Latest / The Chola Empire: How South India Dominated the Indian Ocean — Fexingo History
The Chola Navy's First Defeat at Kandalur Salai
In 988 CE, the Chola navy—renowned across the Indian Ocean—suffered a stunning defeat at the Battle of Kandalur Salai, a naval engagement off the Malabar Coast that historians know from a single inscription. This episode unpacks the evidence: the Mysore inscription of Rajaraja Chola I, the ambiguous phrase 'Kandalur Salai', and the rival Cheras, whose fleet and mercenary allies exploited Chola overreach. We explore how this defeat reshaped Chola naval strategy, prompting a shift from coastal raiding to long-range expeditionary warfare, and how the memory of Kandalur Salai—carved in…
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