Sangam literature Pandyan dynasty

four-armed vishnu, pandya dynasty, 8th–9th century ce.

pandya kings find mention in number of poems in sangam literature. among them nedunjeliyan, victor of talaiyalanganam , , mudukudimi peruvaludi of several sacrifices deserve special mention. beside several short poems found in akananuru , purananuru collections, there 2 major works – mathuraikkanci , netunalvatai (in collection of pattupattu) – give glimpse society , commercial activities in pandyan kingdom during sangam age.

it difficult estimate exact dates of these sangam age pandyas. period covered extant literature of sangam unfortunately not easy determine measure of certainty. except longer epics silapathikaram , manimekalai, common consent belong age later sangam age, poems have reached in forms of systematic anthologies. each individual poem has attached colophon on authorship , subject matter of poem. name of king or chieftain whom poem relates , occasion called forth eulogy found.

it these colophons, , texts of poems themselves, gather names of many kings , chieftains , poets patronised them. task of reducing these names ordered scheme in different generations of contemporaries can marked off 1 has not been easy. add confusions, historians have denounced these colophons later additions , untrustworthy historical documents.

any attempt @ extracting systematic chronology these poems should take consideration casual nature of these poems , wide differences between purposes of anthologist collected these poems , historian s attempts arrive @ continuous history.

pandyas mentioned greek megesthenes writes southern kingdom being ruled women. hiuen tsang mentions citing buddhist friend @ kanchi , callas malakutta or malakotta capital city not mentioned.