Characteristics of Pandya Kings in the Sangam Era

The Pandyan kingdom was an ancient Tamil state in South India. They, along with the Chera and Cholas were the three most prominent ancient Tamil kingdoms. Their period of rule collectively lasted till the fifteenth century from prehistoric times.Initially, they adopted Korkai as their capital. However, later they made Madurai their new seat of power. Under Jatavarman Sundara Pandyan, the Pamdyan kingdom witnessed its golden age. They conquered the northern half of the island of Sri Lanka and this period saw the largest expansion of the Pandyan kingdom. Their territories at this point in time also included Kerala. They also had maritime trade relationships with other Southeast Asian kingdoms.

The Pandyas are mentioned in the Sangam literature texts. These texts were composed in the assemblies of learned and revered literary personalities of ancient South India, called the Sangam academies. They also received royal patronage from the Pandyas and flourished under them. The Sangam texts are considered masterpieces of ancient Tamil literature. The Sangam period lasted from 600 BCE to 300 CE.

Sangam Period

The word Sangam in the Tamil language can be closely associated with the Sanskrit word Sangha, which means an association or a group of like-minded people. The Tamil Sangam was an association of poets and revered literary figures. There were mainly three periods in which Sangams flourished. These academies or Sangam also received royal patronage under the Pandya dynasty.

The legend says that the first Sangam was attended even by the Gods and the revered sages, in Madurai. It was held under the royal patronage of the Pandya king Makeerthy. Rishi Agastya, a learned sage, presided over the first Sangam. According to the legend, the first Sangam was held in Madurai, which was submerged underwater at that time. It is believed that several Gods of the Hindu pantheon also attended the event such as Shiva and Kubera and that it lasted for a period of 4400 years. However, no written record or literature from the first Sangam is available in any form.

The second Sangam was held at Kapadapuram, which was another capital of the Pandya kingdom. It is believed to be attended by a huge number of revered poets and bards. It was held under the presidency of Tolakappiyar. There were a total of 59 members of the second Sangam and a total of 1700 poets are believed to have participated in the assembly which lasted for 3700 years. The only surviving literature from this Sangam is Tolkappiyam(early Tamil grammar).

The third and perhaps the most documented Sangam was held in the present Madurai. A vast collection of literature was produced in this Sangam but only a part of that is available from this Sangam which has survived from this age. It was presided over by Nakkirar under the partisanship of 59 Pandyan kings.

Sangam Tamil Literature

The works composed during the Sangam Era are considered masterpieces in Tamil literature. According to legends, thousands of poems and literary works were composed in Sangams. However, only a handful have survived in the modern era. Some of the prominent works out of the Sangam literature include Tolkappiyam, Pattuppattu, Ettutogai, Pathinenkilkanakku, and two epics named Silappathikaram and Manimegalai.

The Tolkappiyam is considered the earliest surviving work from the Sangam literature. It is believed to have been composed during the second Sangam. It is essentially the earliest known book on Tamil grammar. However, it also gives insights into several other aspects of

the ancient Tamil lifestyle such as socio-economic conditions. This book deals with  Ezhuthu (letter), Col (word), and Porul (subject matter) in three parts, each comprising nine sections.

The Ettuthogai is made up of eight books on anthology-Ainkurunuru, Agananooru,Narrinai, Purananooru, Kurunthogai, Kalithogai, Paripadal, and Pandiruppu. The Pattuppattu consists of works-Thirumurugarruppadai,Porunarruppadai,Sirupanarruppadai,Perumpanarruppadai, Nedunalvadai, Mullaippattu, Madurai Kanji, Kurinjippatttu, Pattinappalai, and Malaipadukadam (total 10 in number).

The Pathinenkilkanakku consists of eighteen works on ethics and morals. Among these, Tirukkural, authored by Thiruvalluvar, a revered Tamil poet, is considered the most significant.

The Pandya Dynasty

The kings of the Pandya dynasty founded the Pandya state. This state was a major power in  South India along with Chola and Chera kingdoms till the advent of the Muslim rulers such as the Delhi Sultanate. Madurai was the capital of the kingdom of Pandyas. The three kingdoms of Chola, Chera and Pandya were constantly involved in bitter rivalry and competition. This led to several wars with varying results and outcomes. The Pandyas were known to have trade relationships with the Romans. It is also believed that they sent embassies to the Roman emperor Augustus. The kingdom of Pandyas was mentioned in one of the works of Megasthenes for the first time. According to him, it was famous for its pearls. It is difficult for historians to fully enlist the names of all the monarchs falling under the Pandya dynasty. For instance, the names of ancient Pandya kings have not been fully verified. However, the following is the list of kings under the Pandya dynasty, according to the work of Sasti(1998):

• Kadungon (560 – 590)
• Maravarman Avani Culamani (590 – 620)
• Cezhiyan Cendan (620 – 640)
• Arikesari Maravarman Nindraseer Nedumaaran (640 – 674)
• Kochadaiyan Ranadhiran (675 – 730)
• Arikesari Parankusa Maravarman Rajasinga (730 – 765)
• Parantaka Nedunjadaiyan (765 – 790)
• Rasasingan II (790 – 800)
• Varagunan I (800 – 830)
• Sirmara Srivallabha (830 – 862)
• Varaguna II (862 – 880)
• Parantaka Veeranarayana (862 – 905)
• Rajasimha III (905 – 920)
• Sundara Pandya I
• Vira Pandya I
• Vira Pandya II
• Amarabhujanga Tivrakopa
• Jatavarman Sundara Chola Pandya
• Maravarman Vikrama Chola Pandya
• Maravarman Parakrama Chola Pandya
• Jatavarman Chola Pandya
• Srivallabha Manakulachala (1101 – 1124)
• Maaravaramban Seervallaban (1132 – 1161)
• Parakrama Pandyan (1161 – 1162)
• Kulasekara Pandyan III
• Vira Pandyan III
• Jatavarman Srivallabha (1175 – 1180)
• Jatavarman Kulasekara Devan (1180 – 1216)
• Maravarman Sundara Pandya (1216 – 1238)
• Sundaravaramban Kulasekaran II (1238 – 1240)
• Maaravaramban Sundara Pandyan II (1241 – 1251)
• Jatavarman Sundara Pandyan (1251 – 1268)
• Maaravaramban Kulasekara Pandyan I (1268 – 1311)
• Sundara Pandyan IV (1309 – 1327)
• Vira Pandyan IV (1309 – 1345)

Conclusion

Sangam literature is the most important part of Tamil literature and its works are considered masterpieces by scholars. Sangams were assemblies of revered literary figures. These assemblies authored some of the most famous works of literature in Tamil. These academies or assemblies also received royal patronage from the Pandya dynasty. It is believed that there were three periods of the Sangam Era. Not much information is available about the first two periods. However, the third Sangam Era has been confirmed by historians to have occurred between the 6th century BCE and the 3rd century CE.