IGNOU HISTORY NOTES : India Earliest Times to the 8th Century A.D - Early State Formation in South India (Tamilaham)

IGNOU HISTORY Study Notes for IAS, UPSC Exams

India Earliest Times to the 8th Century A.D

Early State Formation in South India (Tamilaham)

Structure

28.0 Objectives
28.1 Introduction
28.2 The Region
28.3 The Five Eco-zones,and Subsistence Pattern
28.4 Evolution of Political Society
28.4.1 Different Kinds of Chiefdoms
28.4.2 Plunder and Booty Redistribution
28.4.3 Muvendar and Other Levels of Political Control
28.5 Let Us Sum Up'
28.6 Key Words
28.7 Answers to Check Your Progress Exercises

28.0 OBJECTIVES

After reading this unit, you should be able to understand:

what eco-zones constituted Tamilaham or south India of the early period
how the various forms of subsistence co-existed and interacted
how the different kinds of chiefdoms functioned, and
how they represented different levels of political control,

28.1 INTRODUCTION

In Unit 27you learn about early state formation in the Deccan under the Satavahanas.
A similar situation is not seen in Tamilaham during the period. We do not see the
existence of a state power in the region, but only chiefdoms. State presupposes the
existence of a centralised political authority over a territory. Its authority would be
based on the control of the territorial resources. It would have a regular system of
taxation and organised defence.Faci1itating both taxation and defence, the state would.
have a bureaucracy or a team of officials of different ranks and functions. On the other
hand, achiefdom would have no such evolved features. A chiefdom would be a society
of hereditary status, ruled by a chief. His authority would be the one based on the
control of his people bound by the concerned tribal or clyish ties of kinship. The chief
would be the embodiment of the kinship relations of his people. There would be no
regular taxation or periodic exaction of any revenue from the people, but only
occasional voluntary payments to the chief. In this unit you will be made familiar with
the variety of chiefly powers and their levels of political development.

28.2 THE REGION

The land in between the hills of Venkatam and Kanyakumari is called Tamilaham. It
includes the whole of modem Tamil Nadu and Kerala. With forested hills, undulated
terrains, pastures, aiid zones, wet-lands and long sea coast, the region represented a
combination of diverse eco-zones. The three principal chiefdoms, the Cheras, Cholas
and Pandyas had their strongholds both in the interior as well as on the sea coast. The
Cheras had Karur in the interior and Muciris. the well known ancient port, on the west
coast. The Cholas had Uraijur in the interior and Puhar on the coromandel coast as their
strongholds. Similarly, the Pandyas had Madurai and Korkar as their interior
headquarters and port respectively. These were the most important politicalcentres of
the period in the region.