Mandalam
Also called: Mandala · Topic: Southern Dynasties: Chalukyas, Pallavas, Cholas · NCERT: Class 9, Ch 5 "State and Society up to 1000 CE"
Meaning
A mandalam was a province, the largest unit below the whole kingdom in south Indian government. Such units were used from about 300 to 800 CE and most clearly in the Chola empire (9th–13th centuries). Each mandalam was split into smaller valanadus (districts). The full order was: mandalam > valanadu > nadu > ur (village). The mandalam was roughly like the bhukti (province) of north Indian kingdoms.
Example
The Chola heartland in the Kaveri delta was called Cholamandalam, "the province of the Cholas". Later, the word "Coromandel" (the name for the Tamil coast) came from it. When Rajaraja Chola conquered northern Sri Lanka, the area was ruled as a Chola province.
Don't confuse with
- Mandala (theory of states): in Kautilya's Arthashastra, a "circle" of friendly and enemy kingdoms around a king. It is an idea about foreign policy, not a province.
- Nadu: a much smaller unit, made up of a group of villages.