Pearl of the south
- POSTED ON: 7 Mar, 2020
- TOTAL VIEWS: 790 Views
- POSTED BY: Madhumitha Srinivasan
- ARTICLE POINTS: 150 Points
The great Pandya empire, along with the Chera and Chola were the three ancient kingdoms that ruled South India. Together they were called “the three crowned rulers of the Tamil country”.
While its the exact period of origin is unknown (it is mentioned by Greek authors in the 4th century), the Pandya kingdom flourished until the 16th century, mainly centred in present-day Tamil Nadu and parts of Kerala and Sri Lanka. There were periods of obscurity and revival in between.
Pandya kings, who were called either Jatavarman or Maravarman, maintained friendly trade and diplomatic ties with Greek, Roman, Chinese, and Egyptian empires. Travellers Marco Polo, Megasthenes and Yu Huan make mention of the Pandya empire’s riches. In fact, Marco Polo notes that it is one of the richest he had ever seen.
Given below are five facts about the Pandya empire, but they are incomplete. Can you guess the answer for each?