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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. [10] [91]
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.
Under the Sangam Pandyan rule, the region served as one of richest locations in India with its extensive involvement in maritime trades with Southeast Asia and the Western world. The Pandyan pearls, fished from the Gulf of Mannar and the Pearl Coast, were found to be of the highest quality and were adorned by the people of the Roman Empire. [9]
Vettuvan Koil in Kalugumalai, Pandyan architecture, 8th century CE. The Pandyan empire is believed to have first emerged circa 600 BC and was one of the leading Tamil dynasties of Southern India. [1] There were various forms of art and many architectural communities within the empire, and their work was sold to overseas markets. [2]
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. 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.
The Three Crowned Kings, [a] were the triumvirate of Chera, Chola and Pandya who dominated the politics of the ancient Tamil country, Tamilakam, from their three Nadu (countries) of Chola Nadu, Pandya Nadu (present day Madurai and Tirunelveli) and Chera Nadu (present day Kerala and some parts of Tamilnadu) in southern India.
All the Pandyas of the Varagunarama Pandya period were under the Vijayanagara Empire and paid them tribute. [9] However, other sources invariably mention that though the Madurai Nayakas were in-charge of Madurai, from time to time, they were opposed by and had skirmishes with the Tenkasi Pandyans, who are also said to have had intermittent control of Madurai.
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.