Category History

          The Pandyas, Cholas and Cheras were blessed with fertile land where rice, ragi, sugarcane, pepper and spices were grown. The kingdoms were neatly divided into cities, towns, ports and villages. The royal palaces were well decorated and surrounded by gardens.

          Nedunjeliyan’s palace was a marvel; it had priceless lamps, ivory beds and ‘beautiful cushions. The rich had houses built of brick, while the poor and the villagers lived in mud and thatched structures.

          All the three kingdoms were known for their large armies comprising of elephants, horses, chariots and foot-soldiers. Horses were imported from overseas. The kingdoms of the south had good trade relations inland and abroad, and were a hub of art and crafts.

         Religions of the south were greatly influenced by the north; though there were Brahmanas, Jains, Buddhists and Ajivikas, Brahmanas gained dominance over time. Local people also worshipped hero-stones that were erected when someone was killed in battle.

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          There was no practice of recording history during the Chola period, but Ashoka’s inscriptions talk about the Cholas. Elara and Karikala Chola were two important Chola kings; Elara conquered Sri Lanka in 2nd century BC following which, Karikala Chola built Puhar, a large port that acted as a centre of trade.

          The name Karikala meant ‘elephant feller’ or ‘charred leg’. He was very rich; the tale of a poet who received a gift of 1,600,000 gold pieces from Karikala Chola is famous.

          Another Chola king, Kochchenganan is mentioned in Kalavali by Poygayar. He fought a battle with the Chera king Kanaikkal lrumporai following which the latter was imprisoned. Poygayar, who was a friend of the Chera king, wrote a poem praising Kochchenganan’s battle; Kochchenganan was pleased with the poem and freed the prisoner! The Chola monarchs were good administrators; they were friendly to the subjects and therefore approachable. Justice was meted out directly by the king on most occasions. Chola kings often took to the battlefield in person. They also had good trade relations with the Roman Empire.

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          Much of what is said about the Pandyas in modern histories comes from archaeological and numismatic evidences. The Pandyan kingdom lay to the south of the Mauryan Empire and their capital was shifted from Korkai, to Koodal (now Madurai) during the reign of Nedunjeliyan I. Nedunjeliyan II is the most popular warrior among the early Pandyas; he won the battle at Talaialanganam, against an army of Cholas and Cheras and five other kingdoms combined.

          With Korkai being the hub of trade, the Pandyan kingdom was known for its pearl fisheries. They even had active maritime trade relationships with the west; they used to export pearls, spices, ivory and shells. The Pandyan Empire was also home to famous temples including the Meenakshi Temple in Madurai, and Nellaiappar Temple in Tirunelveli.

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          Long time ago, three literary meetings (sangams) were held in Madurai under the patronage of the Pandya kings. Poets and writers came to these sangams to recite their works and listen to the works of others. This period is known as the Sangam Age and the works that were composed by the Tamil poets during the Sangam Age is known today as Sangam Literature.

          Though some of the works were lost in time, most of it including Tholkappiyam- a book of grammar, Ettutogai- eight collections of poems and two long poems known as Pattuppattu exist even today. The earliest work among these is the Tholkappiyam. Authored by Tholkappiyar, the book provides information on social, economic and political conditions of the Sangam Age along with treatises on Tamil grammar.

          Pathinenkilkanakku, eighteen works dealing with ethics and morals were composed post the Sangam Age among which Thiruvalluvar’s Thirukkural is the most popular. Two other popular works, Silappathigaram by Ilango Adigal and Manimekalai by Sittalai Sattanar belong to the post-Sangam period.

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          The Pandyas, Cheras and Cholas, three ancient Tamil dynasties ruled the south of India for a long period of time.

          The Pandyas were one of the longest ruling dynasties in the history of India; they occupied the southernmost part of the peninsula and ruled the Tamil country from pre-historic times until the end of the 15th century.

          The Cholas lived to the north-east of the Pandyas. Positioned between Pennar and Velar rivers, the Chola land was fertile. Though their capital was Uraiyur, it was shifted to Puhar (Kaveripattanam) later.

          The Cheras lived in the south-west of Tamil Nadu, in present-day Kerala. The Chera kingdom was renowned for buffaloes, jack-fruit, pepper and turmeric. The Chera rule belongs to two different time-periods-the Sangam Age and post 9th century AD. These three dynasties were constantly at war with each other.

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          The kingdoms that emerged after the decline of the Mauryas were not as mighty as them. The Mauryas were succeeded by the Shungas; Pushyamitra Shunga killed the last Mauryan king Brihadrata around 189 BC to establish his kingdom. Apart from Pushyamitra Shunga, there were nine other Shunga kings who ruled over Magadha and the Gangetic valley.

          The Shunga rule came to an end when Vasudeva of the Kanva dynasty overthrew the last Shunga ruler. He was followed by four other Kanva kings who ruled from Magadha. Kalinga became an independent kingdom after Ashoka’s reign, around the first century BC. Kharavela was the most famous among the Kalinga kings. He made rock-caves for the Jain monks in the hills of Orissa.

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