Karikala Chola’s Quiet Masterpiece : Grand Anicut – 2000 years of a living relic.

When a Chola King dared the Cauvery

I am in Tamil Nadu, near Trichy, as I drive around trying to soak in the history of the Tamil heartland.

Nothing dominates the Tamil ethos more than the River Cauvery. Born from springs in the misty hills of Kodagu in Karnataka, Cauvery twists and turns for almost 800 km through Southern India before flowing into the Bay of Bengal. It is not just another river; it is both a natural and cultural lifeline of this part of the world. It flows serenely, shaping landscapes, livelihoods, and legacies across southern India. A silent witness to the rise and fall of dynasties. A benevolent source of water as civilizations thrived along its journey. It’s everything that this land is about.

I am on the way to Thanjavur to see the Chola architectural marvel, the Brihadeeswarar Temple. ( read the travelogue here). About thirty kilometers from Trichy and with an hour to go before Thanjavur, I reach Kallanai.

Kallanai is a small village nestled on the Cauvery, where the northern distributary of the Cauvery, Kollidam, separates and veers away to the North. It is here, almost 2000 years ago, that one of the most interesting Chola kings, Karikala Chola, decided to do something that changed the destiny of this land.

All this occurred between approximately 100 and 150 CE. It would be beneficial to know about Karikala Chola’s life before we proceed to the importance of Kallanai.

Karikala Chola: The legend

No precise records survive of his lifetime; however, Sangam literature suggests that Karikalan lived in the 1st or 2nd century CE. His father, Ilamcetcenni, a formidable Chola ruler, was assassinated when Karikalan was still a boy. The rival clans never wanted a kid to be the king and tried to get him killed. But then, the clever and resourceful young prince evaded their grasp, living incognito as a vedic scholar while secretly training under his uncle to reclaim his destiny. But then, he was tracked down and confined to house arrest.

This time, the enemies decided to end it all. They set the dwelling ablaze. Amid the chaos, the prince managed to escape. However, the fire left its mark: a deep, black scar upon his leg. From that day, he bore the name “Kari-Kalan” ( kari for charred and kalan for legged) —the prince with the charred leg—an enduring testament to his resilience and survival. He went on to recapture his kingdom, stave off attacks from the neighboring kingdoms and establish a magnificent kingdom. A land that thrived on trade, agriculture and social order, led by a resourceful, brave and visionary king.

Karikala Chola and his outrageous idea.

Let’s return to Kallanai now.

This small nondescript village is home to the Grand Anicut as it is known today. It was almost 1800 years ago that Karikala did something unthinkable in those days. The Cauvery was a mighty river those days, furiously down from the west, as it headed towards the Bay of Bengal. Karikalan in his own wisdom decided to take on the river. He decided to build a dam across the river and divert the water to help farming..

Just where the Kollidam split off, he constructed a diversion with uncut rocks. Constructed even as the river continued to flow, the idea was to divert the water into canals to facilitate irrigation. The stones were held together by lime, mud and jaggery. A ingenious method that kept the wall of rocks strong.

For anyone wondering what jaggery doe sin all this, here’s the answer. Jaggery mixed with lime, ferments, which then helps in the carbonation of lime, increasing the compressive strength and binding properties of mortars. It also helps in delaying the setting time, thus giving time for construction on the go.

An idea ahead of its time, one that has endured for almost 2000 years.

Karikala’s grand vision ensured that approximately 70,000 acres of fertile land received a fresh lease of life, and agriculture took off. Many others who followed ensured that the Grand Anicut survived. It was the lifeline of the land and had to be preserved. The local government continues to maintain it and ensures it remains functional.

Today, the idea that was outrageously thought of and bravely executed centuries ago irrigates almost 1.3 million acres of land. Take that for a legacy.

The Kallanai, ( literally the stone dam) as it stands proudly, is a reminder of a past that was ingenious. Ideas that were simple, inventive and yet effective.

There is minimal historical reference about Karikala to go by. Works from the Sangam literature, like Pattinappalai and Cilappatikaram, stay as sources. There are works that describe a kingdom which prospered and had flourishing trade. All these are from books written in 300 CE and later.

Some of them refer to Karikala Chola’s northern campaigns and conquests. They give a glorious account of the northern expeditions of Karikala, which took him as far north as the Himalayas. The works describe his alliance and sometimes subjugation of the kings of the Vajra, Magadha, and Avanti countries. No contemporary evidence, either in the Sangam literature or in North Indian historical references, supports the notion that such an expedition took place.

While most of it remains a myth or imaginative reconstruction, the Kallanai stands as a solid, real testament to the achievement of Karikala Chola. It is inspirational even 2000 years later.

To most people milling around in the crowd, it is just another picnic spot. Noisy school children, couples with kids in tow, and a few locals can be seen running around. I don’t know how many of them appreciate the fact that they are in the presence of something profound—the vision of a king who is long gone.

An effort that has well and truly, stood the test of time.

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Sudhir Bhattathiripad

Indian Travel and Musings