UPSC Prelims 2026 Q15: Sangam Kings and Their Dynasties — Explained
Which of the following pairs of the king and his dynasty in early historical Tamilakam is/are not correctly matched?
1. Senguttuvan : Chera
2. Udiyanjeral : Chola
3. Nedunjeliyan : Pandya
- 1 and 2
- 2 only
- 1 and 3
- 3 only
Answer: (b) 2 only
Statement-wise explanation
- 1: correct — Senguttuvan (Chenkuttuvan) was a Chera king of the Sangam age and the son of Nedunjeral Adan. The Silappadikaram says he led an expedition north and brought a stone from the Himalayas to carve an image of Kannagi, which began the Pattini cult. The epic also links him with Gajabahu of Sri Lanka, which helps date him to about the 2nd century CE. The pair is correctly matched.
- 2: incorrect — Udiyanjeral (Uthiyan Cheralathan) was a Chera king, not a Chola. He is often treated as the earliest known Chera ruler. In the second poem of the Purananuru, the poet Mudinagarayar praises him as 'Perunchottu Udiyan' for feeding the armies at the Kurukshetra war. The 'jeral/cheral' part of his name points to the Chera line. The pair is wrongly matched.
- 3: correct — Nedunjeliyan (Neduncheliyan) was a Pandya king who ruled from Madurai. At Talaiyalanganam he defeated the combined armies of the Cheras, the Cholas and five Velir chiefs. Two poems in the Pattuppattu praise him: Maduraikkanchi by Mangudi Marudanar and Nedunalvadai by Nakkirar. The pair is correctly matched.
How to eliminate
Two pieces of knowledge solve this question. First, Senguttuvan as the Chera hero of the Silappadikaram is standard NCERT and Spectrum material. Once you know pair 1 is correct, the two options that include pair 1 drop out, and you are left with '2 only' or '3 only'. Second, Nedunjeliyan of Talaiyalanganam is the best-known Pandya king, so pair 3 is correct and '2 only' remains. A naming clue helps if you only half remember: 'Cheral/Jeral' names (Udiyanjeral, Nedunjeral Adan, Cheralathan) usually mean Chera kings. 'Cheliyan/Jeliyan' and 'Valudi' names usually mean Pandyas. 'Killi' and 'Cenni' names usually mean Cholas, as in Nedunkilli and Ilanchetchenni. Also watch the phrase 'not correctly matched'. Many candidates lose marks by marking the correct pairs instead.
Know more
The muvendar of Tamilakam. Sangam poems (c. 300 BCE–300 CE) describe three crowned dynasties, the muvendar: the Cheras, Cholas and Pandyas. Below them were the velir chiefs. Ashoka's Rock Edict II already names the Cholas, the Pandyas and the Keralaputras (Cheras) as neighbours beyond his empire.
| Chera | Chola | Pandya | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emblem | Bow | Tiger | Fish (carp) |
| Capital | Vanji (Karur) | Uraiyur | Madurai |
| Port | Muziris, Tondi | Puhar (Kaveripattinam) | Korkai |
| Famous kings | Udiyanjeral, Nedunjeral Adan, Senguttuvan | Karikala, Ilanchetchenni, Nedunkilli, Kocchenganan | Nedunjeliyan, Mudukudumi Peruvaludi |
Key kings to remember
- Udiyanjeral: early Chera. Purananuru poem 2 says he fed the armies at Kurukshetra (title Perunchottu).
- Nedunjeral Adan: Chera. Took the title Imayavaramban. Said to have captured Yavana ships.
- Senguttuvan: Chera, son of Nedunjeral Adan. Hero of the Kannagi story in the Silappadikaram, which his brother Ilango Adigal is said to have written. Began the Pattini cult.
- Karikala: Chola. Won at Venni. Credited with building embankments on the Kaveri. Praised in Pattinappalai.
- Nedunjeliyan: Pandya. Won at Talaiyalanganam. Praised in Maduraikkanchi and Nedunalvadai.
Sources UPSC draws on: Purananuru (puram, or war-and-polity poems), Pattuppattu (the Ten Idylls), Padirruppattu (the 'Ten Tens', about Chera kings only), and the twin epics Silappadikaram and Manimekalai. Pandya pearls, Chera pepper and Chola ports such as Puhar connected Tamilakam to Roman trade.
NCERT Concepts to Revise
- Senguttuvan: Statement 1 pairs Senguttuvan with a dynasty, so knowing which Sangam ruling house this Himalayan-expedition king belonged to settles that pair.
- Nedunjeliyan: Statement 3 pairs Nedunjeliyan with a dynasty, so recalling the Madurai-based victor of Talaiyalanganam is how that pair gets tested.
- Cheras: Statements 1 and 2 both involve kings whose names and records must be checked against the Chera line, including the 'cheral' name element.
- Silappadikaram: This epic is the main source on Senguttuvan's northern expedition and his link with Gajabahu, which pins down his identity for Statement 1.
- Pattini cult: The Pattini cult began with Senguttuvan's Kannagi image, so it is a memorable clue to which dynasty Statement 1's king belonged to.
- Pattuppattu: Maduraikkanchi and Nedunalvadai in this anthology praise Nedunjeliyan, so they help place the king named in Statement 3 in his dynasty.