Empire of Chola

The Empire of Chola is an absolute monarchy that rose to prominence in Southern India following the Great Plague. At the current moment, it consists of Sri Lanka and parts of Southern India, though it lays claim to the Malay Peninsula and the islands of Sumatra and Borneo.

History of the Empire
Though the Tamil Tigers were defeated, their cause in Sri Lanka lived on. A new generation took over the effort, but they abandoned the criminal and violent activities of the previous seperatists and tried a nonviolent approach. Unfortunately, these efforts were interrupted by the Plague. Independence took a backseat to survival.

Now, countries have emerged once more. Survival has been assured; thriving is the goal now. It is in this environment that the Tamils take their chance to rule. Looking to the old dynasty of Chola as a model, they take control of Sri Lanka and move into Southern India. Though there was naturally some resistance, the return of order seemed enough to pacify most of the populace. Now, the Empire of Chola stands at a new stage of history, ready to make its mark on the world.

Government
The nation is run by a typical absolute monarchy. The monarch makes most of the decisions of the Empire, though there is an extensive bureaucracy which takes care of much of the mundane activities such as tax collection.

Religion
Hinduism is the predominant religion. Though Buddhists are the majority in Sri Lanka itself, the ruling class are Tamil Hindus, and the addition of Southern India to the empire has brought in many more Hindus. Soon, Islam will also become a major religion as the islands of Indonesia are added. For now, though, Hinduism and Buddhism dominate. A rough calculation at its start would be 60% Hinduism, 35% Buddhism, and 5% other religions.