The Second Pandya Empire ruled parts of southern India between 1000-1700 CE. A key ruler was Jatavarman Sundar Pandyan I who expanded the empire through military campaigns defeating the Cheras, Hoysalas, Cholas, and gaining control of Sri Lanka in the 13th century. However, internal succession struggles and invasions by the Delhi Sultanate led by Malik Kafur in 1311 CE greatly weakened the empire. The Pandya kingdom was divided and their control over the Tamil region declined significantly, coming to an end around 1700 CE.

1. Second Pandya empire
By
Prachi Virag Sontakke

2. प ांड्य वांश क इतिह स

3. Introduction
• Ancient pedigree
• Timeframe: 1000-1700CE
• Period of Pandya supremacy
• Area of rule: far south
• Area of influence: Far south to Srilanka
• Period marked by intense religious tussles: The rise of the Bhakti movement invited
heterodox scholars for debate. Many instances of the defeat of Buddhism and
Jainism in such debates are mentioned in Bhakti literature.
• Founder: Marvarman Sunderpandya I

4. Marvarman Sundarpandya I (c.1216-1238CE)
• Main enemy: Cholas
• 1219CE: Attacked Chola king Kulottunga III.
• Burned Uraiyur & Tanjore
• Received taxes and gifts from son of Kulottunga III, Rajraja III.
• Organised his coronation in Mamundicholapuram
• Did pooja in Chidambaram temple with his whole family.
• Took title शोण डुलबलगिय –रूललय (चोलों क र ज्य व पस करनेव ल )
• Chola king now ruling as samant of Pandyas

5. MVSP & Cholas
• Violation of terms of treaty with Pandyas by Rajaraja III
• Battle between Chola & Pandyas.
• Cholas defeated.
• Uraiyur-Tanjore burnt, Queens captured.
• Pandya king Jatavarman Sundar Pandya re coronated himself in
Chola capital.

6. MVSP & Hoyasals
• Hoyasal king Narsingh II friendly with Cholas.
• Defeated Marvarman Sunderpandya and gave back Chola king his
kingdom.
• K.A.N.Shastri: Matrimonial alliance was sought between Pandyas and
Hoyasals.
• सुांदरप ांड्य ने उत्तरी एवां दक्षिणी कोंिु प्रदेश क
े सीम ववव द क तनपट र ककय

7. Others
• Subdued the revolt in Kongu.
• Inscriptions recovered from Tiruchilapalli, Tanjore, Madura,
Tirunekveli, Pudukottai.
• Constructed temples in his kingdom.
• Some copper coins of him are recovered.
• Titles: अतिशयप ांड्यदेव, कललयुिर म, शोण डुकोंडन

8. Jatavarman Sundarpandya I (1251-1268CE)
• Greatest king of this dynasty
• Initiated imperialistic campaigns
• Defeated Cheras, Hoyasals, Cholas, Kaad and Sri Lankan king within 6
years of his reign

9. JVSP & Cheras
• Contemporary Chera king = Udaymartand
• Jatavarman Sundarpandya defeated Cheras in Malabar
• Killed Chera king Udaymartand in ensuing battle
• Appointed his representative in Chera kingdom

10. JVSP & Kaadav
• King of Kaadav = कोप्पेरू
ूँ ज ांि
• Kaadav king sent gifts to JVSP to seek friendship
• JVSP refused the gifts by Kaadav king.
• Attacked & defeated him
• Kaadav king became a feudatory of JVSP
• JVSP took a precious necklace from Kaadav king and gifted it to Vishnu temple
at Srirangam
• Organized his coronation in Srirangam

11. JSVP & Cholas
• Contemporary Chola king = Rajendra III
• Srirangam inscription: JVSP was “चोल प्र तिरूपी पववि क
े ललए वज्र”
• Subdued Rajendra II around 1258–1260 CE and made him pay tribute
• From 1258 CE till his life, Rajendra III Chola ruled as a feudatory of
Pandyas.

12. JVSP & Hoyasals
• Contemporary Hoyasal king = Someshwar
• Hoyasalas serving Cholas.
• Evidence of two battles with Hoyasals.
• First battle : JVSP Defeated Someshwar in a battle fought near Tirucharpalli
• Someshwar fled.
• Hoyasal commander of army was killed.
• Jatavarmansundar Pandya received many elephants.
• Second Battle: fought near Srirangam.
• JVSP defeated and killed Someshwar
• Successful in confining the Hoysala control to the Mysore Plateau only.

13. JVSP’s Digvijay: Taking of Chola territories
• Simhal: 1252-54CE- Defeated Srilankan king and made him his feudatory.
• Banas: Defeated Banas & forced Bana king to flee.
• Telugu Chodas: Killed Telugu Choda king and took Kanchi. Returned his
kingdom back to his brother when latter surrendered.
• Kakatiya : Defeated Kakatiya king Ganapati in 1263CE. Won Nellore &
organised his coronation there. Later Ganapati reacquired Nellore.

14. Remarks
• Extended Pandya boundaries via imperialistic campaigns: Extent : North- Pennar river, south-Sri Lanka
• Inflicted a great loss on Cholas
• Great builder
• Plated the shikhara of Chidambaram temple with gold
• Gave donation of 18 lakh gold coins to Srirangam temple
• Organised annual fairs and festivals in temples.
• Performed Vedic yajnas.
• Titles: मह र गिर , परमेश्वर, समस्ि िद ि र, क ूँचीपुरमकोंडन, हेम च्छ दनर (मांददरों को स्वणव से
आच्छ ददि करनेव ल , एल नडलैय न न (सभी क अगिपति), र पिन (सूयव की भ ूँति चमकने व ल )।

18. Marvarman Kulshekhar I (c.1268CE)
• S/O JVSP
• Fucntioned as Yuvaraj during his father’s reign
• Inscription of 34th regnal year of MVKS: Faced some resistance upon
accession initially.
• Lost some areas to his brothers. But later took them back.
• Issued coins with bust of king on obverse and dual fish on reverse
• Titles: Konerimaykondam , Kollamkonda, Kulshekhar

19. MVKS & Srilanka
• Mahavamsha: Attacked Sri Lanka at time of drought
• Sri Lankan king = Bhuvanaikka Bahu I
• Victorious campaign: Recovered lot of wealth
• Destroyed the city of Shubhagiri
• Carried away to the Pandya country the venerable Tooth Relic
from Shubhagiri
• By diplomacy next Simhal king (S/O Bhuvanaikka Bahu) took back
Buddha’s tooth
• Sri Lanka remained under Pandya control till c. 1308-09 CE

20. MVKS & Cholas
• Contemporary Chola king = Rajendra III
• Defeated Cholas.
• Hoyasalas = Chola feudatory
• Hoyasal king Ramnath = Friend of Rajendra III Chola
• 1279CE: MVKS attacked and defeated Ramnath.
• Maravarman Kulasekara I, now virtually unchallenged, ruled over the Chola
country and southern Tamil speaking portions of Hoysala kingdom
• Acquired immense wealth from attack on Cholas and Hoyasals.
• Utilized the same to construct Praakaar of Tirunelveli temple

21. MVKS : Other victories
• Inscription of 12th regnal year of MVKS: Won -
1. मलयांन डु
2. कोंिु
3. शोण डु
4. िोडमांडलम
5. श्रीलांक
6. होयसल
7. चोलों पर वव य प्र प्ि की

23. Marco Polo’s account of MVKS’s reign
• 1239CE: Marco Polo visited Pandya country: Made following remarks
1. Pandya kingdom is the best among all in India.
2. 5 Pandya prince rule together & now Sundar Pandya is ruling
3. The King has a huge treasury and he wears precious gems and ornaments.
4. He ruled over a vast empire & was a benevolent & just king.
5. Here beautiful pearls are found.
6. Kayal on origin of river Tamraparni was a famous trading port.
7. Ships from Arab, Persian Gulf & other countries embark here.
8. Trade of horses.
9. King offers numerous facilities to visiting traders.
10. Sati was practised in this kingdom
11. There were Deva dasis in temples.

24. Account of Wasaf
1. King of Pandyas led a lavish luxurious life
2. He had ruled for 40 years
3. During this long reign, his kingdom is not once attacked by enemy, not once
he has fallen ill.
4. His treasury is filled with gold coins.
5. He has 1200 crore gold coins besides numerous gems & jewels
6. Pandya kingdom provided decorative items to Persia, Iraq, Khursan, Turkey
and Europe

25. MVKS: Remarks
• Powerful ruler
• Assisted in administration by his 4 sons.
• Issued coins
• Built temples
• Promoted traders and trading activities.
• Trade relations with China: Sent ambassador to Chinese court

26. Succession
• MVKS had 4 sons
1. ट वमवन सुांदरप ांड्य II (१२७६)
2. म रवमवन ववक्रमप ांड्य (१२८३)
3. ट वमवन वीरप ांड्य II (१२९६)
4. ट वमवन सुांदरप ांड्य III (१३०३)
• Civil war during the later years of MVKS’s
Assisted MVKS in administration

27. Succession fight
• 1302CE: The accession of the elder son, Jatavarman Sundara Pandyan III, as co-regent.
• The appointment of Sundarapandyan as a co-regent provoked the other son Vira
Pandyan.
• So he killed his father Maravarman Kulasekharan.
• In the civil war that ensued, Vira Pandyan won and became firmly established in his
kingdom.
• The other son, Sundara Pandyan, fled to Delhi and took refuge under the protection of
Alauddin Khilji.

28. Hoyasal & Chera invasion in Pandya
kingdom
• Contemporary Hoyasal king = Ballal III
• Taking advantage of the political situation, Ballala III invaded the
Pandya territory.
• However, Ballala had to retreat to his capital, when Khalji general
Malik Kafur invaded his kingdom at the same time
• King of Kerala also attacked Pandyas and defeated Virpandya and
Sundar Pandya.

29. Fate of Pandya kingdom
• 1311CE: Malik Kafur arrived in Madurai.
• Found the city empty and Vira Pandyan fled.
• Amir Khusru: 512 elephants, 5,000 horses along with 500 mounds of jewel of diamonds,
pearls, emeralds and rubies taken by Malik Kafur.
• Madurai temple was desecrated and an enormous amount of wealth was looted.
• The wealth carried was later used in Delhi by Allauddin Khalji, who had then taken over
the throne, to wean away the notables in the court to his side against other claimants.
• After Malik Kafur’s invasion, the Pandyan kingdom came to be divided among a number
of the main rulers in the Pandya’s family.
• In Madurai, a Muslim state subordinate to Delhi Sultan came to be established.
• 1335 CE: Muslim Governor of Madurai Jalaluddin Asan Shah threw off his allegiance and
declared himself independent & created Madurai sultanate

30. Aftermath
• After the departure of the Khaljis, Vira and Sundara Pandya resumed their conflict.
• Sundara Pandya was defeated, and sought help from the Khaljis.
• With their help, he regained control of the South Arcot region by 1314.
• Subsequently, there were two more expeditions from the sultanate in 1314 led by Khusro Khan and in
1323 by Ulugh Khan (Muhammad bin Tughluq) under sultan Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq.
• While the previous sultanate raids were content with plunder, the Tughluqs under Muhammad bin
Tughluq annexed the former Pandya dominions to the sultanate as the province of Malabar.
• The family quarrels & the sultanate invasions shattered the Pandya empire beyond revival
• The Pandyas were confined to the old South Arcot region.
• 1323CE: Jaffna kingdom declared its independence from the crumbling Pandya influence.

31. End
• िुग़लक़ क
े ववरुद्ि प ांड्य श सक हमेश ववद्रोह करिे रहिे थे
• वव यनिर स म्र ज्य, क किीय श सक, क
े रल क
े श सक भी प ांड्य िेत्र
ववज ि करिे रहे
• मदुर खो देने क
े ब द भी प ांड्य वांश १७०० िक ीववि रह
• १६४९ िक प ांड्य वव यनिर स म्र ज्य क
े अिीन रह इसक
े पश्च्य ि
प ांड्य वांश क
े ववषय में कोई सूचन नही।