From this lesson you will understand the history of the Pandya Kings. Sources of information about the Pandyas are also given in this lesson. Islamic conquest removed the Pandya Kings from the scene. However later Pandyas continued their services including commerce, education and religion.

    The first unit identifies the sources such as sangam works and coins, copper plates of வேள்விக்குடி, ஸ்ரீவரமங்கலம், சின்னமனூர் and தளவாய்புரம் and சிவகாசி சாசனங்கள். Hundreds of stone inscriptions provided vital clues to trace the history of the pandyas.

    The second unit deals with the early Pandyas such as பாண்டியன், கடுங்கோ, மாறவர்மன், இரணத்தீரன், வரகுணன், ஸ்ரீவல்லபன், இராஜகிம்மன் and வீரபாண்டியன்.

    In the third unit you will get the status of the Pandya government through the reign of RajaRaja I to Kulothunga III in eleventh and twelth centuries.

    The fourth unit is on the Pandya kingdom from 1200-1370 A.D. Twenty two kings are listed. Kannadigas called போசளர்கள் entered Tamilnadu near Tiruchirapalli. Mallik kabur moved from Delhi sultanate under king Alauddin into Tamilnadu and landed at Madurai. After him came ஊலூகான் who established Muslim rule in Pandya region in 1323 A.D.

    Later Pandyas are described in the fifth unit. In the middle of this period, தென்காசிப் பாண்டியர்கள் established themselves with தென்காசி as their capital. The cluster of living places called வளநாடுகள் were prominent in these years. A large number of smaller units of Pandya land enabled them to rule the state comfortably and benevolently. ஊர்ச்சபை, ஆவணக்களரி and அரசு இறை were relevant aspects of the Pandya contributions. Twin fish called கயல் was found in the Pandya flags. Between the fish were the two weapons called செண்டு and கோல்.

     Sangam works and religious literature provided a lot of objects and events to know about the pandya kingdom.You will appreciate the fourfold periodic divisions of the Pandya rule. The rise of the Pandyas and the fall of Cholas can be understood. Islamic conquest and the independent rule of the சம்புவராயர் are the important events of this period.