Karikalan was the first Chola king who was very famous for his valour and his justice. The name Karikalan, in Tamil,could mean either "Lord of death to Elephants" or "The one with the burnt legs". Karikalan's early history is based on his name. One tells that he was saved by his uncle from a fire that burnt his legs. Another claims that he was a specialized warrior in nutralising and killing elephants in a war.

Some stories from third Tamil Sangam literature detail his accomplishments. He became a king at a very young age. He was the first tamil king to conquer the whole of Indian subcontinent. He is praised as the one who engraved "the tiger", the chola emblem, on the Himalayas. He built a dam called "kallanai" (Stone Dam) across the river Kauveri to facilitate farming.

Sangam literature claims that he was the most just king Tamilakam (home of Tamils, Tamilnadu) has ever seen. One famous story details how he administered justice to two old men who had disputes regarding sharing their lands. These two old men quarelled that the other should take a major part of the lands they owned together(they were very close friends). When they came to Karikalan to solve their dispute, they saw that he was a mere boy and did not believe that he could help them. Karikalan went into a chamber and came disguised as a wise,old man and adviced that they should marry the son of the one old man to the daughter of the other and that the disputed lands should go to them as their wedding present from their fathers.