In this episode, Lucas and Luna dive into the Chola naval tradition from a new angle: the men and women who made it work. We look at the shadowy figure of the Chola 'admirals' — known as the 'Lord of the Sea' in inscriptions — and their role in projecting power across the Bay of Bengal. The spotlight falls on the Battle of Kandalur Salai in 988 CE, where Rajaraja I crushed a Chera naval base, a clash that some scholars read as a response to Chera piracy in the Malabar spice trade. We also explore the Chola practice of 'naval diplomacy' — sending fleets to protect Tamil merchant settlements in Kadaram (Srivijaya) and even to the Maldives, where they kept the atolls paying tribute in cowrie shells. Along the way, we touch on the shipbuilding techniques that let them sail monsoon winds, the role of the Ayyavole guilds in financing expeditions, and the question of whether the Cholas ever had a formal standing navy or relied on merchant vessels and coastal pilots. With a nod to the famed Thanjavur temple's inscription listing naval personnel, this episode offers a fresh take on how South India ruled the waves.
#CholaNavy #RajarajaI #BattleOfKandalurSalai #KandalurSalai #Chera #BayOfBengal #Kadaram #Srivijaya #Maldives #CowrieShells #Ayyavole #TamilMerchants #MonsoonNavigation #Thanjavur #NavalDiplomacy #SouthIndia #IndianOcean #FexingoHistory
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