Talk:Pandyan kingdom/Pandyas rewrite

The Pandyan kingdom was an ancient Tamil state in South India of unknown antiquity. Pandyas were one of the three ancient Tamil kingoms (Chola and Chera being the other two) who ruled the Tamil country from pre-historic times until end of the 15th century. They ruled initially from Korkai, a sea port on the southern most tip of the Indian penisula, and in later times moved to Madurai. Pandyas are mentioned in Sangam Literature (c. 100 - 200 C.E.) as well as by Greek and Roman sources during this period.

The early Pandyan dynasty of the Sangam literature went into obscurity during the invation of the Kalabhras. The dynasty revived under Kadungon in the early 7th century C.E., pushed the Kalabhras out of the Tamil country and ruled from Madurai. They again went into decline with the rise of the Cholas in the 9th century C.E. and were in constant conflict with them. Pandyas allied themselves with the Sinhalese and the Kerals in harrassing the Chola empire until they found an opportunity for reviving their fortunes during the late 13th century.

Pandyas entered their golden age under Jatavarman Sundara Pandya (c. 1251) who expanded their empire in to Telugu country and invaded Sri Lanka to conquer the northern half of the island. They also had extensive trade links with the Southeast Asian maritime empires of Srivijaya and their successors. During their history Pandyas were repeatedly in conflict with the Pallavas, Cholas, Hoysalas and finally the Muslim invaders from the Delhi Sultanate. The Pandyan Kingdom finally became extinct after the establishment of the Madurai Sultanate in the 16th century C.E.

The Pandyas excelled in both trade and literature. They controlled the pearl fisheries along the south Indian coast, between Sri Lanka and India, which produced one of the finest pearls known in the ancient world. Tradition holds that the legendary Sangams were held in Madurai under their patronage. Some of the Sangam poets were Pandya kings.

Sangam Literature
Various Pandya kings find mention in a number of poems in the Sangam Literature. Among them Nedunjeliyan, 'the victor of Talaiyalanganam', yet another Nedunjeliyan 'the conqueror of the Aryan army' and Mudukudimi Peruvaludi 'of several sacrifices' deserve special mention. Besides several short poems found in the Akananuru and the Purananuru collections, there are two major works - Mathuraikkanci and the Nedunalvadai (in the collection of Pattupattu) give a glimpse into the society and commercial activities in the Pandyan kingdom during the Sangam age.

It is difficult to estimate the exact date of these Sangam age Pandyas. The period covered by the extant literature of the Sangam is unfortunately not easy to determine with any measure of certainty. Except the longer epics Cilappatikaram and Manimekalai, which by common consent belong to the age later than the Sangam age, the poems have reached us in the forms of systematic anthologies. Each individual poem has generally attached to it a colophon on the authorship and subject matter of the poem, the name of the king or chieftain to whom the poem relates and the occasion which called forth the eulogy are also found.

It is from these colophons and rarely from the texts of the poems themselves, that we gather the names of many kings and chieftains and the poets and poetesses patronised by them. The task of reducing these names to an ordered scheme in which the different generations of contemporaries can be marked off one another has not been easy. To add to the confusions, some historians have even denounced these colophons as later additions and untrustworthy as historical documents.

Any attempt at extracting a systematic chronology and data from these poems should be aware of the casual nature of these poems and the wide difference between the purposes of the anthologist who collected these poems and the historian’s attempts are arriving at a continuous history.

Epigraphy
The earliest Pandya to be found in epigraph, is Nedunjeliyan figuring in the Minakshipuram record assigned to c. second to the first century B.C.E. The record documents a gift of rock-cut beds, to a Jain ascetic. Punch marked coins in the Pandya country dating from around the same time have also been found.

Pandyas are also mentioned in the Pillars of Ashoka (inscribed 273 - 232 B.C.E.). Asoka in his inscriptions refers to the peoples of south India as the Cholas, Cheras, Pandyas and Satiyaputras. These kingdoms, although not part of the Mauryan Empire, were in friendly terms with Asoka.

Foreign Sources
The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea (c. 60 - 100 C.E.) describes the riches of a 'Pandian Kingdom':
 * ...Nelcynda is distant from Muziris by river and sea about five hundred stadia, and is of another Kingdom, the Pandian. This place also is situated on a river, about one hundred and twenty stadia from the sea.... 

Chinese biographer Yu Huan in his text Weilue mentions a The Kingdom of Panyue - '...The kingdom of Panyue is also called Hanyuewang. It is several thousand li to the southeast of Tianzhu (Northern India)...The inhabitants are small; they are the same height as the Chinese...'

The Roman emperor Julian received an embassy from a Pandya about 361 C.E. A Roman trading centre was located on the Pandyan coast (Alagankulam - at the mouth of the Vaigai river, southeast of Madurai).

Pandyas also had trade contacts with Ptolemaic Egypt and, through Egypt, with Rome by the first century C.E., and with China by the 3rd century C.E. The 1st century C.E. Greek historian Nicolaus of Damascus met, at Damascus, the ambassador sent by an Indian King "named Pandion or, according to others, Porus" to Caesar Augustus around 13 C.E.

First Empire
After the close of the Sangam age, the first Pandyan empire was established by Kadungon in the 6th century C.E. defeating the Kalabhras. The following is a chronological list of the Pandya emperors is based on an inscription found on the Vaigai riverbeds.

After the defeat of the Kalabhras, the Pandya kingdom grew from strength to strength and witnessed a steady increase in its power and territory. With the Cholas in obscurity, the Tamil country was divided between the Pallavas and the Pandyas, the river Kaveri being the frontier between them.
 * Kadungon 560 - 590 C.E.
 * Maravarman Avani Culamani 590 - 620 C.E.
 * Cendan 620 - 650 C.E.
 * Arikesari Parankusa Maravarman 650 - 700 C.E.
 * Koccadaiyan Ranadhiran 700 - 730 C.E.
 * Maravarman Rajasimha 730 - 765 C.E.
 * Parantaka Nedunjadaiyan 768 - 815 C.E.
 * Srimara Srivallabha 815 - 862 C.E.
 * Varaguna II 862 - 885 C.E.
 * Parantaka Viranarayana 862 - 905 C.E.
 * Rajasimha II 905 - 920 C.E.

After Vijayalaya Chola conquered Thanjavur defeating the Muttarayar chieftains in c. 850 C.E. the Pndyas went into a period of decline. They were constantly harrassing their Chola overlords occupying their territories. Parantaka Chola I invaded the Pandya territories and defeated Rajasinha II. However Pandyas reversed this defeat to gain back most of their lost territories.

Under the Cholas
The Chola domination of the Tamil country began in earnest during the reign of Parantaka Chola II. Chola armies led by Aditya Karikala, son of Parantaka Chola II defeated Vira Pandya in battle. The Pandyas were assisted by the Sinhalese forces of Mahinda IVPandyas were driven out of their territories and had to seek refuge in the island of Sri Lanka. This was the start of the long exile of the Pandyas. They were replaced by a series of Chola viceroys with the title Chola Pandyas who ruled from Madurai from c. 1020 C.E.

The following list gives the names of the Pandya kings who were active during the 10th and the first half of 11th century C.E. It is difficult to give their date of accession and duration of their rule. Nevertheless their presence in the southern country require recognition.


 * Sundara Pandya I
 * Vira Pandya I
 * Vira Pandya II
 * Amarabhujanga Tivrakopa
 * Jatavarman Sundara Chola Pandya
 * Maravarman Vikrama Chola Pandya
 * Maravarman Parakrama Chola Pandya
 * Jatavarman Chola Pandya
 * Srivallabha Manakulachala (1101 - 1124 C.E.)
 * Maaravaramban Seervallaban (1132 - 1161)
 * Parakrama Pandiyan (1161 - 1162C.E.)
 * Jadavarman Srivallaban
 * Jadavarman Kulasekara Devan (1190 - 1221 C.E.)

Pandya Revival
The 13th century is the greatest period in the history of the Pandyan Empire. Their power reached its zenith under Jatavarman Sundara Pandya in the middle of the 13th century. The foundation for such a great empire was laid by Maravarman Sundara Pandya early in the 13th century C.E.


 * Maravarman Sundara Pandya (1216 - 1241 C.E.)
 * Sundaravaramban Kulasekaran II (1238 - 1240 C.E.)
 * Maaravaramban Sundara Pandiyan II (1241 - 1251 C.E.)
 * Jadavarman Sundara Pandya (1251 - 1283 C.E.)
 * Maaravaramban Kulasekara Pandyan I (1268 - 1311 C.E.)
 * Sundara Pandyan IV (1309 - 1327 C.E.)
 * Vira Pandyan IV (1309 - 1342 C.E.)

End of Pandyas
After being overshadowed by the Pallavas and Cholas for centuries, Pandyan glory was briefly revived by the much celebrated Jatavarman Sundara Pandyan in 1251 and the Pandya power extended from the Telugu countries on banks of the Godavari river to the northern half of Sri Lanka. On the death of Maaravaramban Kulasekara Pandyan I in 1308 C.E. a conflict stemming from succession disputes arose amongst his sons. Sundara Pandya and Vira Pandya fought each other for the throne. Soon Madurai fell into the hands of the invading armies of the Delhi Sultanate. Pandyas and their descendants where confined to a small region around Thirunelveli for a few more years and after the 17th century C.E. we hear no more of them.

NAMES MISSED
sir, this page is okay, but Sangam king names have been put aside, and corresponding map also needed. You say it is controversial, but kindly look in all the kingslist of other dynasties, even in the Wikipedia pages, eg, early Pallavas, Satavahanas early list, Sisunaga and Nandas list, in all these only names are known that too from their indigenous literatures only, neither have inscriptions and coins es proof. This even goes to Chinese and Sumerian lists, all from copied down pieces of literatures only. What I say is when we have the names why dont we use them in the list, or else if you want arch evidence and not rely on literat,

kindly delete the lists of Sisunaga, Sumerian, and all others in Wikipedia pages.

Anyway I think the list I gave was justifiable from at least 500 B.C.E. If from Puram and other Sangam works one cannot understand the genealogy (it's there so open, only people who can read, write Tamil and understand Old Tamil can derive the list ) that's not the fault of Sangam authors either. And much earlier kings are known from Nakkeerar's Iraiyanaar agapporul which also gives duration, number of authjors, poets, kings,presiding poets of each Sangam.

In your new work, after Caenthan some four middle Pandyan names are missing. kindly see my middle Pandya list. Picture of Madurai temple can be included, I think. Thankyou. Senthilkumaras 08:54, 21 March 2006 (UTC)