The king prepared the ground and orchestrated the call to arms. It was customary of the king to lead in…
Stirrings of War in Ancient Tamilakam
From what little we know, ancient Tamilakam did not produce treatises on the art and science of war. This is…
Village Administration in Ancient Tamilakam
Just as the family was the basic building block of society, the village was the basic administrative unit in ancient…
64 Arts of Life
The learned people of ancient South India strove to master the 64 arts of life, what we might refer to…
The Council
The (royal, governing, advisory) Council included five people who represented five groups plus one important individual: Chief Minister: civil administration…
Demands on the King
The early kings of ancient South India were not autocrats. They faced a system of checks and balances from the…
The State
The notion of state rested in kingdoms and according to the norms of Tamilakam, these had seven constituents: Land Suitable…
Aryan Influence
Some of the earliest writings that survived into modern times were from about the 4th century BCE, but historians believe…
Stirrings of Statehood
Five distinct societies evolved in South India during the pre-historical period: hunter-gatherers; pastoralists; agriculturalists; fishermen; and nomads of the semi-arid…
Records Lost to History
Historians divide the history of Tamilakam into three chronological periods: Pre-historical times (pre 3rd century BCE) The Sangam era (3rd…