Pandya Empire: Map & History
The Pandya dynasty, also referred to as the Pandyas of Madurai, was an ancient Tamil dynasty of South India, and among the four great kingdoms of Tamilakam, the other three being the Pallavas, the Cholas and the Cheras.
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The Pandya dynasty, also referred to as the Pandyas of Madurai, was an ancient Tamil dynasty of South India, and among the four great kingdoms of Tamilakam, the other three being the Pallavas, the Cholas and the Cheras. Existing since at least the 4th to 3rd centuries BCE, the dynasty passed through two periods of imperial dominance, the 6th to 10th centuries CE, and under the 'Later Pandyas'. In the second half of the 13th century under Jatavarman Sundara Pandyan I and Maravarman Kulasekara Pandyan I, the Pandyas ruled extensive territories including regions of present-day South India and northern Sri Lanka through vassal states subject to Madurai. The Pandya dynasty is considered to be one of the longest ruling dynasties in the world, in power continuously from roughly 400 BCE to 1618 CE, although its territorial and administrative extent varied significantly.
Modern Countries Once Part of Pandya Empire
At its mapped extent, Pandya Empire covered territory in 1 present-day country. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
States and Provinces
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside Pandya Empire's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
Pandya Empire in Depth
History
Mauryan emperor Asoka (3rd century BCE) seems to have been on friendly terms with the people of south India and Sri Lanka (the Cholas, the Pandyas, the Satiya Putras, the Kerala Putras and the Tamraparnis). There are no indications that Asoka tried to conquer the extreme south India (the Tamilakam—the Abode of the Tamils).
The three chiefly lines of early historic south India—the Cheras, Pandyas and Cholas—were known as the mu-vendar ("the three vendars"). They were traditionally based at their original headquarters in the interior Tamil Nadu (Karur, Madurai and Uraiyur, respectively). The powerful chiefdoms of the three ventar dominated the political and economic life of early historic south India.
Economy
The Pandya country, located at the extreme southwestern tip of South Asia, served as an important meeting point throughout the history of India. The location was economically and geopolitically significant as a key point connecting the shipping between Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Graeco-Roman merchants frequented the ancient Tamil country, present day south India and Sri Lanka, securing contacts with the Tamil chiefdoms of the Pandya, Chola and Chera families. The western sailors also established several trading settlements on the harbours of the ancient Tamil region. The trade with South Asia by the Greco-Roman world flourished since the time of the Ptolemaic dynasty a few decades before the start of the Common Era and remained long after the fall of the Western Roman Empire.
Sources of Pandya history
The Greek ambassador to Chandragupta Maurya, Megasthenes mentions the Queen of the Pandyas as 'Pandaia' and locates them in the south of India extending into the ocean. It consisted of 365 villages which met the needs of the royal palace each day of the year. He described the queen Pandaie as daughter of Heracles (by some authors as Shiva or Krishna). Madurai, capital of Pandyas is mentioned in Kautilya's Arthashastra (4th century BCE) as 'Mathura of the south'.
The earliest Pandya to be found in epigraph is Nedunjeliyan, figuring in the Tamil-Brahmi Mangulam inscription (near Madurai) assigned to 3rd and 2nd centuries BCE. The record documents a gift of rock-cut beds, to a Jain ascetic.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Pandya dynasty (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Pandya Empire Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which Pandya Empire appears, with the other states of the time.
Pandya Empire Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 220,110 km² in 1254 CE.
Pandya Empire: Frequently Asked Questions
When did the Pandya Empire exist?
The Pandya Empire is dated to 1216 CE – 1325 CE, in the High & Late Middle Ages era.
What was the capital of the Pandya Empire?
The capital of the Pandya Empire was Korkai (port, early historic), Madurai (till 1335 CE), Tenkasi (1422–1618 CE).
How large was the Pandya Empire at its peak?
At its peak in 1254 AD the Pandya Empire covered about 220,110 km².
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