PANDYA DYNASTY
PANDYA DYNASTY The Pandya Dynasty, also referred to as the Pandyas of Madurai, was an ancient Tamil dynasty of South India and among the three great kingdoms of Tamizhagam, the other two being the Cholas and the Cheras. Existing since at least the 4th to 3rd centuries BCE, the dynasty passed through two periods of imperial dominance, the 6th to 10th centuries CE and under the 'Later Pandyas' (13th to 14th centuries CE). The Pandyas ruled extensive territories, at times including regions of present-day South India and northern Sri Lanka through vassal states subject to Madurai. The Pandyas entered their golden age under Maravarman I and Jatavarman Sundara Pandya I (13th century). Pandya Nadu was home to a number of renowned temples, including the Meenakshi Temple, Madurai. Epic poem Silappatikaram mentions that the emblem of the Pandyas was that of a fish.