Chera

The Chera is one of the three dynasties dravidiennes of Indian antiquity, the two others being the Chola which reign on the Côte of Coromandel and the Pândya occupying the south of Dravida, which dominate most of the history of the south of India and which are in quasi perpetual conflict to ensure their prevalence. Its kings belonged to the tribe of Vânavar, perhaps the Vanara or populates monkeys of the Râmâyana. Chera reign on the Malabar Coast in an area which corresponds at the modern State of Kerala, whose name comes from Keralaputra or wire of Chera. They are quoted in the inscriptions of Ashoka and correspond to the Caelobothras of Ptolémée.

Chera establish their capital with Vanchi, which one generally locates at Karur, close to Coïmbatore in the Tamil Nadu. Some however rather see it in the area of Kochi. Twenty-five kings Chera are known with details of their reign. One knows in particular that they fight against piracy and that they supported the trade, in particular spice S, Ivoire, structural timber and gems towards the the Middle East and the southernmost Europe, a trade which was a great source of richness for the area. At the same time as the goods systems of beliefs are exchanged, the Chera country accommodates Buddhism and the jainism as of the IIIe or the IIe century before the Christian era, and he sees Jewish settling there very early, perhaps following the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem and it is there that the tradition made take country with Thomas come to spread the teaching of the Christ.

During the History, several branches of Chera reign on the country, such that rested by king Udiyanjeral towards 130, those of Ay and Nannana which reign respectively on the south and the north of the coast. One however knows few things of first kings Chera. One of them, Senguttuvan , which reigned at the 2nd century, tied relations with the kingdoms of Ceylon, which is described by the Silappadhikaram , a work written by his/her brother Ilango Adigal. Towards 800, the branch Perumal - also called Kulashekhara - dominates all the coast and this until the reign of its last king Ramâvarma Kulashekhara . One finds a branch of Chera, called then Zamorin, with the head of Calicut at the 15th century. The latter, traditionally trading with the Arab , fight against the Portuguese combined with the Râja S of Kochi during the 16th century.

Sources

Simple: Chera dynasty

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