Chronology of Tamil history

The following is a chronological overview of the history of the Tamil people, who trace their ancestry to the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, the Indian Union territory of Puducherry, or the Northern, Eastern Province and Puttalam District[1] of Sri Lanka.[2]

Pre-historic period

PeriodEvents
c. 150,000-100,000 BCEEvidence for presence of Hominins with Acheulean technology in north Tamil Nadu.[3]
c. 30,000 BCEPaleolithic industries in north Tamil Nadu[4]
c. 8000-3000 BCEPre-pottery microlithic industries[5]
c. 3000-1000 BCENeolithic and fine microlithic industries[6]

Pre-Sangam period

PeriodEvents
c. 1000-300 BCEMegalithic age[7]
c. 600 BCETamil-Brahmi prevalent as the Tamil script [8]
c. 300 BCEGreek ethnographer Megasthenes describes Pandyan capital Madurai.,[9][10]
c. 250 BCEAsoka's inscription recording the four kingdoms (Chera, Cholas, Pandya and Satyaputra) of the ancient Tamil country
c. 200 BCEElara, a Tamil prince and contemporary of Dutte Gamini, rules Lanka

Sangam age

PeriodEvents
c. 200 BCE-200 CESangam age during which books of Sangam Literature are created [11]
c. 150 BCEKharavela of Kalinga records his conquest of a federation of Tamil kings in his Hathigumpha inscription [12]
c. 13Greek historian Nicolaus of Damascus met an ambassador sent by Pandyan King to Caesar Augustus, Strabo XV.1-73.[13]
c. 1-100The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea gives a detailed description of early Chera and Pandya kingdom and mentions a part of the Tamil country as Lymirike (misread as "Damirica" by some modern scholars).[14]
c. 77 and 140Greco-Roman writers Pliny the Elder and Ptolemy mention Madurai ruled by Pandyan.
c. 130Chera king Udayanjeral rules in the Chera country
c. 175-195Gajabahu I of Lanka a contemporary of Chera Senguttuvan and Karikala Chola (the Gajabahu synchronism)
c. 190Chera Kadukko Ilanjeral Irumporai rules in the Chera country [15]
c. 200Writing becomes widespread and vattezuttu evolved from the Tamil Brahmi becomes a mature script for writing Tamil [16]
c. 210Pandya Neduncheliyan rules in Madurai and defeats his enemies at the battle of Talaiyalanganam

Post-Sangam period

PeriodEvents
c. 300-590Kalabhras invade the Tamil country and displace the traditional rulers
c. 300-500Post-Sangam period, Tamil epics such as Silappatikaram written

Pallava and Pandya

PeriodEvents
c. 560-580Pallava Simhavishnu overthrows the Kalabhras in Tondaimandalam
c. 560-590Pandya Kadungon rules from Madurai and displaces the Kalabhras from the south
c. 590-630Pallava Mahendravarman I rules in Kanchipuram
c. 610Saiva saint Thirunavukkarasar (Appar) converts Mahendravarman from Jainism
c. 628Chalukya Pulakesi II invades the Pallava kingdom and lays siege on Kanchipuram
c. 630-668Pallava Narasimhavarman I (Mamalla) rules in Tondaimandalam
c. 642Pallava Narasimhavarman I launches a counter invasion into the Chalukya country and sacks Vatapi. Pulakesi is killed in battle
c. 670-700CE-Pandya Arikesari Parankusa Maravarman rules in Madurai
c. 700-728Pallava Rajasimha builds the Kailasanatha temple in Kanchipuram and many of the shore temples in Mamallapuram
c. 710-730Pandya king Kochadaiyan Ranadhiran expands the Pandya kingdom into the Kongu country
c. 731Pandya Maravarman Rajasimha aligns with the Chalukya Vikramaditya II and attacks the Pallava king Nandivarmam
c. 731-765Pandya Maravarman Rajasimha aligns with the Chalukya Vikramaditya II and attacks the Pallava king Nandivarmam
c. 735Chaluka Vikramaditya II invades the Pallava country and occupies the capital Kanchipuram
c. 760Pallava Nandivarman II invades and defeats the Ganga kingdom at the battle of Villande
c. 768-815Pandya Parantaka Nedunchadaiyan (Varaguna Pandyan) rules in Madurai[17]
c. 767Pandya forces defeat the Pallavas on the south banks of the Kaveri
c. 800-830Varagunan I becomes Pandya king and extends his empire up to Tiruchirapalli by defeating the Pallava king Dandivarman
c. 830-862Pandya Sirmara Srivallabha rules in Madurai
c. 840Srimara invades Lanka and captures the northern provinces of the Lanka king Sena I[18]
c. 848Rise of Vijayalaya Chola in Tanjavur after defeating the Muttaraiyar[19]Muthuraja rulers of kaveri delta
c. 846-869Pallava Nadivarman III leads an invasion against the Pandya kingdom and defeats the Pandyas
at the battle of Tellaru. Pallava kingdom extends up to the river Vaigai
c. 859Pandya Srivallaba defeats the Pallavas at a battle at Kumbakonam
c. 862Sinhala forces under Sena II invade the Pandya country and sack Madurai. Srimara is killed in battle

Chola period

PeriodEvents
c. 903Chola defeats the Pallava king Adithya Aparajita [20]
c. 949Battle of Takkolam. Rashtrakuta Krishna III defeats the Chola army [20]
c. 985Accession of Rajaraja Chola I [20]
c. 1010Rajaraja completes the Brihadisvara Temple
c. 1012Accession of Rajendra Chola I [20]
c. 1023Rajendra's Expedition to the Ganges [21]
c. 1025Chola navies defeat the king of Srivijaya [22]
c. 1041Rajendra invades Lanka [23]
c. 1054Rajadhiraja Chola dies in the battle of Koppam against Western Chalukyas [22]
c. 1070Accession of Kulothunga Chola I [22]
c. 1118Vikrama Chola [22]
c. 1133Kulothunga Chola II [22]
c. 1146Rajaraja Chola II [22]
c. 1163Rajadhiraja Chola II [22]
c. 1178Kulothunga Chola III [22]
c. 1216Rajaraja Chola III [22]
c. 1246Rajendra Chola III [22]

Chola to Pandya transition

PeriodEvents
c. 1190-1260Bana Dynasty rule Magadaimandalam with family title of 'ponparappinan' and headquarters at Aragalur [22]
c. 1216 - 1238Kadava Dynasty and Maravarman Sundara Pandyan ruled regions of South India[24]

Pandiya revival and Muslim rule

PeriodEvents
1251Accession of Jatavarman Sundara Pandyan I[25]
1279End of the Chola dynasty with the death of Rajendra Chola III[22]
1268-1310Kulasekara Pandiyan rules in Madurai[25]
1308Malik Kafur a general of Allaudin Khilji invades Devagiri en route to Tamil Nadu[26]
1310Sundara Pandian, son of Kulasekara Pandiyan, kills his father and becomes king. In the ensuing civil war he is defeated by his brother Vira Pandiyan.[27]
1311Malik Kafur, invades Pandiya country and attacks Madurai[26]
1327-1370Madurai under the rule of Madurai Sultanate[26]

Vijayanagar and Nayak period

PeriodEvents
1370Bukka, the Vijayanagara ruler and his son Kumara Kamapna capture the entire Tamil country
1518Portuguese land on the Coromandel Coast in Pulicat[28]
1532 to 1580Sevappa Nayak rules as the first independent Nayak ruler in Tanjavur
1600to 1645Ragunatha Nayak, the greatest of the Tanjavur Nayaks
1609the Dutch establish a settlement in Pulicat
1623 to 1659Tirumalai Nayak rules in Madurai
1639British East India Company purchases Chennapatinam and establishes Fort St. George
1652Tanjavur and Gingee fall to the Bijapur Sultan
1656Mysore army invades Salem against the Madurai Nayak Tirumalai
1676Maratha army from Bijapur marches into Tanjavur, Ekoji declares himself king[29]
1692Nawab of Arcot established by Nawab Zulfiqar Ali Khan, a viceroy of the Moghul Emperor
1746La Bourdonnais of the French East India company attacks and takes Fort St. George

East India Company

PeriodEvents
1749British regain Fort St. George through the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle arising out of the War of the Austrian Succession
1751Robert Clive attacks Arcot and captures it.[30]
1756The British and the French sign the first Carnatic treaty. Mahommed Ali Walajah was recognized as Nawab of the Carnatic
1759French under Thomas Arthur, Comte de Lally, attack Madras
1760Battle of Vandavasi between the British and the French. Birth of Veerapandya Kattabomman
1767Hyder Ali, Sultan of Mysore attacks Madras against British, but defeated by the British at the Battle of Chengam
1773British Government passes the Regulating Act. The administration of Madras comes under British Government review
1777-1832Serfoji II rules in Tanjavur
1799Serfoji cedes the Tanjavur kingdom to the British. Kattabomman executed by British
1803Bentinck appointed governor of Madras
1800-1805Poligar Wars
1806Vellore Mutiny East India Company's Indian soldiers in Vellore mutiny against governor Bentinck in Vellore fort. 114 British officers killed and 19 mutineers executed.

British rule

PeriodEvents
1892British government passes the Indian Councils Act
1909'Minto-Morley Reforms'. Madras Legislative Council formed
1921First regional elections held in Madras. Justice party forms government[31]
1927Madras Congress passes a resolution for 'Full Independence'
1928Simon Commission visits Madras. Mass protests result in several deaths
1937Congress party under C. Rajagopalachari wins provincial elections and forms government in Madras
1938Periyar E. V. Ramasamy organises a separatist agitation demanding Dravida Nadu consisting of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala
1941Indian Muslim League holds its congress in Madras. Muhammad Ali Jinnah delivers keynote speech
1944Periyar E. V. Ramasamy and C. N. Annadurai organise Dravidar Kazhagam

Post independence period

PeriodEvents
1947Madras Presidency, comprising Tamil Nadu and parts of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka established
1953'Madras state comes into being along linguistic lines
1965Widespread agitations in response to the Federal Government's directive of Hindi being the National Language
1969Madras state is renamed as Tamil Nadu (Country of the Tamils)[32][33]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Manual of the Puttalam District of the North-Western Province of Ceylon (1908), Frank Modder, p.55.
  2. ↑ Minahan, James (2012). Ethnic Groups of South Asia and the Pacific: An Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-59884-659-1.
  3. ↑ Pappu, Shanni; et al. "Early Pleistocene Presence of Acheulian Hominins in South India". Science Magazine. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  4. ↑ "Excavations at the Palaeolithic Site of Attirampakkam, South India". Antiquity journal. September 2003. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  5. ↑ "Evidence of pre-historic humans in Thanjavur". The Hindu. Thanjavur, India. 10 May 2009.
  6. ↑ "Bedrock on which Neolithic man sharpened stone tools found in T.N." The Hindu. India. 3 April 2013.
  7. ↑ "Kanchi district, gold mine of megalithic sites". IBN Live. Tamil Nadu, India. 14 March 2012.
  8. ↑ Coningham, R.A.E.; Allchin, F.R.; Batt, C.M. (1996). "Passage to India: Anuradhapura and the early use of Brahmi Script". Cambridge Archaeological Journal. 6:2: 73–97. doi:10.1017/s0959774300001608.
  9. ↑ Allan Dahlaquist. Megasthenes and Indian Religion
  10. ↑ Keay, John (2000) [2001]. India: A history. India: Grove Press. ISBN 0-8021-3797-0.
  11. ↑ Singh, Upinder (2009). A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India 1st Edition. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson. ISBN 8131716775.
  12. ↑ "Hathigumpha Inscription of Kharavela of Kalinga" (PDF). Project South Asia. South Dakota State University. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  13. ↑ Strabo XV.1
  14. ↑ Lionel Casson (2012). The Periplus Maris Erythraei: Text with Introduction, Translation, and Commentary. Princeton University Press. pp. 213–214. ISBN 1-4008-4320-0.
  15. ↑ Zvelebil, Kamil Veith (1991). Companion Studies to the History of Tamil Literature. Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 9004093656.
  16. ↑ Coningham (), Robin; et al. "Anuradhapura (Sri Lanka) Project, Phase I: ASW2". Arts and Humanities Research Council. Archived from the original on 7 March 2013. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  17. ↑ "Preserving the past". The Hindu. India. 3 February 2010.
  18. ↑ "Sinhala king and South Indian invasions". Daily News. Sri Lanka. 20 October 2009.
  19. ↑ "Chapter 1-4.pmd" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-11-07.
  20. 1 2 3 4 Kulke and Rothermund (2010). A History of India. Routledge. p. 115. ISBN 9780415485432.
  21. ↑ Majumdar, R.C. (1934). Ancient Indian Colonies In The Far East. Dacca: Asoke Humar Majumdar Ramna. p. 407.
  22. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Nilakanta Sastri, K.A. (2005). A History of South India. New Age International Limited (P). p. 158.
  23. ↑ Meyer, Holger (1999). Umsatzsteuer - Binnenmarkt. Berlin: Boorberg. p. 73. ISBN 978-3415026131.
  24. ↑ Sethuraman, N (1980). Medieval Pandyas, A.D. 1000-1200. University of Michigan.
  25. 1 2 Thinakaran, Alice Justina (15 May 2007). The Second Pandyan Empire, A.D. 1190-1312. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan. p. 225.
  26. 1 2 3 Aiyangar, Sakkottai Krishnaswami (1921). South India and her Muhammadan Invaders. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. pp. 222–223.
  27. ↑ Aiyangar, Sakkottai Krishnaswami (1921). South India and her Muhammadan Invaders. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. p. 97.
  28. ↑ "Portuguese on the Coromandel". The Hindu. India. 17 May 2004.
  29. ↑ "Historical Moments". Thanjavur Municipality, Tamil Nadu state Government. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
  30. ↑ "Excerpts from a Sergeant's Diary recounting Robert Clive's capture of Arcot, September-October 1751". Project South Asia. South Dakota State University, USA. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
  31. ↑ "A history of agitational politics". Frontline. India. 10 April 2004.
  32. ↑ http://www.assembly.tn.gov.in/archive/index.htm
  33. ↑ http://www.assembly.tn.gov.in/archive/reviews/Review%204_67-70.pdf
  • Nilakanta Sastri, K.A. A History of South India, OUP, Reprinted 2000
  • Nilakanta Sastri, K.A., Srinivasachari, Advanced History of India, Allied Publishers Ltd, New Delhi, Reprinted 2000
  • Read, Anthony, The Proudest Day - India's Long Ride to Independence, Jonathan Cape, London, 1997
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