Tenkasi Pandyas

Tenkasi Pandyas
1422 C.E.–1618 C.E.
Flag of Pandya kingdom
A close depiction of Tenkasi Pandiya flag as per archaeological findings and historians illustration.[1]
Location of the present day Tenkasi (Capital of Tenkasi Pandyas) and Madurai (Pandya dynasty's traditional capital)
CapitalTenkasi
Official languagesTamil[2][3]
Religion
GovernmentMonarchy
• 1422–1463 CE
Sadaavarman Parakrama
• 1613–1618 CE
Varagunarama
Historical eraEarly modern era
• Established
1422 C.E.
• Disestablished
1618 C.E.
Preceded by		 Succeeded by
Medieval Pandyas
Delhi Sultanate
Madurai Nayak dynasty
Nayaks of Gingee
Today part ofTamil Nadu, India
Map of Tenkasi and Tirunelveli pandiyas
Map of Tenkasi and Tirunelveli pandiyas

Tenkasi Pandyas were the Pandya kings from Sadaavarman Parakrama Pandya to his successors who ruled with Tenkasi as their capital.[4] With the invasion of the Sultanates, Vijayanagaras, and Nayakars from the fourteenth century onwards, the Pandyas lost their traditional capital of Madurai and shifted to cities like Tenkasi and Tirunelveli.[5] Tenkasi was the last capital of the Pandyas.[6] All the Pandyas from Sadaavarman Parakrama Pandya and his next generations were crowned in the Adheenam Mutt[7] in Kasi Viswanathar temple.[8] During the same period, some Pandyas ruled with Tirunelveli as their capital. Kayatharu, Vadakkuvalliyur, and Ukkirankottai are some of their major cities. Inscriptions on them are found in Tenkasi's Kasi Viswanathar temple, Brahmadesam, Cheranmadevi, Ambasamudram, Kalakkad and Pudukkottai. The last Pandyan king to be known in the history of the Pandyas was Kolakonda, who was also among the Tenkasi Pandyas.

Sadaavarman Parakrama Pandya and his descendants who ruled Tenkasi.
Gateway of the Kasi Viswanathar temple in Tenkasi
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All the Pandyas of the Varagunarama Pandya period were under the Vijayanagara Empire and paid them tribute.[9] However, other sources invariably mention that though the Madurai Nayakas were in-charge of Madurai, from time to time, they were opposed by and had skirmishes with the Tenkasi Pandyans, who are also said to have had intermittent control of Madurai. The Tenkasi Pandyas also had imperial ambitions, fought some wars, conquered territories outside their terrain. This is proven by the fact that the last Tenkasi Pandyan king bore the title "Kollamkondan", which means the one who conquered Kollam in Malayalam country.[10]

  1. ^ Walter Codrington, Hubert (1975). Ceylon Coins and Currency. Asian Educational Services. ISBN 9788120609136.
  2. ^ Upinder Singh (2008). A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century. Pearson Education India. p. 46. ISBN 978-81-317-1120-0. Kings of the Chola and Pandya dynasties also issued Tamil and bilingual Sanskrit–Tamil inscriptions.
  3. ^ C. Sivaramamurti (1977). L'Art en Inde. H. N. Abrams. p. 60. ISBN 978-0-8109-0630-3. Thus the state language was Tamil whether the inscriptions were from the north or the south and whether the dynasty was Gupta, Vakatak[a], Vardhana, Maukhari, Pratihara, Paramara, Chandella, Pala, Sena, Gahadavala, Haihaya, Ganga, Pallava, Chola, Pandya, Chalukya, Rashtrakuta, or Vijayanagar[a]. Inscriptions were sometimes written in regional languages, but they invariably had a preface in Sanskrit.
  4. ^ "4.5 பிற்காலப் பாண்டியர் (கி.பி. 1371 - 1650)". தமிழ் இணையப் பல்கலைக்கழகம். Retrieved 27 November 2012.
  5. ^ Karashima, Noburu. 2014. 'The Fall of the Old States', in A Concise History of South India: Issues and Interpretations, ed. Noburu Karashima, pp. 173–74. New Delhi: Oxford University Press.
  6. ^ ":: TVU ::". www.tamilvu.org. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  7. ^ Vanamamalai, N.; Vān̲amāmalai, Nā (1981). Interpretation of Tamil Folk Creations. Dravidian Linguistics Association. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  8. ^ "தென்காசி காசிவிசுவநாதசுவாமி கோயில் வரலாறு கோயில் வெளியீடு". 1964. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  9. ^ Sathianathaier, R.; Aiyar, R. Sathyanatha (1991). History of the Nayaks of Madura. Asian Educational Services. ISBN 978-81-206-0532-9. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  10. ^ "தென்காசிப் பாண்டியர்கள் !". dhinasari.com. 30 November 2019. Retrieved 1 August 2020.