| |
|
continued..... A number of Chera kings are mentioned but there is little information about them. One of them, however, founds great reference in south Indian literature, Nedun Jeral Adan, who, it is claimed, conquered all the land as far as the Himalayas clearly a poetic conceit, as there is no reference to such heroic act appears. He is also said to have defeated a Roman fleet, which may have been an attack on Roman trading ships. The early Chola kings (first to fourth century A.D.) figure prominently in the Tamil literature. Karikala, who is also referred as the 'man with the charred leg', fought and won the battle of Venni against the combined forces of the Pandyas, the Cheras, and eleven minor chieftains. The Cholas gained supremacy over the others and this in turn gave them access to both the east and the west coasts of the southern tip of the peninsula. This proved to be remarkably useful, for ports could be built on both coasts and the overland route as well as the sea route from the west coast to the east could be used, as was the case with the Roman trade. Another hero king of the Cholas was Nalangilli, who was remembered for the Vedic sacrifices which he frequently performed. Vedic ritual must have fascinating and attractive to the Tamils, used as they were to far more earthy cults such the worship of Murugan, the god of war and fertility to whom offerings of rice and blood were made accompanied by orgiastic ritual dancing, led by the chief priests; or the simple worship of 'hero stones' commemorating those who had performed great feats in battle. For the Tamils this was the period of evolution from tribal chieftainships to kingdoms. The king remained primarily a war leader whose function was to protect his kingdom or tribe. Village councils and local assemblies are mentioned but not adequately defined. These were to develop into a powerful force in later Tamil culture, as also the temple, which became the centre of activity in each village. Yet the Tamils did not remain at a pastoral-agrarian stage for long. They rapidly moved towards a more complex politico-economic structure; this was in part due to the increasing impact of Aryan culture which brought with it the familiar pattern of hereditary kings, taxation systems, etc., but much more significant was the fact that south India was absorbed into the commercial development of the sub-continent which was taking place at the time. The emergence of Satavahana power, straddling across the northern Deccan, provided lines of communication between the north and the south, and trade within the sub-continent increased. Roman trade with the cast and west coasts and its concentration in the south helped in ending the isolation of the southern kingdoms. next page >> |
Copyright ©2000 indiansaga.info. All rights reserved.
By using this service, you accept that you won't copy or use the data given in this website for any commercial purpose.
The material on indiansaga.info is for informational & educational purpose only.
This site is best viewed at 800 X 600 picture resolution.
