Tamil Nadu GK · History & heritage

Ancient dynasties of Tamil Nadu: Cheras, Cholas, Pandyas and Pallavas

By the PrepMatic team · Updated 9 Oct 2026 · 4 min read

The ancient Tamil country was ruled by three crowned kings, the Cheras, Cholas and Pandyas (the Muvendar), during the Sangam age. After a gap of obscure rule by the Kalabhras, the Pallavas of Kanchipuram and the revived Pandyas dominated the 6th to 9th centuries, and the Imperial Cholas of Thanjavur built the great empire of the 9th to 13th centuries. This page puts the capitals, ports, emblems and best-known rulers in one place so you can revise them quickly.

The three Sangam-age kingdoms

Points that recur in questions:

• Ashoka's edicts name the Cholas, Pandyas and Keralaputras among the southern kingdoms outside his empire. This is the earliest outside reference to them.
• Karikala Chola is linked with the battle of Venni and with the Kallanai (Grand Anicut) across the Kaveri, one of the oldest water-regulation structures still in use. The Kallanai is traditionally credited to him; later rulers repaired and extended it.
• Cheran Senguttuvan is the Chera king of the Silappathikaram, who is said to have brought a stone from the Himalayas for the Pattini (Kannagi) idol.
• Aariyap Padai Kadantha Nedunchezhiyan is the Pandya whose title means "he who crossed the Aryan army". The Sangam poet Nakkirar and others sang about him.
• The Sangam poems (see Sangam literature works) and Greek and Roman accounts such as the Periplus show a busy trade with Rome through Musiri, Puhar and Korkai.

The Kalabhra interlude

Between the Sangam age and the 6th century, the Kalabhras ruled much of the Tamil country. Records of this period are thin, so it is often called the "dark age". Pallava king Simhavishnu and Pandya king Kadungon, both around the end of the 6th century, ended Kalabhra rule and restarted the two dynasties.

The Pallavas of Kanchipuram

Pallava art is taught in four phases named after the king: the Mahendra style (cave temples), the Mamalla style (monolithic rathas and mandapas), the Rajasimha style (structural stone temples) and the Nandivarman style. The Pallava emblem was the Nandi (bull). Pallava rule ended in the late 9th century when the Chola king Aditya I defeated the last Pallava ruler, Aparajita.

The Imperial Cholas

The Chola administrative ladder runs from mandalam (province) to valanadu, nadu and kurram, with village bodies called the ur, sabha and nagaram. The Chola empire declined in the 13th century as the later Pandyas under Maravarman Sundara Pandya and Jatavarman Sundara Pandya rose; Rajendra III is generally named as the last Chola king.

Later Pandyas and what came after

The Pandya revival under Kadungon in the 6th century carried on to the 9th century. The second Pandya empire (about 1190 to the early 14th century) was at its height under Jatavarman Sundara Pandya, and the traveller Marco Polo visited the Pandya country around the end of the 13th century. In 1311, Malik Kafur's army raided Madurai. Madurai then fell to a short-lived sultanate, and Vijayanagara rule and the Madurai Nayaks followed.

Frequently asked questions

Who were the Muvendar?

Muvendar means "the three crowned kings": the Cheras, Cholas and Pandyas of the Sangam age. Each had a capital, a port and an emblem, as in the first table.

Which dynasty built the Brihadeeswarar Temple?

The Imperial Chola king Rajaraja I built it at Thanjavur and it was completed in 1010. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Great Living Chola Temples.

Who built the Shore Temple at Mamallapuram?

It is generally credited to the Pallava king Narasimhavarman II (Rajasimha), in the early 8th century. The five monolithic rathas there belong to the earlier time of Narasimhavarman I (Mamalla).

What are the Uttaramerur inscriptions?

They are Chola-period inscriptions on a temple wall at Uttaramerur, near Kanchipuram, from the reign of Parantaka I. They describe how members of the village assembly were selected by a lot system, which makes them a favourite source for questions on local government in medieval Tamil Nadu.

Where does this topic appear in the TNPSC syllabus?

It sits in the Tamil Nadu history and culture unit. See the TNPSC Tamil Nadu history, culture and heritage guide for how to study it with the rest of that unit.

Official sources

• Archaeological Survey of India: protected monuments and site notes.
• UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Great Living Chola Temples
• Tamil Nadu Department of Archaeology: inscriptions and excavation reports.
• Samacheer Kalvi history textbooks for Classes 6 to 12, the base text for questions.

Dates for early rulers are approximate and vary between sources, so use the textbook version for exams and check the latest TNPSC notification for the syllabus.

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