CHOLAS ADMINISTRATIVE SIGNIFICANCE IN COIMBATORE REGION

Abstract

Kongu country is a part of Tamil Nadu and the kings who ruled over it during various periods were also of the three ancient Tamil dynasties, her separate history has some unique features. The reason for this is that the Kongu country lies between the three ancient divisions of the Tamil country viz., the Chera, Chola and the Pandya countries respectively. It was through the Kongu country that the early migrants from north- western parts of the Indian sub- continent entered the eastern and southern parts of the Tamil country and established their kingdom. The beginning of the political history of Kongu is generally and rightly traced to the sangam times. The Sangam literary sources delineate Kongu as a separate country occupied by various societies and their chiefs such as Pegan, Pittan, Kadiya Neduvettuvan, Kumanan and so on. Sangam classics depict these chiefs as mere war-lords or cattle lifters. During the Sangam times Kongu meant ‘exclusively a country’. It did not imply any kula or race or king, till the 8th century A.D. According to this concept, a person who lived in Kongu became a Kongar by his geographical belonging. Kongar had clashes with the Pandyas and the Podhiyil chief, Aay a chieftain in the far South, is described in Sangam odes. This paper traces the administrative significance of Kongu Cholas which gleaned from inscriptions.