Rajaraja Chola's Maritime Might: The 'Brahmastra' That Wreaked Havoc from Sri Lanka to Indonesia
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Rajaraja Chola's Genius: Transformed Sea Pirate into Naval 'Brahmastra'
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News18•05-03-2026, 15:02
Rajaraja Chola's Genius: Transformed Sea Pirate into Naval 'Brahmastra'
•Rajaraja Chola strategically converted a notorious sea pirate, 'Kadal Kottravan', into a formidable naval commander.
•Kadal Kottravan, active near Pondicherry and Nagapattinam, commanded fast ships (Marakkalam, Toni) and was skilled in sea warfare.
•Instead of eliminating him, Chola offered the defeated pirate a key role, leveraging his expertise for the empire's navy.
•The former pirate's strategies were pivotal in the 993 CE Chola campaign, leading to the swift capture of northern Sri Lanka from King Mahinda V.
•His naval tactics also contributed to the 1025 CE campaign against the Srivijaya Empire (Indonesia, Malay islands) under Rajendra Chola, expanding Chola influence across Southeast Asia.