 When the Chola Empire began to decline in the 13th century , the Pandyas from the south invaded and captured Thanjavur twice , first during 1218 – 19 and then during 1230 . During the second invasion , the Chola king Rajaraja III ( 1216 – 56 ) was set in exile and he sought the help of the Hoysala king Vira Narasimha II ( 1220 – 35 ) to regain Thanjavur . Thanjavur was eventually annexed along with the rest of the Chola kingdom by the Pandya king Maravarman Kulasekara Pandyan I ( 1268 – 1308 ) in 1279 and the Chola kings were forced to accept the suzerainty of the Pandyas . The Pandyas ruled Thanjavur from 1279 to 1311 when their kingdom was raided and annexed by the forces of Malik Kafur ( 1296 – 1306 ) and Delhi Sultanate . The Sultanate extended its authority directly over the conquered regions from 1311 to 1335 and then through the semi @-@ independent Ma 'bar Sultanate from 1335 to 1378 . Starting from the 1350s , the Ma 'bar Sultanate was steadily absorbed into the rising Vijayanagar Empire . 
