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The Tamil society during the early Pandyan age had several class distinctions among the people, which were different from the Vedic classification of Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras. [1] The highest class below the king, among the Tamils, was the Arivar or the sages.
The Early Pandyas of the Sangam period were one of the three main kingdoms of the Tamilakam (southern India), the other two being the Cholas, and Cheras dynasty. As with many other kingdoms around this period (earlier than 200 BCE), most of the information about the Early Pandyas come to modern historians mainly through literary sources and some epigraphic, archaeological and numismatic evidence.
Chola Purva Patayam ("Ancient Chola Record"), a Tamil language manuscript of uncertain date, contains a legend about the divine origin of the three crowned kings. According to it, the Shramana king Shalivahana (also known as Bhoja in this story) defeated Vikramaditya , and started persecuting the worshipers of Shiva and Vishnu .
The Pandya empire included extensive territories, at times including large portions of south India and Sri Lanka. The rule of the empire was shared among several royals, one of them enjoying primacy over the rest. The Pandya king at Madurai thus controlled these vast regions through the collateral family branches subject to Madurai. [9] [90]
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 14th century CE. The Pandyas excelled in both trade and literature.
The head of the government was the king, a hereditary monarch, who ruled with unaided discretion. [1] The ascension to the throne was normally hereditary, sometimes through usurpation and occasionally based on unusual methods of choosing a king such as sending out the royal elephant to select a person of its choice by garlanding them.
There were various communities each providing different crafts fundamental to Pandyan culture. [14] It is evident that the empire held a significant influence over art across all of Southern India. [15] The primary artisan groups formed an association referred to as the Kammalar, composed of a goldsmith, brass smith, blacksmith, carpenter and ...
Kulasekara Pandyan (1479–1499 CE) Cataiyavarman Civallappa Pandyan (1534–1543 CE) Parakrama Kulasekara Pandyan (1543–1552 CE) Nelveli Maran (1552–1564 CE) Cataiyavarman Adiveerama Pandyan (1564–1604 CE) Varathunga Pandyan (1588–1612 CE) Varakunarama Pandyan (1613–1618 CE) Kollankondan ( Approx 1620 CE) Mutharaiyar dynasty (600 and ...