The Great Karikala Cholan Life History | Tamil | Jennis Vodcast

According to contemporary literature, Karikalan then conquered Srilanka and also sent a successful military expedition to the Himalayas — the first Tamil King to do so. Did that really happen, or did Karikalan’s court poets embellish facts with a flourish? We are not sure, but he left one unquestionable legacy that has stood the test of time till date.
In those days, the mighty Kaveri river gushed unharnessed from the Western Mountain ranges with untameable force. Near Tanjavur, Karikalan built a dam made of gigantic stones across the turgid river. Called “Kallanai” — meaning “stone-dam” — it is 329 metres long and 20metres wide. This dam changed the economy of the Chola kingdom forever: it irrigated about 1 million acres, converting it to the “Rice Bowl” of the South! It is one of the world’s most ancient irrigation projects. Nearly 1700 years later, when the British built another dam across the neighbouring River Kollidam, they took Karikalan’s dam as their inspiration!