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Consider the following passage and identify the three tribal principalities referred to therein using the code given below : In the early history of the far south in India, three tribal principalities are mentioned in Ashokan inscriptions of the third century BC and in Kharavela inscription of the first century BC. Code :
Explanation
The three tribal principalities or 'muvendar' (three crowned kings) referred to in early historical records are the Cholas, Pandyas, and Cheras [4]. Ashoka's Major Rock Edicts (specifically Edict II and XIII) from the third century BCE explicitly mention these southern neighbors—Chola, Pandya, Satiyaputra, and Keralaputra (Cheras)—as independent territories outside the Mauryan Empire [4]. Furthermore, the Hathigumpha inscription of King Kharavela of Kalinga, dating to the first century BCE, corroborates this by mentioning a 'confederacy of Tamil powers' (Tramira-desa-sanghatam) that had existed for 113 years, which included these kingdoms. While the Satavahanas were contemporaries in the Deccan, they are not classified as the 'three tribal principalities' of the far south in these specific epigraphic contexts [4].
Sources
- [1] History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 5: Evolution of Society in South India > The Muvendar > p. 66
- [4] History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 5: Evolution of Society in South India > SUMMARY > p. 75
- [2] History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 11: Later Cholas and Pandyas > II PANDYAS > p. 165
- [3] History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 5: Evolution of Society in South India > Introduction > p. 63