The Grand Anicut

Southern India, first century CE.With the Pandyas conquered, the Cheras all but vanquished and the attention of the king of the north fixed on other lands, Tamilakam is flourishing under Chola rule. Trade in the Chola capital, Puhar, is booming, and King Karikalan's most ambitious infrastructure project is finally becoming a reality: a dam, the Grand Anicut, is being constructed to divert the waters of the Kaveri, to the elation of farmers across the land – and the discontent of the trader class.