During his reign, his empire was attacked by Aryan's ( North Indian's ). He was successful in defeating them and thus he was given the title Ariyap-Padai-Kadantha-Nedunj-Cheliyan which means " Nedunj Cheliyan, who defeated an Aryan army ". Nedunj Cheliyan I was contemporary with the Chola king Karikal Chola The Great.
Nedunj Cheliyan I, at the beginning of his rule made coastal town of Korkai, at the mouth of river Tamraparni as his capital and ruled from there. During this time, the Tamil country consisted of several small kingdoms ruled over by independent chieftains, in addition to the three monarchies of Cheras, Cholas and Pandyas. Nedunj Cheliyan I wanted to expand his kingdom and invaded the kingdom of Kudal ( Later named as Madurai ), which was under the rule of an independent chieftain, Akutai. He defeated Akutai and moved capital of Pandyan kingdom to Madurai.
Nedunj Cheliyan I composed himself some verses in which he describes the importance of learning. These verses are preserved in the anthology called Pura-nanuru. In the verses he said " Help your teacher in his need, pay him amply, follow him faithfully and acquire learning. Amongst her own children, a mother loves not the son who is illiterate. Of the members of the same family, the eldest is not always honored, but it is the wisest of them whose counsel even a king would seek. Of the four castes of men, if one of the lowest is learned, a man of even the highest castewould resort to him." The king wrote such beautiful lines about learning and encouraged the people of his kingdom to learn.
His death was described in the epic poem Chilapp-athikaram. According to this poem, once one of the anklets of his queen had been stolen. The king ordered his palace guards to behead Kovilan who was a merchant of Kavirippaddinam, on the suspicion that he might be the thief. But the merchants wife Kannaki, proved that her husband was innocent and that the jewel was not the queen's. Kannaki also spoke to the king of those Chola kings of her native country, one of whom had cutoff his own flesh to satisfy an eagle which was about to eat a dove and thus saved the dove. She also said of another Chola king who killed his own son who rode in his chariot over a calf and caused its death.
On hearing this, the Pandyan king, Nedunj Cheliyan I stung with shame and repented and died in the throne with a broken heart. There was conflict on who succeeded him that means a conflict regarding the correct name of his son. Some say that the name of his son is Pudappandian and some say that the name of his son as Verri-Ver-Cheliyan who was then viceroy of Kotkai.
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