Pandya
Pandya was an Indian dynasty ruling much of the southern Tamil-speaking area in ancient times. The dynasty was first mentioned in the fourth century BCE by the Sanskrit grammarian Katyayana and rose to influence in the sixth century CE. The earliest Pandyan king to whom a definite name and date can be ascribed is Nedum-Cheliyan, in the second century CE. Ancient writers repeatedly refer to the wealth of the kingdom, which had an extensive trade network reaching over-seas. As the kingdom expanded, however, this led to clashes with several neighboring powers, including the Cholas, Kongu, the Pallavas, and the Chalukyas. The Pandyas were defeated and eclipsed by the Chola empire, but as this power began to decline in the thirteenth century, the Pandyas again emerged. Their territory was roughly that of the modern districts of Madurai, Tirunevelli, and Kanyakumari, and their capital was at Madurai. The dynasty was probably matrilineal, like that more recently in the royal house of Travancore. Marco Polo twice visited the Pandya kingdom, in 1288 and 1293, and was much impressed. In 1310 the eunuch general of the Delhi sultan, Malik Kafur, raided and brought an abrupt end to the Pandya dynasty. Thereafter, they were no more than local chieftains, retaining some land near Madurai.
Further Reading
Nilakanta Sastri, K. A. (1955) A History of South India from Prehistoric Times to the Fall of Vijayanagar. Madras, India: Oxford University Press.
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