Page 64 - SST Class 06

by workers (called dasyus ) under the arrangement had trade relations with the Romans. The Pandya
of division of crops or payment of land rent. rulers and people revered the Vedic rituals and held
the Brahmins in high esteem.
The pasture land, lying beyond the village fields,
was a public property on which all people could Kanchi
CHOLAS Puduke
graze their cattle.
S rirang Ka
Info Bits
Info Bits Muziris apat nam ve ri Gangaikondacholapuram
Chidambaram
t
Kaveripattnam (Puhar)
Uraiyur Nagapattinam
Thanjavur
Madurai DYAS
Megasthenese has written about the Pandya PAN
CHERAS
kingdom that it was founded by a woman who Korkai
maintained a large and strong army. Kanyakumari
Tamraparni
INDIAN SRILANKA OCEAN
CASE STUDY : TAMIL NADU
Chola, Pandya and Chera kingdoms
In the territory what is known as Tamil Nadu now,
there ruled three dynasties in different places Chera Kingdom
between the period 200 BC to 300 AD. These three The Chera kingdom comprised of the present day
dynasties were the Cholas, the Pandyas and the state of Kerala, with only a small part of Tamil
Cheras. The area of influence of the Cheras was Nadu. It was a prosperous kingdom. It maintained
essentially Kerala with a small area now forming a trade relations with other kingdoms and
part of Tamil Nadu. civilisations. One of its important rulers was
Chola Kingdom Senguttuvan , who is said to have invaded the
northern India. This kingdom too declined in the
The Chola kingdom was located between the Pennar second century AD.
and the Velur rivers around the Kaveri River. Its
capital was at Puhar (presently Kaveripattanam). It Source of Information
came to limelight in circa 200 BC when its ruler, The source of information about the Cholas,
Elara conquered Sri Lanka and ruled it for 50 years. Pandyas and Cheras includes the Jataka Tales and
Another important ruler was Karikala. The Cholas the Indica. Ashoka’s inscriptions also mention
maintained a large and strong navy. They sailed about them. Pliny, a Roman historian, too has
right up to the mouth of Ganga. The Chola kingdom written about them. An important source of these
flourished but it declined in the third century BC three kingdoms is also the Sangam literature,
due to inefficient rulers. about which you will read in the following lesson.
Pandya Kingdom
Activity
The Pandya kingdom comprised of Tirunelveli,
Ramnad and Madurai in the present day Tamil Mark the following on a map of India :
Nadu. Its capital was Madurai. The Pandya kingdom Chola kingdom, Pandya kingdom, Chera kingdom,
was a prosperous kingdom, known for its pearls. It Kaveri River, Pennar River

v The second urbanisation is called the Age of the Buddha because Buddhism flourished during this period.
v The towns and cities founded during second century BC and third century AD had a part of the town
planned for its roads, buildings, palaces etc.
v Many towns became famous for their special crafts or fields, as Varanasi for silken sarees and clothes.
v While the society formed into different castes, the people of different varnas started to take up different
occupations.
Contemporary Social Science-6
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