Indian Antiquary Vol 59

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Charles E A W Oldham, S Krishnaswami Aiyangar, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarka
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 206

188
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[ SEPTEMBER, 1930
BOOK-NOTICES. TAE PANDYAN KINGDOI by K. A. NILAKANTA Mr. Nilakanta Sastri takes the first empire SASTRI. London, Luzac & Co.
to begin with the achievement of Kadungon after
the Kalabhra interregnum, and takes it on to the This neat, handy volume attempts to cover the conquest of the Pandyas by the Cholas under history of the Pandyas from their early beginnings Parántaka I in the first quarter of the tenth contury down to the end of the sixteenth concury, and A.D. This happens to coincide with the period Atops where the viceroyalty of Madura under of prosperity of the Pallavas of Kanchi, and is Vijayanagar begins. This is a period of history almost exactly coeval with the period of the Great and the account of a dynasty which had long re- Pellavas, whose rule perhaps began a few decades mained to be worked up, und for which the available carlier, and came to an end similarly a few decades
to the public material has just becoñe accessible to the publici earlior when the decisive battle of Tiruppurambiyam outside the Department of Epigraphy. Mr. wasiought. The treatment of the subject is fairly full Nilakanta Sastri delivered a course of lectures at the and critical throughout. Mr. Sastri's account would University on this subject, and the book is the have boen better had he paid as much attention outcome of this course.
to the inscriptions of the Palla vas as he has to those
of the Pandyas. The period following is one of This part of the history of the Pandyan kingdom decay and the disappearance of Pandya rule naturally falls into a certain numor of divisions, brought about by the Chola conqusst. During the and the following may be enumeratod as being period of the Chola ascendency in South India, covered in the work under review :-(1) the Begin- which lasted for three or four centuries, the Pandyas nings of History in the Sangam Age ; (2) tho Kala- had not gone out of existence altogether, bhra interregnum ; (3) the first Pandyan empire,
but remained to a great extent eclipsed by the as it is called, and the duel with the Pallavas;
glorious empire of the Cholas. As the Chola empire (4) the Chola ascendency and the eclipse of the began to decay, we can see the first beginnings of Pandyas ; (5) the duel with the Hoysalas and the & revival of the Pandyas. The decay of the Chola Påndyan revival; (7) the gradual decay and decline empire brought about the intervention of the of the Pandvan kingdom with the rise of Vijayanagar. Hoysalns, who soon proved the arbiters of the This is a long period and a wide subject to
destinies of South India in the disputes between be dealt with in a course of locturos and in a book
the Pandyas and the Cholas. The Pandyas had of the size that is beforo us; and, having regard
to get out of this position by a serious effort, and to the nature of the subject, must neodarily be the tale of this is told in the second section of Mr. incapable of equal treatment all over. The book takanta Sastri's book. Then followed the
period of the Påndya empire before the Muham. exhibits this defect, inherent in the subjout, and perhaps also due to the pressure of much other hard
madan invasions supervened. The Muhammadan work which the author had to do at the time. The
invaders cance and went, and the Pandyag first two of these divisions the author passes over
recovered some little of their power : but the
more thorough conquest under Muhammad comparatively lightly, though more thorough work
bin Tughlaq put an end to the Pandya kingdom and exploitation of the sources, such as they are,
at Madura, although the members of the Pandya would, we are sure, have yielded better resulte.
dynasty held their position in the farther outekirts His real work, however, begins with the period
of their kingdom, chiefly in the Tinnevelly district. following, for which there is a mass of inscrip
Then another chapter follows of Pandyan history, tional material available. But then for the remain
which extends right down to the eve of Talikota, ing period, there is the other drawback that the
by which time Vijayanagar had established a sources available are comparatively large where
viceroyalty in Madara, efficient to hold the the period happens to be the period of the pros.
Påndyas of Tinnevelly in check. The history of perity of the Pandyas. The information becomes
that viceroyalty Mr. Nilakanta Sastri does not most scanty when the kingdom ceases to be
take up, as he is concerned only with the history prosperous for one reason or another. That
of the Pandya kingdom. naturally produces another element of inequality
Throughout this work Mr. Sastri exhibits a full in the treatment of the subject. Notwithstanding
knowledge of the material and critical ability and this inherent defect, Mr. Sastri's treatment of this
discernment in choosing the right kind of details; and period is fuller and more continuous and interest.
he has succeeded in compiling a reasonably correct ing. He has made a pretty thorough study and
account of the Pandyan kingdom. The book is, analysis of the inscriptional material, and has
however, not free from defects of detail ; & certain brought together all the disjecta membra of the
number of then deserve attention, but we do not inscriptions in & form which provides intereeting
wish to take up space to point these cut, as we reading. There are defecte, of course, here and
have done it elsewhere. We congratulate Mr. there in points of detail, but all that unfortun
Bastri on the production of a work that is alike ately cannot be altogether avoided in a work
creditable to his ability and industry. of this character.
8. K. AIYANGAR