{"id":49502,"date":"2025-06-07T13:23:31","date_gmt":"2025-06-07T07:53:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=49502"},"modified":"2025-06-10T10:46:23","modified_gmt":"2025-06-10T05:16:23","slug":"pandya-dynasty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/pandya-dynasty\/","title":{"rendered":"Pandya Dynasty"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Pandya Dynasty Latest News<\/h2>\n<p>An 800-year-old Shiva temple of the later Pandya period was recently unearthed at Udampatti, a village in Melur taluk, Madurai district, Tamil Nadu.<\/p>\n<h2>About Pandya Dynasty<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The Pandya dynasty was an\u00a0<strong>ancient Tamil dynasty<\/strong>\u00a0of South India that\u00a0<strong>developed during the Sangam Age.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>It is\u00a0<strong>one of the three Tamil dynasties<\/strong>, the other two being the\u00a0<strong>Chola and the Chera.\u00a0<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>The kings of the three dynasties were referred to as the\u00a0<strong>Three Crowned Kings of Tamilakam.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>The\u00a0<strong>Early Pandyas ruled<\/strong>\u00a0parts of Southern India f<strong>rom at least 4th century BCE<\/strong>.\u00a0<strong>Pandya rule ended<\/strong>\u00a0in the fi<strong>rst half of the 16th century CE.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>They\u00a0<strong>ruled extensive territories,<\/strong>\u00a0at times including the\u00a0<strong>Chera (Kerala) country<\/strong>, the\u00a0<strong>Chola country,<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<strong>Ceylon (now Sri Lanka)\u00a0<\/strong>through collateral branches subject to Madura.<\/li>\n<li>They\u00a0<strong>initially ruled\u00a0<\/strong>their country, Pandya Nadu,\u00a0<strong>from Korkai<\/strong>,\u00a0<strong>a seaport<\/strong>\u00a0on the southernmost tip of the Indian Peninsula, and in l<strong>ater times moved to Madurai.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>The\u00a0<strong>early Pandya Dynasty\u00a0<\/strong>of the Sangam Literature\u00a0<strong>faded into obscurity upon the invasion of the Kalabhras.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>The dynasty\u00a0<strong>revived under Kadungon in the early 6th century<\/strong>,\u00a0<strong>pushed the Kalabhras out<\/strong>\u00a0of the Tamil country, and\u00a0<strong>ruled from Madurai.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>They again\u00a0<strong>went into decline with the rise of the Cholas in the 9th century<\/strong>\u00a0and were in constant conflict with them.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>The Pandyas\u00a0<strong>allied themselves with the Sinhalese and the Cheras in harassing the Chola<\/strong>\u00a0empire until they found an opportunity for\u00a0<strong>reviving their fortunes during the late 13th century.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>The L<strong>ater Pandyas (1216\u20131345)\u00a0<\/strong>entered their\u00a0<strong>golden age under Maravarman Sundara Pandyan and Jatavarman Sundara Pandyan (c.\u20091251)<\/strong>, who\u00a0<strong>expanded the empire into Telugu country,conquered Kalinga (Orissa),<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<strong>invaded\u00a0<\/strong>and conquered\u00a0<strong>Sri Lanka.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>They also had\u00a0<strong>extensive trade links with the Southeast Asian maritime empiresof Srivijaya\u00a0<\/strong>and their successors.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>The Pandyas\u00a0<strong>excelled in both trade and literature.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>They\u00a0<strong>controlled the pearl fisheries<\/strong>\u00a0along the South Indian coast between Sri Lanka and India, which produced some of the finest pearls in the known ancient world.<\/li>\n<li>The Pandyas had<strong>\u00a0diplomatic relations as far as Rome.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>The\u00a0<strong>symbol\u00a0<\/strong>of the Pandya Dynasty was the\u00a0<strong>fish<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Pandya Dynasty Literary Sources<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Pandyas are\u00a0<strong>mentioned in Sangam literature<\/strong>\u00a0(c. 100\u2013200 C.E.) as well as by\u00a0<strong>Greek and Roman sources<\/strong>\u00a0during this period.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>The country of the Pandyas was\u00a0<strong>described as Pandaie by Megasthenes<\/strong>,\u00a0<strong>Pandi Mandala in the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea<\/strong>\u00a0(1st-century CE Greco-Roman travelogue) and as\u00a0<strong>Pandya Mediterranea\u00a0<\/strong>and Modura Regia Pandionis\u00a0<strong>by Ptolemy.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Pandya Dynasty Literary Sources Cultural Contributions<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The Pandya empire was home to temples including\u00a0<strong>Meenakshi Temple<\/strong>\u00a0in\u00a0<strong>Madurai<\/strong>, and\u00a0<strong>Nellaiappar Temple in Tirunelveli.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Jainism, Shaivism, and Vaishnavism flourishedduring\u00a0<\/strong>the reign of the\u00a0<strong>early Pandya<\/strong>\u00a0kings, but\u00a0<strong>after the revival of the Pandya power by Kadungon,<\/strong>\u00a0the\u00a0<strong>Shaivite Nayanars and the Vaishnavite Alvars rose\u00a0<\/strong>to prominence. and the\u00a0<strong>non-Hindu sects declined.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Traditionally, the l<strong>egendary Sangams<\/strong>\u00a0(congregation of Tamil poets who created the great Sangam literature) were\u00a0<strong>held in Madurai under their patronage<\/strong>, and some of the Pandya Kings were poets themselves.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Under Pandya patronage,\u00a0<strong>Tamil poets and scholars thrived,<\/strong>\u00a0enriching Tamil literature significantly.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>The dynasty also made\u00a0<strong>notable contributions to art, music, and dance, particularly Bharatanatyam.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Advancements in irrigation and agriculture<\/strong>\u00a0further bolstered their economic stability.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>The Pandyas actively\u00a0<strong>promoted education<\/strong>\u00a0and e<strong>stablished renowned centers of learning.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Pandya Dynasty Literary Sources Decline<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>During their history, the Pandyas were\u00a0<strong>repeatedly in conflict with the Pallavas, Cholas, Hoysalas,<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<strong>finally the Muslim invaders from the Delhi Sultanate.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>The\u00a0<strong>Islamic invasion\u00a0<\/strong>led to the\u00a0<strong>end of Pandya supremacy in South India,\u00a0<\/strong>and in\u00a0<strong>1323<\/strong>, the Jaffna Kingdom of\u00a0<strong>Sri Lanka declared its independence<\/strong>\u00a0from the crumbling Pandya Empire.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>The Pandyas\u00a0<strong>lost their capital city, Madurai, to Madurai Sultanate in 1335.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>However, they s<strong>hifted their capital to Tenkasi<\/strong>\u00a0and continued to rule the Tirulnelveli, Tuticorin, Ramanad, and Sivagangai regions.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Meanwhile, the\u00a0<strong>Madurai sultanate<\/strong>\u00a0was\u00a0<strong>replaced by Nayaka governors of Vijayanagara in 1378.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>In 1529 Nayaka governors declared independence<\/strong>\u00a0and<strong>\u00a0established the Madurai Nayak dynasty.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Pandya Dynasty FAQs<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Q1<\/strong>. What was the earliest known capital of the Pandya Dynasty?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans<\/strong>. They initially ruled their country, Pandya Nadu, from Korkai, a seaport on the southernmost tip of the Indian Peninsula, and in later times moved to Madurai.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q2<\/strong>. Which ancient travelogue referred to the Pandya territory as &#8220;Pandi Mandala&#8221;?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans<\/strong>. Periplus of the Erythraean Sea<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q3<\/strong>. Which symbol is associated with the Pandya Dynasty?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans<\/strong>. Fish<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/epaper.thehindu.com\/ccidist-ws\/th\/th_delhi\/issues\/134703\/OPS\/GVOEFK5QB.1+G77EFM897.1.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">TH<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Pandya dynasty was an ancient Tamil dynasty of South India that flourished during the Sangam Age, known for its rich culture, trade, and literature.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":49499,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[733],"class_list":{"0":"post-49502","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-prelims-current-affairs","8":"tag-pandya-dynasty","9":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49502","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49502"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49502\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49499"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49502"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49502"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49502"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}