Kingdoms and Life in the South
Class 7 Social Science · Chapter 6: The Age of Reorganisation · NCERT Exploring Society: India and Beyond section 6.4
Learn
In the far south, from about the 3rd century BCE to the 3rd century CE, three kingdoms competed and prospered: the Cholas, Cheras and Pāṇḍyas, the "three crowned kings". Even Aśhoka's empire stopped at their borders. This was the Sangam Age, named after assemblies (sangam, from Sanskrit saṅgha) of poets whose works form the oldest literature of south India, poems of love, heroism and generosity that historians read to understand the times.
The Chola king Karikāla defeated a combined Chera–Pāṇḍya force. He built the Kallaṇai (Grand Anicut), a water-diversion system on the Kāveri near Srirangam that brought more land under cultivation and made the delta the "rice bowl of the South"; restored many times, it still irrigates fields today. The Cheras (Keralaputra), ruling from Vanji (Karur), exported spices, timber, ivory and pearls to Rome and West Asia and supported Sangam poets. The Pāṇḍyas of Madurai were famed for pearls, trade and naval power, and their inscriptions stress care for their people and respect for all beliefs.
The Tamil epic Silappadikāram ("The Tale of the Anklet") follows Kaṇṇagi, whose husband Kovalan was wrongly executed in Madurai for stealing an anklet. She proved his innocence with her matching anklet; the shocked Pāṇḍya king died, and Kaṇṇagi was later honoured as a goddess in the Chera land. The story centres on justice and the ruler's dharma to protect it, and takes readers through rich trading cities of all three kingdoms.
Explore: which southern kingdom?
- Sort each clue.
Remember
- The Cholas, Cheras and Pāṇḍyas ruled the south in the Sangam Age, known from the oldest Tamil poetry.
- Karikāla's Grand Anicut, Chera and Pāṇḍya sea trade and the Silappadikāram show a rich, connected south.
Quick check
The Kallaṇai (Grand Anicut) was built by …
- the Chola king Karikāla
- Aśhoka
- Kaṇiṣhka
- Khāravela
Answer
the Chola king Karikāla. It still irrigates the Kāveri delta.
Think about it
Why might pearls have been such valuable trade goods?
One answer
They are rare, beautiful, small and light to carry, last a long time, and were prized by royalty in distant lands like Rome.
Practice
Practise with fresh questions at three levels (easy, medium, hard), some answered hands-on, with hints and worked answers. Get 4 of your last 5 right to finish the topic.