Rulers of Tamil Nadu - a dateline
listing [From 590 to 1948]
Tamil Nadu's history dates back
pre-historic times and archeological evidence points to this area
being one of the longest continuous habitations in India. From early
pre-history Tamil Nadu was the home of the three famous kingdoms of
the Chera, the Chola and the Pandya. The ancient Tamil literature
points to an ancient civilisation lasting since the dawn of
time.
The Sangam literature has numerous mentions of the kings and princes who ruled this region. Scholars now generally agree that this literature belongs to the first few centuries CE. The Sangam literature is full of names of the kings and the princes, and of the poets who extolled them. The early Cholas reigned between 1st and 4th centuries CE. The first and the most famous king of this period was Karikala Chola, who expanded the Chola territories up to Kanchipuram. The Cholas occupied the present Thanjavur and Tiruchirappali districts and excelled in military exploits. In the height of their glory, the Chola kings had spread their influence as far as Ceylon (SriLanka) in the south and hundreds of kilometers across the northern region. The early Cholas went into decline around the third century CE, when the Tamil country was invaded by Kalabhras who defeated the Tamil kingdoms and ruled for almost three centuries. They were defeated and the expelled in the sixth century CE by the Pallavas in the north and the Pandyas in the south.
Temple builders:
The Sangam literature has numerous mentions of the kings and princes who ruled this region. Scholars now generally agree that this literature belongs to the first few centuries CE. The Sangam literature is full of names of the kings and the princes, and of the poets who extolled them. The early Cholas reigned between 1st and 4th centuries CE. The first and the most famous king of this period was Karikala Chola, who expanded the Chola territories up to Kanchipuram. The Cholas occupied the present Thanjavur and Tiruchirappali districts and excelled in military exploits. In the height of their glory, the Chola kings had spread their influence as far as Ceylon (SriLanka) in the south and hundreds of kilometers across the northern region. The early Cholas went into decline around the third century CE, when the Tamil country was invaded by Kalabhras who defeated the Tamil kingdoms and ruled for almost three centuries. They were defeated and the expelled in the sixth century CE by the Pallavas in the north and the Pandyas in the south.
Temple builders:
Around 580 CE, the Pallavas, great temple builders, emerged into prominence and dominated the south for another 150 years. They ruled a large portion of Tamil Nadu with Kanchipuram as their base. They subjugated the Cholas and reigned as far as the Kaveri River. Among the greatest Pallava rulers were Mahendravarman I and his son Narasimhavarman I. Dravidian architecture reached its epitome during Pallava rule. The Cholas again rose to power by the 9th century. Under Rajaraja Chola and his son Rajendra Chola, the Cholas rose as a notable power in Asia. The Chola Empire stretched as far as Bengal. Rajaraja Chola conquered peninsular South India, and annexed parts of Sri Lanka. Rajendra Chola's navies went beyond, occupying coastal Burma, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Sumatra, Java, Malaya in South East Asia and Pegu islands. He defeated Mahipala, the king of the Bengal, and to commemorate his victory he built a new capital called Gangaikonda Cholapuram. Chola armies exacted tribute from Thailand and Cambodia.
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