One consistent feature found in the history of southern India was the growth of small regional kingdoms rather than large empires because of

The growth of small regional kingdoms in southern India is best explained by the limited availability of vast, contiguous fertile plains on the peninsula. Regions ruled by early dynasties such as the Pallavas and Chalukyas commanded only a limited land income; mercantile activity had not yet developed sufficiently to substitute for large agrarian surpluses required to sustain wide-ranging, centralized empires [1]. Consequently, power remained concentrated in smaller polities—chiefdoms or regional kingdoms—rather than single large imperial structures. This pattern is reflected in the persistent fragmentation of the Tamil region into separate rulers (the muvendar) and the relative autonomy of provincial governors under Deccan kingdoms, which inhibited long-term political unification [2].

Sources

1. [1] History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 9: Cultural Development in South India > Maritime Trade > p. 125
2. [2] History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 6: Polity and Society in Post-Mauryan Period > 6.3 The Tamil Kingdoms > p. 82