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{{Short description|South Indian dynasty}}

{{For|early historic Chera rulers of south India|Chera dynasty}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox former country
| native_name = Cheras of Karur-Vanchi
| image_map = {{Location map+|Tamil Nadu|width=200|float=center
|caption=
|places=
{{Location map~|Tamil Nadu|lat_deg=11.0032661|lon_deg=77.481338|position=top|marksize=0|label_size=80|label=CHERAS (KERALAS)}}
}}
| image_map_caption =
| conventional_long_name = Chera dynasty
| common_name =
| year_start =
| year_end = 11th/12th century AD
| common_languages = {{plainlist|
* [[Tamil language|Tamil]]
}}
| capital = * [[Karur|Karur (Vanchi)]]
| s1 =
| s2 =
| s3 =
| today = [[India]]
| religion = [[Hinduism]]
| demonym =
| area_km2 =
| area_rank =
| GDP_PPP =
| GDP_PPP_year =
| HDI =
| HDI_year =
}}

'''Kongu Chera dynasty,''' or '''Cheras''' or '''Keralas'''{{efn|The term 'Kerala', originally a non-Dravidian title related to the Tamil root 'Chera' or 'Cheraman/Cheralan', refers here to the name of a tribe or clan, not to the modern Malayalam-speaking geographical entity (the state of Kerala). The tribal or clan name was later transferred to the geographical region now known as the state of Kerala.|}} '''of Kongu''' or '''Karur''', or simply as the '''Chera dynasty,''' was a medieval royal lineage in south India that initially ruled over western [[Tamil Nadu]] and central [[Kerala]].<ref name=":022">{{Cite book |last=Narayanan |first=M. G. S. |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Perum%C4%81%E1%B8%B7s_of_Kerala/0YDCngEACAAJ?hl=en |title=Perumals of Kerala |publisher=CosmoBooks |year=2013 |location=Thrissur (Kerala) |pages=89-90 and 92-93 |orig-date=1972}}</ref> The headquarters of the medieval Cheras was located at Karur-Vanchi (present-day [[Karur]]), an ancient base of the [[Sangam literature|early historic]] Cheras in central Tamil Nadu.<ref name=":023">{{Cite book |last=Narayanan |first=M. G. S. |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Perum%C4%81%E1%B8%B7s_of_Kerala/0YDCngEACAAJ?hl=en |title=Perumals of Kerala |publisher=CosmoBooks |year=2013 |location=Thrissur (Kerala) |pages=80-81, 89-90 and 92-93 |orig-date=1972}}</ref> The Chera rulers were subordinate to, or were conquered by, the [[Chalukya dynasty|Chalukya]], [[Pallava dynasty|Pallava]], and [[Pandya dynasty|Pandya]] kings.<ref name=":022" /> The [[Rashtrakuta dynasty|Rashtrakuta]] and Chola rulers are also said to have overrun the Kongu Chera country.<ref name=":024">{{Cite book |last=Narayanan |first=M. G. S. |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Perum%C4%81%E1%B8%B7s_of_Kerala/0YDCngEACAAJ?hl=en |title=Perumals of Kerala |publisher=CosmoBooks |year=2013 |location=Thrissur (Kerala) |pages=80-81 and 93-95 |orig-date=1972}}</ref>

The medieval Cheras claimed descent from the [[Chera dynasty|Cheras]] who flourished in pre-[[Pallava dynasty|Pallava]] (early historic) south India.<ref name=":022" /> Present-day central Kerala likely detached from the larger Chera kingdom around the 8th-9th century AD to form the [[Chera Perumals of Makotai|Chera kingdom]] on the western coast (fl. ''c.'' 9th – 12th century AD; modern Kerala).<ref name=":022" /> The exact relationship between the different branches of the Chera family — such as the one based in Karur and the other in [[Kodungallur|Mahodayapuram-Kodungallur]] — is not clearly understood by scholars.<ref name=":025">{{Cite book |last=Narayanan |first=M. G. S. |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Perum%C4%81%E1%B8%B7s_of_Kerala/0YDCngEACAAJ?hl=en |title=Perumals of Kerala |publisher=CosmoBooks |year=2013 |location=Thrissur (Kerala) |pages=80-81 |orig-date=1972}}</ref>

The Kongu Cheras are often described as members of the [[Lunar dynasty|Chandra]]-[[Solar dynasty|Aditya]] Kula (the Luni-Solar Race) around 9th–11th centuries AD. By the 10th–11th century AD, they appear to have been completely absorbed into the [[Pandya dynasty|Pandya]] political system.<ref name=":025" /> A collateral branch of the Kongu Cheras, known as the "Kongu Cholas", later ruled the Kongu country under Chola suzerainty.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last=Ali |first=Daud |date=2007 |title=A Study of the Term Velam in Tamil Inscriptions |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/bulletin-of-the-school-of-oriental-and-african-studies/article/abs/service-retinues-of-the-chola-court-a-study-of-the-term-velam-in-tamil-inscriptions/89BC54E804CCAFFD9CAA2C3EDF46F6A8 |journal=Bulletin of SOAS |language= |volume=70 |issue=3 |pages=487–509 |doi= |issn=1474-0699}}</ref>

== Political history ==
''In ancient and medieval sources, "Kerala" and "Chera" were used interchangeably for both the dynasty and its territory, unlike their modern usage.''

''The following description incorporates corrections made by [[M. G. S. Narayanan]] (Perumals of Kerala, 1972 & 1996) to the revised second edition of [[K. A. Nilakanta Sastri]]'s work, as well as the writings of [[Elamkulam Kunjan Pillai|Elamkulam P. N. Kunjan Pillai]].''

=== Rulers of western Tamil Nadu and Kerala ===
The Cheras, or "the Keralas", of the early medieval period initially appear as rulers of western Tamil Nadu and central Kerala, with their headquarters at Karur in interior Tamil Nadu.<ref name=":022" /> The dynasty claimed descent from the legendary [[Chera dynasty|Cheras]] who flourished in pre-[[Pallava dynasty|Pallava]] (early historic) southern India.<ref name=":022" /> It is likely that the Cheras followed a system of joint rule, with each elder of the family governing a different region. At least three centers are known: [[Karur|Karuvur Vanchi]] (interior Tamil Nadu), [[Kodungallur|Muchiri-Vanchi]] (central Kerala), and [[Tyndis|Thondi]] (north-central Kerala).<ref name=":027">{{Cite book |last=Narayanan |first=M. G. S. |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Perum%C4%81%E1%B8%B7s_of_Kerala/0YDCngEACAAJ?hl=en |title=Perumals of Kerala |publisher=CosmoBooks |year=2013 |location=Thrissur (Kerala) |pages=104 |orig-date=1972}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Gurukkal |first=Rajan |date=2013 |title=Classical Indo-Roman Trade: A Historiographical Reconsideration |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0376983613499670 |journal=Indian Historical Review |language= |volume=40 |issue=2 |pages=181–206 |doi= |issn=0376-9836}}</ref>

By the beginning of the early medieval period, [[Karur]] had gained prominence over the other two bases, [[Kodungallur|Muchiri-Vanchi]] and Thondi.<ref name=":022" /> Records indicate that by the 8th – 9th centuries AD, Karur was known as "Vanchi ma-nakara-mana Karur" (or Karur-Vanchi).<ref name=":02">{{Cite book |last=Champakalakshmi |first=R. |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Trade_Ideology_and_Urbanization/IGTaAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0&bsq=Trade,%20Ideology,%20and%20Urbanization |title=Trade, Ideology, and Urbanization: South India 300 BC to AD 1300 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |year=1996 |pages=118-119}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Narayanan |first=M. G. S. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0YDCngEACAAJ |title=Perumals of Kerala |publisher=CosmoBooks |year=2013 |isbn= |location=Thrissur (Kerala) |pages=18–19 |chapter= |orig-year=1972}}</ref> It has been speculated, based on later Kerala traditions such as the [[Keralolpathi|Keralolpatti]], that the Cheras of Karur may have exercised authority over present-day Kerala, possibly through some form of viceregal rule.<ref name=":022" />

Available epigraphic evidence points to the influence of several other dynasties over the old Chera country during this period. The earliest [[Chalukya dynasty|Chalukya]] ruler to claim overlordship over the Chera/Kerala is [[Kirttivarman I]] (''fl.'' 566 - 598 AD), although this claim is generally regarded by historians as a boastful exaggeration. A later grant dated 695 AD by king [[Vinayaditya of Vatapi|Vinayaditya II Satyasraya]], which refers to the "vassalage" of the Kerala country, is considered a more reliable record.<ref name=":028">{{Cite book |last=Narayanan |first=M. G. S. |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Perum%C4%81%E1%B8%B7s_of_Kerala/0YDCngEACAAJ?hl=en |title=Perumals of Kerala |publisher=CosmoBooks |year=2013 |location=Thrissur (Kerala) |pages=90-91 and 103-04 |orig-date=1972}}</ref> Several Chalukya inscriptions from the 7th and 8th centuries mention the conquest and vassalage of the Kerala country.<ref name=":028" /> Additionally, a number of [[Pallava dynasty|Pallava]] records also refer to the vassalage of the Kerala/Chera country.<ref name=":028" />

=== Cheras as Pandya vassals ===
[[File:Kongu Chera coin (13th Century AD).jpg|thumb|Kongu Chera coin (13th Century AD), Government Museum Chennai|148x148px]]
There are clear attestations of repeated [[Pandya dynasty|Pandya]] conquests of the Kerala/Chera country in the 7th and 8th centuries AD.<ref name=":028" /> Pandya king Sendan or Jayantan (645 – 70 AD) was known as the "Vanavan", an ancient title traditionally associated with Chera rulers.<ref name=":028" /> [[Arikesari Maravarman]], another Pandya ruler (670 – 710 AD), likely defeated the "Keralas" or "Cheras" on multiple occasions.<ref name=":0210">{{Cite book |last=Narayanan |first=M. G. S. |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Perum%C4%81%E1%B8%B7s_of_Kerala/0YDCngEACAAJ?hl=en |title=Perumals of Kerala |publisher=CosmoBooks |year=2013 |location=Thrissur (Kerala) |pages=80-81, 90-91 and 103-04 |orig-date=1972}}</ref> It is recorded that the Pandya ruler captured the Kerala/Chera alive, along with his relatives and military contingents. Sources also refer to an engagement between the two kingdoms known as the "battle of Chennilam".<ref name=":0210" /> His successor, [[Kochchadaiyan Ranadhira|Ko Chadayan "Ranadhira"]], also made gains against the Cheras.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Dalziel |first=Nigel R. |url=https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118455074 |title=The Encyclopedia of Empire |date=2016 |publisher=Wiley-Blackwell |editor-last=Dalziel |editor-first=N. |chapter=Pandyan Empire |doi= |editor-last2=MacKenzie |editor-first2=J. M.}}</ref>

The so-called "renewal of the capital city of Vanchi ([[Karur]]) along with Kudal ([[Madurai]]) and Kozhi ([[Uraiyur]])" by Pandya king [[Maravarman Rajasimha I|Rajasimha I]] (730 – 65 AD), as described in the Madras Museum Plates of Jatila Parantaka Nedunjadaiyan Varaguna (765 – 815 AD), may indicate a Pandya occupation of the Chera capital, Karur.<ref name=":0211">{{Cite book |last=Narayanan |first=M. G. S. |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Perum%C4%81%E1%B8%B7s_of_Kerala/0YDCngEACAAJ?hl=en |title=Perumals of Kerala |publisher=CosmoBooks |year=2013 |location=Thrissur (Kerala) |pages=93-95 |orig-date=1972}}</ref> It is recorded that when Jatila Parantaka went to war against the [[Adhiyaman|Adigaman]] ruler of Thagadur ([[Dharmapuri]]), the Keralas and the Pallavas came to the latter's aid, though "the Pandyas drove them back to the quarters from which they had emerged" (Madras Museum Plates of Jatila Parantaka, 17th year).<ref name=":0211" />

[[Rashtrakuta dynasty|Rashtrakuta]] inscriptions also mention "an alliance of [[Dravidian languages|Dravida]] kings — including "Kerala", Pandya, Chola and Pallava — who were defeated" (''E. I.'', XVIII). The "Keralas" mentioned in these records may refer to the Chera rulers of Karur, who had already submitted to the Pandyas, rather than the Chera rulers of Kerala.<ref name=":0211" />

=== Detachment of central Kerala ===
[[File:Chola_coin_with_legend_"Uttama"_(south_India).jpg|thumb|255x255px|Chola coin of king [[Rajendra Chola I|Rajendra]], with legend "Uttama Chola", showing the Chera emblem (Bow, left to the Sitting Tiger).{{citation needed|date=April 2020}}]]
[[File:Kongu Chera Coin (13th-14th century CE).jpg|thumb|168x168px|Kongu Chera Coin (13th/14th century CE). Images of bow, hag, fish and palm tree are visible.]]
As the eastern portions of the ancient Chera country gradually came under the [[Pandya dynasty|Pandya]] sphere of influence, the western portion evolved into an independent kingdom with its headquarters at [[Kodungallur|Mahodayapuram-Kodungallur]] (c. early 9th century AD).<ref name=":0211" /> Rulers from a branch of the Chera family who survived in the Kongu country as vassals of the Pandyas are described in inscriptions dated to the 9th–11th centuries AD as members of the "Chandra-Aditya Kula" (the Luni-Solar Race).<ref name=":025" /> This likely suggests a process of integration with the Pandya royal family (traditionally associated with [[Lunar dynasty|the Lunar Race]]) through marriage alliances.<ref name=":0211" /> The two branches of the Chera family — the Cheras of Karur and the [[Chera Perumals of Makotai|medieval Cheras of Kerala]] — supported by the [[Pandya dynasty|Pandyas]] and the [[Chola dynasty|Cholas]] respectively, were possibly rivals during this period.<ref name=":0214">{{Cite book |last=Narayanan |first=M. G. S. |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Perum%C4%81%E1%B8%B7s_of_Kerala/0YDCngEACAAJ?hl=en |title=Perumals of Kerala |publisher=CosmoBooks |year=2013 |location=Thrissur (Kerala) |pages=98-99 and 111 |orig-date=1972}}</ref><ref name=":0" />

The [[Pandya dynasty|Pandya]] ruler Parantaka Vira Narayana (c. 880 – 900 AD) is recorded as having married a Chera or "Kerala" (Kongu Chera) princess, "Vanavan Maha Devi".<ref name=":0215">{{Cite book |last=Narayanan |first=M. G. S. |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Perum%C4%81%E1%B8%B7s_of_Kerala/0YDCngEACAAJ?hl=en |title=Perumals of Kerala |publisher=CosmoBooks |year=2013 |location=Thrissur (Kerala) |pages=95-96 and 108 |orig-date=1972}}</ref> Their son, [[Maravarman Rajasimha II|Rajasimha II]], is described in the Sinnamanur Copper Plates as a member of the "Chandra-Aditya Kula".<ref name=":0215" /> Earlier historians such as K. A. Nilakanta Sastri and Elamkulam P. N. Kunjan Pillai initially assumed that Vira Narayana had married a Chera princess from Kerala; however, this view was later revised by M. G. S. Narayanan.<ref name=":0215" />

=== Conquests of Aditya Chola ===
The Kongu country was conquered by the Cholas under [[Aditya I]] in the final years of the 9th century AD, likely involving conflict with the Pandya ruler Parantaka Vira Narayana.<ref name=":0218">{{Cite book |last=Narayanan |first=M. G. S. |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Perum%C4%81%E1%B8%B7s_of_Kerala/0YDCngEACAAJ?hl=en |title=Perumals of Kerala |publisher=CosmoBooks |year=2013 |location=Thrissur (Kerala) |pages=65-66 |orig-date=1972}}</ref> It is recorded that the Chera ruler of Kerala [[Sthanu Ravi Varma|Sthanu Ravi]] acted as a junior partner in this Chola campaign in the Kongu country.<ref name=":0218" /> The Pandyas were eventually defeated in the "great battle" of Sripurambiyam (c. 885 AD).<ref name=":0219">{{Cite book |last=Narayanan |first=M. G. S. |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Perum%C4%81%E1%B8%B7s_of_Kerala/0YDCngEACAAJ?hl=en |title=Perumals of Kerala |publisher=CosmoBooks |year=2013 |location=Thrissur (Kerala) |page=97 |pages= |orig-date=1972}}</ref> Corresponding marriage alliances between the Chera rulers of Kerala and the Cholas are also recorded in several inscriptions (see [[Ko Kizhan Adikal|Kizhan Adigal]]).<ref name=":0215" />

Pandya king [[Maravarman Rajasimha II|Rajasimha II]], who was defeated by [[Parantaka I]], is said to have found asylum in the Chera country or Kerala around 920 AD.<ref name=":0220">{{Cite book |last=Narayanan |first=M. G. S. |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Perum%C4%81%E1%B8%B7s_of_Kerala/0YDCngEACAAJ?hl=en |title=Perumals of Kerala |publisher=CosmoBooks |year=2013 |location=Thrissur (Kerala) |page= |pages=98-99 and 111 |orig-date=1972}}</ref> It is also recorded that Chola king Sundara (c. 956 – c. 973 AD) had a Chera or Kerala princess among his queens.<ref name=":0221">{{Cite book |last=Narayanan |first=M. G. S. |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Perum%C4%81%E1%B8%B7s_of_Kerala/0YDCngEACAAJ?hl=en |title=Perumals of Kerala |publisher=CosmoBooks |year=2013 |location=Thrissur (Kerala) |page= |pages=100-101 |orig-date=1972}}</ref>[[File:Vira Kerala coin, south India.jpg|thumb|Vira Kerala coin, Napier Museum|155x155px]]

=== Under the Chola influence ===
The Kongu Chera country was subsequently conquered by the imperial [[Chola dynasty|Cholas]] (late 10th-early 11 centuries AD).<ref name=":0222">{{Cite book |last=Narayanan |first=M. G. S. |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Perum%C4%81%E1%B8%B7s_of_Kerala/0YDCngEACAAJ?hl=en |title=Perumals of Kerala |publisher=CosmoBooks |year=2013 |location=Thrissur (Kerala) |page= |pages=80-81 |orig-date=1972}}</ref><ref name=":24">{{Cite journal |last=Ali |first=Daud |date=2007 |title=The Service Retinues of the Chola Court |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/40378936 |journal=Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies |volume=70 |issue=3 |pages=487–509 |doi= |issn=0041-977X |jstor= |s2cid= |via=}}</ref>

* "Amara Bhujanga Deva", one of the princes defeated by Chola emperor [[Rajaraja]] (as mentioned in the Tiruvalangadu Grant), was likely a Pandya or a Kongu Chera prince.<ref name=":0223">{{Cite book |last=Narayanan |first=M. G. S. |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Perum%C4%81%E1%B8%B7s_of_Kerala/0YDCngEACAAJ?hl=en |title=Perumals of Kerala |publisher=CosmoBooks |year=2013 |location=Thrissur (Kerala) |page= |pages=116-117 and 136 |orig-date=1972}}</ref> Records from this period also mention a ruler named "Vira Kerala Amara Bhujanga Deva" from the Kongu country.<ref name=":0223" />
* Chola ruler [[Rajadhiraja]] is known for defeating certain "Vira Kerala", one of the so-called "thennavar muvar", and trampling him to death with his war elephant.<ref name=":0224">{{Cite book |last=Narayanan |first=M. G. S. |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Perum%C4%81%E1%B8%B7s_of_Kerala/0YDCngEACAAJ?hl=en |title=Perumals of Kerala |publisher=CosmoBooks |year=2013 |location=Thrissur (Kerala) |page= |pages=121-122 |orig-date=1972}}</ref> This royal figure was probably a Kongu-Chera of the "Chandra-Aditya Kula" or a [[Pandya dynasty|Pandya]] prince born of a Pandya royal and a Kongu Chera princess.<ref name=":0225">{{Cite book |last=Narayanan |first=M. G. S. |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Perum%C4%81%E1%B8%B7s_of_Kerala/0YDCngEACAAJ?hl=en |title=Perumals of Kerala |publisher=CosmoBooks |year=2013 |location=Thrissur (Kerala) |page= |pages=304-305 and 322-23 |orig-date=1972}}</ref> Vira Kerala was previously thought to be a medieval Chera ruler of Kerala by historians such as K. A. Nilakanta Sastri and Elamkulam P. N. Kunjan Pillai; however, this view was later revised by historian M. G. S. Narayanan.<ref name=":0226">{{Cite book |last=Narayanan |first=M. G. S. |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Perum%C4%81%E1%B8%B7s_of_Kerala/0YDCngEACAAJ?hl=en |title=Perumals of Kerala |publisher=CosmoBooks |year=2013 |location=Thrissur (Kerala) |page= |pages=84-85 |orig-date=1972}}</ref>

== Legacy ==

=== Cheras of Thagadur ===
It is recorded that in the late 12th century AD, the Kerala or Chera rulers governed Thagadur ([[Dharmapuri]]) in northern Tamil Nadu under the [[Chola dynasty|Cholas]].<ref name=":032">{{Cite journal |editor-last=Hultzch |editor-first=E. |title=No. 34: Two Inscriptions of Vidugadalagiya Perumal |url=https://archive.org/details/EpigraphiaIndicaVol6/page/n410/mode/1up |journal=Epigraphica Indica |publisher=Archaeological Survey of India |volume=VI |pages=331-334}}</ref><ref name=":202">{{Cite journal |last= |first= |date=1890 |editor-last=Hultzsch |editor-first=E. |title=Tirumalai Inscriptions (No. 75 and 76) |url=https://archive.org/details/southindianinscr014359mbp/page/n119/mode/1up |journal=South Indian Inscriptions |publisher=Archaeological Survey of India |volume=I |pages=106-07}}</ref> In their inscriptions, these rulers describe themselves as descendants of the [[Athiyamān|Adigaman]] or [[Athiyamān|Satiyaputra]] Chera rulers of Thagadur.<ref name=":033">{{Cite journal |editor-last=Hultzch |editor-first=E. |title=No. 34: Two Inscriptions of Vidugadalagiya Perumal |url=https://archive.org/details/EpigraphiaIndicaVol6/page/n410/mode/1up |journal=Epigraphica Indica |publisher=Archaeological Survey of India |volume=VI |pages=331-334}}</ref>

=== Kongu Cholas ===
A line of independent rulers known as "Kongu Cholas", who bore [[Chola dynasty|Chola]] titles, ruled the Kongu country around the 13th century AD. These rulers were probably members of a collateral branch of the Kongu Cheras or descendants of Chola "viceroys" appointed to the Kongu country.<ref name=":24" /><ref name=":1" />

== Coinage ==
Unlike the [[Chera Perumals of Makotai|medieval Chera rulers]] of the west coast ([[Kodungallur|Mahodayapuram]]; Kerala), the Kongu Cheras are known for their distinctive coins.<ref name=":0227">{{Cite book |last=Narayanan |first=M. G. S. |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Perum%C4%81%E1%B8%B7s_of_Kerala/0YDCngEACAAJ?hl=en |title=Perumals of Kerala |publisher=CosmoBooks |year=2013 |location=Thrissur (Kerala) |page= |pages=304-05 and 322 |orig-date=1972}}</ref>

Silver coins bearing the [[Nāgarī script|Nagari]] legend "sri vira keralasya" (11th–12th centuries AD), found in [[British Museum]] and other locations, are generally attributed to the Kongu Cheras.<ref name=":0227" /> Another coin, known as "anai achu" (the elephant mould"), featuring the bow and arrow symbol, is also believed to be a product of the Kongu Cheras.<ref name=":0227" /> The anai achu coin was in circulation in western Tamil Nadu and, to some extent, in Kerala in the 12th–13th centuries AD.<ref name=":0227" />

== Kongu Chera genealogy ==
Several stone and copper inscriptions of the Kongu Cheras, dated by palaeography to the 9th – 11th centuries AD, have been found in places such as Vellalur, [[Namakkal]], [[Pazhani]], Perur, [[Dharmapuram]], [[Erode]], and Tirukkannapuram in Tamil Nadu.<ref name=":02272">{{Cite book |last=Narayanan |first=M. G. S. |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Perum%C4%81%E1%B8%B7s_of_Kerala/0YDCngEACAAJ?hl=en |title=Perumals of Kerala |publisher=CosmoBooks |year=2013 |location=Thrissur (Kerala) |page= |pages=80-81 |orig-date=1972}}</ref> In these inscriptions, they are generally described as members of the "Chandra-Aditya Kula" (the Luni-Solar Race).<ref name=":02272" />
{| class="wikitable" style="width: 90%; font-size: 90%; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: none;"
|+Cheras or Keralas<ref name=":02272" />
!Kongu Chera
!
!Notes
|-
|Ravi Kota
|<ref name=":02272" />
|
* Found in an Erode record.<ref name=":14">{{Cite book |last=Ramamurthy |first=A. |url=https://ia600100.us.archive.org/24/items/in.ernet.dli.2015.119817/2015.119817.History-Of-Kongu.pdf |title=History of Kongu: Pre-historic Period to 1300 AD |publisher=ISIAC |year=1986 |isbn= |editor-last=Mahalingam |editor-first=N. |location=Madras |pages=248–49 |chapter=}}</ref>
*Previously identified as a [[Chera dynasty|medieval Chera]] ruler of Kerala.<ref name=":02272" />
*Penultimate ruler (Ravi) mentioned in the Namakkal Copper Plates.<ref name=":14" />
|-
|Kantan
|<ref name=":14" />
|
* Son of Ravi Kota.<ref name=":50">{{Cite book |last=Ramamurthy |first=A. |url=https://ia600100.us.archive.org/24/items/in.ernet.dli.2015.119817/2015.119817.History-Of-Kongu.pdf |title=History of Kongu: Pre-historic Period to 1300 AD |publisher=ISIAC |year=1986 |isbn= |editor-last=Mahalingam |editor-first=N. |location=Madras |pages=270–71 and 262–63 |chapter=}}</ref>
*Father of Kantan Ravi and Kantan Vira Narayana.<ref name=":14" />
*Last ruler (Kantan) mentioned in the Namakkal Copper Plates.<ref name=":14" />
|-
|Kantan Ravi
|'''<ref name=":02272" />'''
|
* Found in a Ponnivadi record.<ref name=":51">{{Cite book |last=Ramamurthy |first=A. |url=https://ia600100.us.archive.org/24/items/in.ernet.dli.2015.119817/2015.119817.History-Of-Kongu.pdf |title=History of Kongu: Pre-historic Period to 1300 AD |publisher=ISIAC |year=1986 |isbn= |editor-last=Mahalingam |editor-first=N. |location=Madras |pages=255–56 |chapter=}}</ref>
*Ravi, son of Kantan<ref name=":14" />
* "Member of the Luni-Solar Race".<ref name=":14" />
|-
|Kantan Vira Narayana
|<ref name=":14" />
|
* Found in a Vellalur record.<ref name=":51" />
*Vira Narayana, son of Kantan<ref name=":14" />
* Member of the Luni-Solar Race.<ref name=":14" />
|-
|Ravi Kantan
|<ref name=":50" />
|
* Son of Kantan Ravi (Kiranur, Pazhani and Perur, Coimbatore).<ref name=":50" />
|-
|"Vira Chola"
|<ref name=":50" />'''<ref name=":02272" />'''
|
* Probably identical with Ravi Kantan, son of Kantan Ravi.<ref name=":50" />
* A subordinate of Chola ruler "Parakesari Varma" (identified with [[Parantaka I]]).<ref name=":14" />
* Names his ancestors - Rama, Mahabahu, Kerala Jagatpati, Manikuttuva, Kota, Ravi and Kantan.<ref name=":14" />
* Donor of Namakkal Copper Plates.<ref name=":14" />
|-
|Vira Kota
|'''<ref name=":02272" />'''
|
|-
|Vira Chola Kalimurkka<ref name=":510">{{Cite book |last=Ramamurthy |first=A. |url=https://ia600100.us.archive.org/24/items/in.ernet.dli.2015.119817/2015.119817.History-Of-Kongu.pdf |title=History of Kongu: Pre-historic Period to 1300 AD |publisher=ISIAC |year=1986 |isbn= |editor-last=Mahalingam |editor-first=N. |location=Madras |pages=279–80 and 340 |chapter=}}</ref>
|
|
* Son of Vira Chola.<ref name=":510" />

|-
|Kalimurkka Vikrama Chola<ref name=":510" />
|
|
* Son of Kalimurkka.<ref name=":510" />
|-
| colspan="3" |'''Under the Chola''' '''Influence'''
|-
|Amara Bhujanga Deva
|<ref name=":02279">{{Cite book |last=Narayanan |first=M. G. S. |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Perum%C4%81%E1%B8%B7s_of_Kerala/0YDCngEACAAJ?hl=en |title=Perumals of Kerala |publisher=CosmoBooks |year=2013 |location=Thrissur (Kerala) |page= |pages=80-81 |orig-date=1972}}</ref>
| rowspan="2" |
* Probably identical with the Amara Bhujanga Deva defeated by [[Chola dynasty|Chola]] king [[Rajaraja]] (Tiruvalangadu Grant).<ref name=":02276">{{Cite book |last=Narayanan |first=M. G. S. |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Perum%C4%81%E1%B8%B7s_of_Kerala/0YDCngEACAAJ?hl=en |title=Perumals of Kerala |publisher=CosmoBooks |year=2013 |location=Thrissur (Kerala) |page= |pages=116-117 and 136 |orig-date=1972}}</ref>
*Probably a Pandya prince.<ref name=":02276" />
|-
|Vira Kerala Amara Bhujanga Deva
|<ref name=":02275">{{Cite book |last=Narayanan |first=M. G. S. |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Perum%C4%81%E1%B8%B7s_of_Kerala/0YDCngEACAAJ?hl=en |title=Perumals of Kerala |publisher=CosmoBooks |year=2013 |location=Thrissur (Kerala) |page= |pages=136, 304-05 and 322-23 |orig-date=1972}}</ref>
|-
|[[Vira Kerala]]
|<ref name=":02272" />
|
* Probably identical with the Pandya prince Vira Kerala - one of the so-called "thennavar muvar" (the Three Pandyas).<ref name=":022710">{{Cite book |last=Narayanan |first=M. G. S. |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Perum%C4%81%E1%B8%B7s_of_Kerala/0YDCngEACAAJ?hl=en |title=Perumals of Kerala |publisher=CosmoBooks |year=2013 |location=Thrissur (Kerala) |page= |pages=121-122 |orig-date=1972}}</ref> Defeated by Chola king [[Rajadhiraja]] (trampled to death by a war elephant).<ref name=":022712">{{Cite book |last=Narayanan |first=M. G. S. |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Perum%C4%81%E1%B8%B7s_of_Kerala/0YDCngEACAAJ?hl=en |title=Perumals of Kerala |publisher=CosmoBooks |year=2013 |location=Thrissur (Kerala) |page= |pages=121-122 |orig-date=1972}}</ref>
* Probably identical with the Pandya prince "Minavan" Vira Kerala.<ref name=":022711">{{Cite book |last=Narayanan |first=M. G. S. |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Perum%C4%81%E1%B8%B7s_of_Kerala/0YDCngEACAAJ?hl=en |title=Perumals of Kerala |publisher=CosmoBooks |year=2013 |location=Thrissur (Kerala) |page=140 |pages= |orig-date=1972}}</ref>
*Previously identified as a [[Chera dynasty|medieval Chera ruler of Kerala]].<ref name=":02272" />
|-
|Kerala Kesari Adhirajaraja Deva
|<ref name=":022713">{{Cite book |last=Narayanan |first=M. G. S. |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Perum%C4%81%E1%B8%B7s_of_Kerala/0YDCngEACAAJ?hl=en |title=Perumals of Kerala |publisher=CosmoBooks |year=2013 |location=Thrissur (Kerala) |page= |pages=63 and 80–81 |orig-date=1972}}</ref>
|
|}

=== Chera rulers of Thagadur ===
{{Main|Vitukathazhakiya Perumal|}}

{| class="wikitable" style="width: 90%; font-size: 90%; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: none;"
|-
| Rajaraja [[Athiyamān|Adigaman]] Vagan
| rowspan="2" |<ref name=":03">{{Cite journal |editor-last=Hultzch |editor-first=E. |title=No. 34: Two Inscriptions of Vidugadalagiya Perumal |url=https://archive.org/details/EpigraphiaIndicaVol6/page/n410/mode/1up |journal=Epigraphica Indica |publisher=Archaeological Survey of India |volume=VI |pages=331-334}}</ref><ref name=":20">{{Cite journal |last= |first= |date=1890 |editor-last=Hultzsch |editor-first=E. |title=Tirumalai Inscriptions (No. 75 and 76) |url=https://archive.org/details/southindianinscr014359mbp/page/n119/mode/1up |journal=South Indian Inscriptions |publisher=Archaeological Survey of India |volume=I |pages=106-07}}</ref>
|
* Dated to 12th century AD<ref name=":03" />
|-
| [[Vitukathazhakiya Perumal]]
|
* Dated to late 12th century AD.<ref name=":03" />
* Subordinate of [[Kulothunga III]].<ref name=":03" />
|}
== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Cite book |last=Ramamurthy |first=A. |url=https://ia600100.us.archive.org/24/items/in.ernet.dli.2015.119817/2015.119817.History-Of-Kongu.pdf |title=History of Kongu: Pre-historic Period to 1300 AD |publisher=ISIAC |year=1986 |isbn= |editor-last=Mahalingam |editor-first=N. |location=Madras |pages= |chapter=}}

[[Category:Chera dynasty]]
[[Category:Dynasties of India]]
[[Category:Hindu dynasties]]
[[Category:Former monarchies of India]]
[[Category:Karur]]

Kongu Chera dynasty - Revision history

CynthiaBegg56 at 07:42, 13 March 2026