<P> These historic incidents received enormous emphasis in the later Chola period in the long mythical genealogies incorporated into the copper - plate charters of the 10th and 11th centuries . The earliest version of this is found in the Anbil Plates which gives fifteen names before Vijayalaya Cholan including the historical ones of Karikala, Perunarkilli and Kocengannan . The Thiruvalangadu Plate swells this list to forty - four, and the Kanyakumari Plate runs up to fifty - two . There are other lists gathered from literary works such as Kalingathuparani . No two of these lists agree, although some names and details are common to all . </P> <P> The earliest Chola kings of whom we have tangible evidence are those mentioned in the Sangam literature, written in the period 200 BCE--300 CE . Unfortunately, it has not been possible to piece together an internal chronology of the Sangam works . Due to this, we know of several rulers, but not their chronology . All three kings have been portrayed as fighting the war or involved in feeding both the armies at that legendary war . </P> <P> Karikala Chola (c. 90 BCE) stands pre-eminent amongst all those mentioned in Pattinappaalai . Karikala's father was Ilamcetcenni, a brave king and a hard fighter .' Karikala' means' elephant feller' or' charred leg', which is assumed to be a reference to an accident by fire which befell the prince early in his life . Pattinappaalai describes this accident and the enterprising way in which the prince escaped and established himself in the Chola throne . Pattinappalai is a long poem on the then Chola capital Kaveripattinam . This work also describes the numerous battles Karikala fought against the other two Tamil kings in one of which the Chera king was disgraced (received a wound on his back) and committed suicide . Karikala thus broke the confederacy that was formed against him and established hegemony over Pandyas and Cheras . </P> <P> In later times Karikala was the subject of many legends found in the Cilappatikaram and in inscriptions and literary works of the 11th and 12th centuries . They attribute to him the conquest of the whole of India up to the Himalayas and the construction of the flood banks, Grand Anicut, of the Kaveri River with the aid of his feudatories . These legends however are conspicuous by their absence in the works of Sangam . </P>

Who is considered the greatest of the early chola kings