2. • Sangam is derived from the word Sangha meaning an Assembly or a
Sabha.
• Between 200 BCE and 300 BCE, Tamil scholars and poets had gathered at
Madurai in South India to publish their works in Tamil. Such a gathering is
called Sangam.
• The published works of these scholars are called as Sangam Literature.
And the period during which they compiled is known a Sangam Age.
• It is said that three Sangam were held. Most of the poems and ballads
during the second and third assemblies had survived. Sangam literature
mostly tells us about wars, heroic deeds of king and soldiers and the life
and culture of Sangam Age.
3.
4. The principal ruling chiefs of the Cheras, Cholas and
the Pandyas are collectively known as the Muvendars or
the three crowned kings.
They were considered the supreme ruling authority and
all other chiefs were subordinate to them.
The Muvendars ruled over the areas of Tamilakam
(present day Tamilnadu and Kerala. )
The Tamilakam consisted of 5 geographical areas-
mountainous regions, pastoral grasslands, fertile river
valleys, coastal areas and deserts,
6. The Cheras ruled over the region of present day Kerala and parts of
Tamilnadu.
In Sangam literature, the word Cheras means “hill country” and the Chera
kings were called the ‘Kings of Slopes’.
According to the literary sources, the first king of Chera Dynasty was Uthiyan
Cheralathan.
They had good trade relations with the Greeks and the Romans. The romans
imported large quantities of pepper.
The Cheras established their capital at Karur.
The Tamil epic Shilapadhikaram mentions that the famous Chera king
Senguttuvan ruled from Karur. Muziris on the Malabar coast was their chief
port.
The emblem of Cheras was the bow.
Archaeological excavations reveal examples of pottery, bricks, mud toys,
Roman and Chera coins.
The Cheras were conquered and ruled by the Pandyas and then by the
Pallavas, and then later, the Cholas.
8. The kingdom of Cholas mainly consisted of the Tiruchi- Thanjavur
regions of Tamil nadu.
The main capital of Cholas was at Uraiyur and the secondary capital was
at Kaveripattinam.
The emblem of Chola kings was the tiger.
The poem Pattinappalai describes the achievements of the Chola king
Karikala Chola.
Karikala means the one with charred legs. It is believed that the king
lost one of his legs in an accident in his early childhood. He had defeated
Pandyas and Cheras in the battle of Venae.
He is regarded as the first Tamil king to conquer Srilanka. After Karikala,
the power of Chola declined.
10. The Pandyas ruled over the territories of Madurai, Tirunelveli and
Ramanathapuram in Tamil nadu.
Madurai was the capital of Pandyas and Koraikai was one of the chief
ports.
The fish was their emblem.
The most famous Pandya king was Nedunchezian, who was a brave
warrior.
He is said to have defeated the combined forces of Cheras, the Cholas and
five other kingdoms near Tanjore.
Pandya was a prosperous kingdom, who had flourishing trade relations
with Greeks and Romans.
Pearl fishery was common.
Other items of trade include spices, ivory, shells, while the imports
include horses, gold, glass and wine.
11.
12. The Satavahanas ruled over parts of modern Maharashta
, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana regions.
The most important ruler was Gautamiputra Satakarni.
The capital of Satavahanas Paithan or Pratishtan in
Maharashtra.
The e Satavahanas kings were called the ‘Lords of
Dakshinapatha’ or the route leading to the South.
The Satavahanas also had flourishing internal and
external trade. They traded with Rome, Iran, Egypt ,
Arabia, Burma and Malaya because of the ports on the
East and west.
Several roman coins have been found in this regions.
13.
14. The Greek rulers from Bactria were first to cross the North- Western
Borders of India.
The Greeks who settled in India were known as Indo Greeks.
They slowly came to occupy the Ganga basin as far as Panchala, Saketa and
Pataliputra.
The most famous ruler of In do Greeks was Meander or Milinda.
The Indo- Greeks were the first to issue coins bearing the portraits of
kings.
The indo Greeks introduced Greek elements in Indian art and the new
style of art came to be known as the Gandhara school of art.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gN5dO
GmZnuI
15. The Sakas were the nomadic tribes of Central Asia who
came to India after being forced out of their homeland.
They gradually gained supremacy over the north and the
north western parts of India after defeating the Indo –
Greeks
Thera were around 5 branches of Sakas who ruled from
different places.
The Saka rulers were called Sataraps. The most famous
Saka king was Rudraman.
16. • The Parthians came to India from Iran and the Parthian
rule overlapped with that of the Sakas.
• They ruled over small portion of the north –western India.
• The most well known Parthian king was Gondophernes,
who was succeeded by his nephew Abdagases.
• Gradually the Parthians assimilated into the Indian society.
17. • The Parthians were succeeded by the kushans who came to India through Afghanistan.
• The founder of the dynasty was Kujula Kadphises.
• The kushans set up a mighty empire in India which extended up to Bihar.
• They had two capitals, one at Mathura and the other at Purushapura, or Peshawar.
• The kushans reached the height of their glory under Kanishka.
• In 78 CE, he started the Saka era, which is now used by the Indian government.
• Kanishka patronized Buddhism.
• He got a huge Stupa built at Purushapura.
• He held the fourth Buddhist Council in Kashmir to discuss the teachings of Buddha.
• Kanishka encouraged art and Sanskrit literature.
• Ashvaghosha, a famous Sanskrit scholar, lived in his court.
• The kushans patronized the Gandhara school of art which developed as a result of
intermingling of Indian and foreign ideas.
• The kushans also issued a number of gold and copper coins.
18.
19. 1.New elements of culture were introduced in the Indian society.
2.It developed trade, technology and art forms in India.
3.Indian rulers became rich by collecting taxes from foreign
traders.
4.The Sakas and Kushans who were excellent horse riders
popularized use of horse in India.
5.They introduced the cap, the helmet and riding boots which
were essential for horse riding.
6.Art and architecture also grew due to foreign invasions.
7.Central Asian investors patronized Indian artists to build
temples and carve sculptures of gods and deities.
22. During this period, the silk road trade was flourishing.
The Chinese people were the first to produce silk.
In course of time, Chinese silk became very popular.
Chinese traders and travellers sold it in the foreign lands
they visited, for a profit.
The land route taken by the Chinese traders and travellers
came to be known as silk route.
It stretched from China, to Rome through Central Asia,
Afghanistan and West Asia.
23. Indian rulers in particular, the kushans came to
control the Silk . The romans were quite fond of
Chinese silk.
The Chinese traded their silk with Indians for their
precious stones and metals and Indians traded the silk
with the roman empire.
The control over the trade was beneficial for Kushans.
They were able to collect taxes from traders. They also
received gold coins from the Roman Trade.
24. • The first Roman traders came to Muziris in 300
BCE. Later they travelled on to the market towns
and the ports on the south eastern coast of India.
• The Romans exported coral, wine, olive oil, and
metals like gold, silver, copper and took
gemstones, silk, cotton, ivory, spices and sandal
wood.
