Battle of Kandalur Salai The Kandalur War ( or Kanthalur War ) was a naval battle between Chola Empire and Later Chera forces at the port - town of Kandalur salai ( now called Valia - ssala ) , near Vizhinjam in present day Kerala state , South India around the end of the 10th century AD and was the beginning of the larger military campaigns of the Chola Empire under Raja Raja Chola I . A hero - stone belonging to the reign of the Chola emperor , Raja Raja I , unearthed in Tamil Nadu in 2009 , talks about Raja Raja Chola I “ beheading the Malai Alargal ” - the Chera warriors of Kanthalur Salai . The inscription settles a long - standing debate about what Raja Raja Chola did at Kanthalur Salai . There was a debate whether he had destroyed the boats , brought under his control an autonomous Vedic educational centre situated there or defeated the Chera warriors trained there in Vedas and warfare . By this discoveries the latter proves to be the fact . It touches on points that he built a mantapa there , that he split in two a naval vessel belonging to the Chera king and that he destroyed a number of boats . The kingdoms of Pandya , Kulasekhara ( Later Chera ) and Sinhala were often allied against the Cholas at the end of the 10th century ( around 985 AD ) and Chola king Raja Raja Chola I ' s initial campaigns were against the combined Pandya and Kulasekhara armies . The Kandalur War is often regarded as the first military achievement of Raja Raja Chola I ’ s reign ( 985 - 1014 AD ) . The arrest and ill - treatment of an envoy of the Chola king Raja Raja Chola I by the Kulasekhara ( Later Chera ) king Bhaskara Ravi Varman I ( 962 - 1019 AD ) led to the initial skirmishes . This is an example of the reaction to the breakdown diplomatic immunity . In this campaign Rajaraja is said to have destroyed a fleet in the port of Kandalur , which appears to have been situated in the Chera kingdom . However , some years ' fighting apparently was necessary before the conquest could be completed and the conquered country could be sufficiently settled for its administration could be properly organized . Raja Raja Chola I ’ s early inscriptions use the descriptive " " Kandalur salai kalamarutta " " . Inscriptions found around Thanjavur show that frequent references are made to the conquest of Later Chera and the Pandyas in Malainadu . However , some historians argue Kandalur salai , which only later inscriptions claim to have belonged to the Chera , may be held by the Pandya when it was conquered by Raja Raja Chola I . Tamil poet “ Kavimani ” Desika Vinayagam Pillai had suggested that when the Chera king stopped the free distribution of food at the Vedic educationcentre at Kanthalur Salai , Raja Raja Chola intervened and revived the practice . However , historians says that researchers rejected this viewpoint . The epigraphist , T . N . Subramaniam , had been of the view that Kanthalur Salai must have functioned autonomously , without any royal control . Thereafter , K . K . Pillai had suggested that when Raja Raja Chola wanted to bring about changes in the functioning of the Vedic school at Kanthalur Salai , its trustees , who had functioned independently till then , must have resented it . Raja Raja Chola , therefore , must have despatched his soldiers to bring the rebellious teachers and pupils under his control . Kandalur salai is believed to have been established by Karunandadakkan ( 857 - 85 AD ) , an Ay ruler . The Salai s were Vedic schools associated with temples ( Kanthalur Salai , Parthivapuram Salai , Thiruvalla Salai , Moozhikkulam Salai etc . ) were residential in nature , with students living in proximity to the teacher .