and Francesca—are condemned to eternal suffering in the Inferno.) The influence of medieval chivalry and courtly love on western Europe was lasting and profound In the 16th-century Book of the Courtier, Baldassare Castiglione models his advice for male and female courtiers in Renaissance Italy on knightly etiquette Famous poets like Petrarch, Ronsard, Donne, and Shakespeare continued to woo ladies in the fashion of the troubadours for centuries In the 19th century Walter Scott and Tennyson contributed to a veritable rebirth of chivalric—and highly romanticized—literature; throughout the 20th century, stories of medieval knights fighting for the love of their ladies (such as White’s Once and Future King) flourished See also Italian Renaissance Further reading: Capellanus, Andreas The Art of Courtly Love New York: Columbia University Press, 1990; Chickering, H., and T H Seiler, eds The Study of Chivalry: Resources and Approaches Kalamazoo, MI: Medieval Institute Publications, 1988; Gaunt, Simon, and Sarah Kay, eds The Troubadours: An Introduction Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999; Ferrante, J M., and G D Economou, eds In Pursuit of Perfection: Courtly Love in Medieval Literature Port Washington, WI: Kennikat Press, 1975; Keen, M Chivalry New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1984; Lewis, C S The Allegory of Love: A Study in Medieval Tradition Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1958; Smith, N B., and J T Snow, eds The Expansion and Transformation of Courtly Literature Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1980; Porter, Pamela Courtly Love in Medieval Manuscripts Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2003 K Sarah-Jane Murray and Jennifer Boulanger Chola kingdom The Chola kingdom was a medieval Indian state, which saw most of southern India being brought under a united government for the first time At its greatest extent, Chola covered not just the south of India but also Sri Lanka, peninsular Malaya, western Borneo, and other islands of archipelago Southeast Asia The Chola used 85 The Sri Brahdeeswarar Temple was built by the great Chola king Raja Raja I in the 10th century the Tamil language and religious and cultural concepts The origins of the state are unclear, although the Chola King Raja Raja I invaded the southern Deccan region in 993 in a series of campaigns that lasted for nearly 30 years This contributed to the downfall of the Calukya dynasty and provided opportunities for Chola and Deccan rulers to contest former Calukya territory In 1070 Chola King Rajendra II united the existing holdings into a unitary state, which was then free to expand its holdings across the trade routes that stretched across the Indian Ocean to Southeast Asia The next centuries were something of a golden age for southern India, with religious and artistic expression reaching high levels of achievement Although caste-based societies such as that of the Chola are often thought of as lacking social mobility and the ability to innovate, this was not the case Instead, creation of new crafts and skills enabled the reordering of society and the classes within it to a considerable extent The fact that so many different sets of people from many different homelands were a part of the Chola kingdom contributed to this mobility The social mobility extended to women as well as men and a number of new occupations and ranks were made available to them Specific areas of achievement included literature, bronze statuary and works, and architecture, particularly in terms of temple architecture The temple of Shiva at Thanjavur, which was completed in 1009, is regarded as a noted masterpiece demonstrating characteristic styles of southern India The pantheon of Hindu gods provided numerous opportunities for artistic creativity, and the combination of creativity