SSC
In Sangam literature, the 'Muvendar' (three crowned kings) refers to the heads of which three ruling families?
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Answer: Option D — Cholas, Cheras and Pandyas
Detailed Solution
In Sangam literature, the word "Muvendar" (three crowned kings) refers to the heads of the three ruling families of the ancient Tamil country: the Cholas, the Cheras and the Pandyas.
About the Muvendar:
"Mu" means three, and "vendar" means kings (crowned heads).
NCERT notes that the Sangam poems mention the "muvendar", a Tamil word meaning three chiefs, used for the heads of three ruling families, the Cholas, Cheras and Pandyas, who became powerful in south India around 2,300 years ago.
Each of the three chiefs had two centres of power: one inland, and one on the coast.
Of these six cities, two were very important: Puhar (Kaveripattinam), the port of the Cholas, and Madurai, the capital of the Pandyas.
The Cholas, Cheras and Pandyas were also mentioned in Ashoka's inscriptions (Major Rock Edicts II and XIII), as independent kingdoms beyond his empire.
How they ruled:
- NCERT explains that the chiefs did not collect regular taxes; instead, they demanded and received gifts from the people.
- They went on military expeditions and collected tribute from neighbouring areas.
- They kept some of the wealth and distributed the rest among their supporters, including members of their family, soldiers and poets.
- Many poets whose compositions are found in the Sangam collection composed poems in praise of chiefs, who often rewarded them with precious stones, gold, horses, elephants, chariots and fine cloth.
The three kingdoms:
- Cholas: ruled the Kaveri delta region (capital Uraiyur; port Puhar).
- Cheras: ruled present-day Kerala and western Tamil Nadu (capital Vanji; ports Muziris and Tondi).
- Pandyas: ruled the southernmost part of Tamil Nadu (capital Madurai; port Korkai).
The Sangam period:
It is generally dated from about the 3rd century BCE to the 3rd century CE.
Why not the other options?
- ✗The Pallavas and Chalukyas rose later.
- ✗The Satavahanas ruled the Deccan.
- ✗The Kadambas and Gangas ruled parts of Karnataka.
Quick tip
Remember: Muvendar = Cholas, Cheras, Pandyas (three crowned kings of the Sangam age; mentioned in Ashoka's edicts); ports = Puhar (Cholas), Muziris (Cheras), Korkai (Pandyas).
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Early Medieval India & South Indian Kingdoms — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Early Medieval India & South Indian Kingdoms, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers India from about the 7th to the 12th century: the Rajput dynasties, the tripartite struggle between the Palas, Pratiharas and Rashtrakutas, and the South Indian kingdoms of the Chalukyas, Pallavas, Cholas and Pandyas, along with the Sangam age and the temple architecture of the period. Questions often ask which dynasty built a temple (the Pallavas built the Shore Temple at Mahabalipuram, and Rajaraja Chola I built the Brihadeeswara Temple at Thanjavur), the capitals of dynasties, and the local self-government of the Cholas. Learning each dynasty with its capital, greatest ruler and one monument is the quickest way to answer these questions. Practise the early medieval India questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.