Pandya Dynasty: Map & History
The Pandya dynasty, also referred to as the Pandyas of Madurai, was an ancient Tamil dynasty of South India, and among the four great kingdoms of Tamilakam, the other three being the Pallavas, the Cholas and the Cheras.
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The Pandya dynasty, also referred to as the Pandyas of Madurai, was an ancient Tamil dynasty of South India, and among the four great kingdoms of Tamilakam, the other three being the Pallavas, the Cholas and the Cheras. Existing since at least the 4th to 3rd centuries BCE, the dynasty passed through two periods of imperial dominance, the 6th to 10th centuries CE, and under the 'Later Pandyas'. In the second half of the 13th century under Jatavarman Sundara Pandyan I and Maravarman Kulasekara Pandyan I, the Pandyas ruled extensive territories including regions of present-day South India and northern Sri Lanka through vassal states subject to Madurai. The Pandya dynasty is considered to be one of the longest ruling dynasties in the world, in power continuously from roughly 400 BCE to 1618 CE, although its territorial and administrative extent varied significantly.
Modern Countries Once Part of Pandya Dynasty
At its mapped extent, Pandya Dynasty covered territory in 1 present-day country. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
States and Provinces
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside Pandya Dynasty's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
Pandya Dynasty in Depth
History
Mauryan emperor Asoka (3rd century BCE) seems to have been on friendly terms with the people of south India and Sri Lanka (the Cholas, the Pandyas, the Satiya Putras, the Kerala Putras and the Tamraparnis). There are no indications that Asoka tried to conquer the extreme south India (the Tamilakam—the Abode of the Tamils).
The three chiefly lines of early historic south India—the Cheras, Pandyas and Cholas—were known as the mu-vendar ("the three vendars"). They were traditionally based at their original headquarters in the interior Tamil Nadu (Karur, Madurai and Uraiyur, respectively). The powerful chiefdoms of the three ventar dominated the political and economic life of early historic south India.
Economy
The Pandya country, located at the extreme southwestern tip of South Asia, served as an important meeting point throughout the history of India. The location was economically and geopolitically significant as a key point connecting the shipping between Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Graeco-Roman merchants frequented the ancient Tamil country, present day south India and Sri Lanka, securing contacts with the Tamil chiefdoms of the Pandya, Chola and Chera families. The western sailors also established several trading settlements on the harbours of the ancient Tamil region. The trade with South Asia by the Greco-Roman world flourished since the time of the Ptolemaic dynasty a few decades before the start of the Common Era and remained long after the fall of the Western Roman Empire.
Sources of Pandya history
The Greek ambassador to Chandragupta Maurya, Megasthenes mentions the Queen of the Pandyas as 'Pandaia' and locates them in the south of India extending into the ocean. It consisted of 365 villages which met the needs of the royal palace each day of the year. He described the queen Pandaie as daughter of Heracles (by some authors as Shiva or Krishna). Madurai, capital of Pandyas is mentioned in Kautilya's Arthashastra (4th century BCE) as 'Mathura of the south'.
The earliest Pandya to be found in epigraph is Nedunjeliyan, figuring in the Tamil-Brahmi Mangulam inscription (near Madurai) assigned to 3rd and 2nd centuries BCE. The record documents a gift of rock-cut beds, to a Jain ascetic.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Pandya dynasty (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Pandya Dynasty Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which Pandya Dynasty appears, with the other states of the time.
Pandya Dynasty Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 77,513 km² in 916 CE.
Pandya Dynasty: Frequently Asked Questions
When did the Pandya Dynasty exist?
The Pandya Dynasty is dated to 592 CE – 921 CE, in the Early Middle Ages era.
What was the capital of the Pandya Dynasty?
The capital of the Pandya Dynasty was Korkai (port, early historic), Madurai (till 1335 CE), Tenkasi (1422–1618 CE).
How large was the Pandya Dynasty at its peak?
At its peak in 916 AD the Pandya Dynasty covered about 77,513 km².
How did the map of the Pandya Dynasty change over time?
The Pandya Dynasty appears on 3 dated world maps in the atlas, from 600 CE to 900 CE. Each shows its borders in that year next to the other states of the time.
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