Chera dynasty

Chera dynasty, rulers of an ancient kingdom in what is now Keralam state, southwestern India. Chera was one of the three major kingdoms of southern India that constituted Tamilakam (territory of the Tamils) and was centered on the Malabar Coast and its hinterland. The other two dynasties were the Pandyas, based at present-day Madurai, south-central Tamil Nadu state, and the Cholas, centerd around modern Thanjavur and the Kaveri (Cauvery) River valley in eastern Tamil Nadu.

In the early centuries bce, the Chera region became known to the Greeks and Romans (who were called Yavana in early Indian literature) for its spices. Chera inscriptions of the 2nd century ce that make reference to the Irrumporai clan have been found near present-day Tiruchirappalli (on the Kaveri west of Thanjavur). Sangam (early Tamil) literature mentions the names of Chera chiefs dated to the 1st century ce. Among them, Nedunjeral Adan is said to have attacked Yavana ships and held Yavana traders ransom. His son Senguttuvan, much eulogized in Sangam poems, is also mentioned in the context of Gajabahu’s rule (2nd century ce) in Sri Lanka.