Ancient and Medieval Indian Rulers

The Junagadh rock inscription of Rudradaman, also known as the Girnar Rock inscription of Rudradaman, is a Sanskrit prose inscribed on a rock by the Indian Satraps ruler Rudradaman I. It is located near Girnar hill near Junagadh, Gujarat, India.

The Satavahana dynasty emerged in the Deccan region, which is geographically situated to the south of the Vindhya mountain range.

The Vakatakas rose to power in the Deccan following the decline of the Satavahana dynasty in the 3rd century AD. They became the dominant political force in the region during the post-Satavahana period.

Simuka is historically recognized as the founder of the Satavahana dynasty, having overthrown the Kanva dynasty to establish his rule.

The rulers of Chera kingdom of Mahodayapuram introduced the Malayalam language and script in their inscriptions. In fact, this is one of the earliest examples of the use of a regional language in official records in the subcontinent.

The famous and important ruler of Cheras was Senguttuvan, who is the hero of a famous Tamil Epic Silapathikaram. Senguttuvan is best known for sending the first embassy to China from South India.

Senguttuvan, also known as Cheran Senguttuvan, is widely celebrated in Sangam literature as the most powerful and illustrious ruler of the Chera dynasty.

After Vijayalaya Chola conquered Thanjavur by defeating the Muttarayar chieftains who were part of Pandya family tree around 850, the Pandyas went into a period of decline. 
They were constantly harassing their Chola overlords by occupying their territories. Parantaka I invaded the Pandya territories and defeated Rajasimha III. However, the Pandyas did not wholly submit to the Cholas despite the loss of power, territory and prestige. They tried to forge various alliances with the Cheras and the Kings of Lanka and tried to engage the Cholas in war to free themselves from Chola supremacy. But right from the times of Parantaka I to the early 12th century up to the times of Kulottunga Chola I the Pandyas could not overpower the Cholas who right from 880-1215 remained the most powerful empire spread over South India, Deccan and the Eastern and Western Coast of India during this period.

The early Pandyan dynasty went into obscurity during the invasion of the Kalabhras. The dynasty revived under Kadungon in the early sixth century.
The Early Pandyas of the Sangam period were one of the four main kingdoms of the ancient Tamil country, the other three being the Cholas, the Cheras and Athiyamaan Dynasty.

The first capital of Pandyas was Madurai. Their symbol was fish. The Pandyan kings earned their name and fame for their patronage to Tamil Sangam. 

The agriculturists were called as Boomiputirar. 
Agriculture and trade were the main occupations of the people in the Pandya kingdom. The Pandyas were also world famous for pearl diving. The pearls of the Pandya empire were famous all over the world. 

Expeditions from the Khalji Sultanate in 1314 led by Khusro Khan and in 1323 by Ulugh Khan under Sultan Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq shattered the Pandyan empire beyond revival. While the previous invasions were content with plunder, Ulugh Khan annexed the former Pandyan dominions to the Delhi Sultanate .

The Greek historian Megasthenes, in his work Indica, mentions the Pandyan kingdom and includes legends linking its origin to the daughter of Heracles.

Shivaji Maharaj established his independent kingdom, which he referred to as Swaraj, meaning self-rule or independence from foreign powers.