South Indian Dynasties and the Sangam Age
South Indian Dynasties and the Sangam Age
South India produced the Sangam literature, the great temple-building dynasties and a naval power that reached South-East Asia. NTPC asks the founders and capitals of dynasties, the famous temples each built, and the Sangam assemblies and texts.
1. Sangam Age (about 3rd century BCE to 3rd century CE)
| Item | Facts |
|---|---|
| Three Sangams | Held under Pandya patronage: first at Then Madurai, second at Kapatapuram, third at Madurai (the third produced most surviving texts) |
| Major texts | Tolkappiyam (Tamil grammar), Tirukkural (Tiruvalluvar), Silappadikaram (Ilango Adigal), Manimekalai (Sattanar) |
| Three kingdoms | Chera (emblem bow), Chola (tiger), Pandya (fish) |
2. Major Dynasties
| Dynasty | Capital | Key rulers and facts |
|---|---|---|
| Pallava | Kanchipuram | Narasimhavarman I (Mamallapuram rathas); Shore Temple built by Narasimhavarman II |
| Chalukya (Badami) | Vatapi (Badami) | Pulakeshin II defeated Harsha on the Narmada; Aihole inscription by Ravikirti |
| Rashtrakuta | Manyakheta | Krishna I built the Kailasa temple at Ellora; Amoghavarsha wrote Kavirajamarga |
| Chola (imperial) | Thanjavur, later Gangaikonda Cholapuram | Vijayalaya founded it as a Pallava feudatory; Rajaraja I built the Brihadeeswara temple; Rajendra I led a northern campaign to the Ganga and a naval expedition to South-East Asia |
| Pandya | Madurai | Patrons of the Sangam |
| Hoysala | Dwarasamudra (Halebidu) | Belur and Halebidu temples |
Chola local self-government: the Uttaramerur inscriptions describe village assemblies (ur and sabha)
Rajendra I took the title Gangaikonda ("who conquered the Ganga")
✗ Rajaraja I took the title Gangaikonda | ✓ It was his son Rajendra I, after the northern campaign
✗ The Kailasa temple at Ellora was built by the Pallavas | ✓ It was built by the Rashtrakuta king Krishna I
हिंदी नोट: संगम साहित्य मदुरै में पांड्यों के संरक्षण में रचा गया; तिरुक्कुरल तिरुवल्लुवर ने लिखा। चोल वंश के संस्थापक विजयालय पल्लवों के सामंत थे; राजराज प्रथम ने बृहदीश्वर मंदिर बनवाया और राजेंद्र प्रथम ने गंगा तक अभियान किया।
Exam Pointer: Verified NTPC patterns: the Chola founder Vijayalaya as a Pallava feudatory (March 2026 Graduate CBT-1) and the South Indian kingdom whose campaign crossed the Ganga (August 2025 UG CBT-1). Sangam-text and temple-builder questions are tagged syllabus-based.
Pariksha Pattern: Every Way NTPC Asks This Topic
Pattern 1: Chola rulers and their achievements
[PYQ: NTPC Graduate CBT-1 24-Mar-2026 Shift-2 | NTPC UG CBT-1 22-Aug-2025 Shift-3]
EXAM LEVEL
Q. Vijayalaya, founder of the Chola empire, was originally a feudatory of which dynasty?
The Pallavas; he captured Thanjavur in the 9th century.
Answer: Pallavas
EXAMATLAS LEVEL
Q. Which Chola ruler carried his campaign to the Ganga, what title did he take, and what new capital did he build?
Rajendra I took the title Gangaikonda and built Gangaikonda Cholapuram.
Answer: Rajendra I; Gangaikonda; Gangaikonda Cholapuram
Pattern 2: Temples and their builders
[Pattern: syllabus-based, PYQ-style]
EXAM LEVEL
Q. Who built the Brihadeeswara temple at Thanjavur?
Rajaraja Chola I.
Answer: Rajaraja I
EXAMATLAS LEVEL
Q. Match the temple with the dynasty: Kailasa temple (Ellora), Shore Temple (Mamallapuram), Belur temples.
Kailasa: Rashtrakuta (Krishna I). Shore Temple: Pallava (Narasimhavarman II). Belur: Hoysala.
Answer: Rashtrakuta, Pallava, Hoysala
Pattern 3: Sangam literature
[Pattern: syllabus-based, PYQ-style]
EXAM LEVEL
Q. Who wrote the Tirukkural?
Tiruvalluvar.
Answer: Tiruvalluvar
EXAMATLAS LEVEL
Q. Who wrote Silappadikaram, and under which dynasty's patronage were the Sangams held at Madurai?
Ilango Adigal wrote Silappadikaram. The Sangams were held under Pandya patronage (the third, which produced most surviving texts, at Madurai).
Answer: Ilango Adigal; Pandyas
Pattern 4: Capitals and battles
[Pattern: syllabus-based, PYQ-style]
EXAM LEVEL
Q. What was the capital of the Pallavas?
Kanchipuram.
Answer: Kanchipuram
EXAMATLAS LEVEL
Q. Which Chalukya king defeated Harsha, and who wrote the Aihole inscription describing him?
Pulakeshin II defeated Harsha on the banks of the Narmada. Ravikirti wrote the Aihole inscription.
Answer: Pulakeshin II; Ravikirti
60-Second Revision
- Sangams under the Pandyas (third at Madurai); Tirukkural by Tiruvalluvar.
- Pallava: Kanchipuram; Chalukya: Badami; Rashtrakuta: Manyakheta.
- Chola: Vijayalaya (Pallava feudatory), Rajaraja I (Brihadeeswara), Rajendra I (Gangaikonda).
- Kailasa temple: Rashtrakuta Krishna I.