The famous Chola king Karikala of the Sangam age is credited with constructing a dam on the Kaveri river. It is considered to be the earliest dam in the country.
Towards the end of the reign of Rajadhiraja Chola, he sacked the Western Chalukyan capital Kalyanapuram and assumed the title Kalyanapuramgonda Chola and performed a Virabhisheka under the name Vijaya Rajendra Cholan.