Between 985 and 1014 C.E., Rajaraja Chola I (Tamil: ), often regarded as the greatest ruler of the Chola Empire, reigned. By capturing the kingdoms of southern India, he created the groundwork for the expansion of the Chola monarchy into an empire, and the Chola Empire reached as far as Kalinga (Orissa) in the northeast and Sri Lanka in the south. With the Chalukyas in the north and the Pandyas in the south, he engaged in several conflicts. Rajaraja established the Chalukya Chola dynasty by defeating Vengi. He conquered Sri Lanka and put the island under Chola rule for a century.

By dividing the nation into several districts and standardising income collection via meticulous land surveys, he simplified the administrative structure. By constructing the majestic Brihadisvara Temple at Thanjavur, he made it possible for his subjects to share in the wealth. His efforts paved the way for his son Rajendra Chola I's spectacular accomplishments, who took the empire's conquest over oceans and to its fullest extent.

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Arulmozhivarman, Rajaraja's birth name, was the third child of Parantaka Sundara Chola and Vanavan Mahadevi. He ascended to the throne following a protracted apprenticeship as the heir apparent following the death of Uttama Chola. Arulmozhi made a reputation for himself during the lifetime of his father Sundara Chola by his accomplishments in the fights against the Sinhala and Pandyan forces. Aditya II, the oldest son and presumed heir of Sundara Chola, had been killed in an unsolved murder.Uttama desired the Chola throne as his inheritance because he was Gandaraditya's lone child. After Aditya II passed away, Uttama coerced Sundara Chola into designating himself as the heir apparent rather than the well-liked Arulmozhi. Copper-plate inscriptions from Thiruvalangadu state:

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The Pandya, Chera, and Sinhala kingdoms in the south frequently joined forces to oppose the Cholas. The union of the kings of the Pandya and Krala kingdoms and of Ceylon was attacked by Rajaraja to start his conquests When Rajaraja ascended to the throne, he first waged war on the united forces of the Pandya and Chera. Rajaraja didn't launch a military operation until the seventh year of his rule, according to available information. He spent that time building up his army, organising it, and getting ready for military operations.

The initial military success of Rajaraja's rule was the war in Kerala about 994 CE. Early inscriptions by Rajaraja make use of the descriptor "Kandalur salai kalamarutta. According to reports, during the war, Rajaraja destroyed a fleet in the port of Kandalur", which was under the control of Chera King Bhaskara Ravi Varman Thiruvadi (c. 978 – 1036 C.E.).  The conquering of the Chera monarch and the Pandyas in Malai-nadu (on the west coast of South India) is frequently mentioned in inscriptions discovered at Thanjavur. When Rajaraja took Kandalur-Salai, which subsequent inscriptions say belonged to the Chera ruler, the Pandyas were most likely in control of it. Before the conquest was successful and the captured nation's administration could be set up correctly, it took a number of years.