Eternal India Encyclopedia

LURE- THRU THE AGES

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THE

CHERA KINGDOM 12th- 13 th Wars * Battle between the Cheras and Cholas 2ndC. A.D. * The battle of Vennil and the defeat of Cheras. * Conquest of southern Chera kingdom (783 A.D.) by Jatila Parakrama of Pan- dyan dynasty. * 'j'he conquest of Chola and Pandyan ter- ritories by Ravivarman of Kulashekara in 1315. Very little is known about the history of dheras and their territories; during the Christian era it ranked with the two other southern kingdoms of the period; they had two strong ports-Muziris (Periyar) and Bakasei (Kottam) through which pepper trade was carried on; with the cessation of trade between West and its ports, its wealth and power declined; a great battle was fought in the middle of the 2nd C. A.D. between the Cheras and the Cholas, in which the Chera king Adan lost his life; again at the battle of Vennil, the Chola king was victorious; another ruler Senguttuvan was powerful, Ch- era poets claim many success for him; he was succeeded by Yanaikkan who fought with the Cholas and Pandyas. At the beginning of the 8th century a Chera king was defeated by the Paramesvara (Pallava king) in 783; Jatila Parakrama of Pandya dynasty claims the conquest of southern part of Chera kingdom; Advent The Rajputs were the descendants of the Shakas, Hunas, Kushanas, Gujaras, etc., who came to India, merged into Indian society, married Indian women and made India their home (Tod). Perhaps they were a mixed race(Hunas, Shakas, old Ksha- triya tribes) and adopted Hindu ritual (V.A. Smith). Culture * Rajputs were proud of themselves, devel- oped into a proud and haughty aristoc- racy; cultivated the spirit of chivalry; had high sense of honour and respect for truth; their ideal was Rama and every Rajput was devoted to war; their loyalty to their chief and clan was very great. "High courage, patriotism, loyalty, honour, hos- . pitality and simplicity are qualities which must at once be connected to them (Tod) General RAJPUTS

C.A.D.

Overview * A dynasty located in Southern India and controlling a small strip of territories along the coast of Malabar. Their origin can be traced to at least 3rd C. B.C. (Ker- ala). * The earliest king was Udayan Cheraladan followed by Nedum Cheraladan. * The greatest king was Kadalpirakottiya Chenkuttuvan (Sangama age). * The earliest reference is provided by the edicts of Asoka entitled Keralaputra; Chera kingdom comprised 5 Nadus or districts. * Their ancient capital was Vanji, Vanen or Karur; later capital was Tiru-Vanji- Kalam. * Their heyday seemed to have been the early centuries of the Christian era. Advent * There is no definite information regard- ing the advent of Cheras; it has been gener- ally agreed that Chera and Kerala are only variant forms of the same word; Kerala means the rugged region of the western ghat, south of the Chandragiri river. Chronology * Adan. Overview * Dominated North India after the fall of Harsha. * They claimed to be lineal descendants of the Kshatriyas of the Vedic period. * The Rajput families traced their descent from Ram of Suryavamsi or solar clan and Krishna of Chandravamsi or lunar race (inscriptions of the 9th and 10th C.). * Known for their bravery and war was their ruling passion. * Raja Bhoja was the famous king and au- thor of the period; Hemachandra Suri, a great Jain saint lived during this period. * They were great builders - fort of Chittor- garh, Ranthambhor, Kumbhalgarh (Ra- jasthan); Palaces of Mansingh at Gwalior; the Khajuraho group of temples etc. * Senguttuvan. * Yjanaikkan. * Ravivarman Kulashekara (1299).

towards the end of the 8th century the harmonious relations between Chola and Chera kingdoms ended; Rajaraja I and Ra- jadhiraja of Chola dynasty claim the destruc- tion of Chera fleet and the conquest of the Chera lords; Cholas held the southern territory of the Chera kingdom until the beginning of their decline in the 12th century A.D.; Ravivar- man Kulasekhara came to Chera throne in 1299 and conquered Chola and Pandya king- doms in 1315; but later he was driven out from these regions and the history of Chera dynasty after him is obscure. Decline The decline of the Chera kingdom started after the death of Cheran Sengut- tuvan of Sangama age, various petty kings ruled; slowly and steadily the kingdom of Chera disappeared. Government Their government had feudal character. The Rajput kingdoms of north India were divided into a large number of estates (Jagirs ) under Jagirdars; the official was called as Kayastha headed by Brahmanas; the chief source of income was from the land, supplemented by taxes on trade and commerce; at village level panchayats ad- ministered civil and criminal justice and collected taxes. Society Caste system was dominant (Brahmanas, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras); Brahmanas occupied a place of respect and command, monopolised spiritual and other knowledge; soldiers were mainly Kshatriyas, business was done by Vaishyas and Shudras were confined to agriculture. Caste system later became