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
Select the answer using the code given below:
Answer & explanation
Answer: (b) 2 only
Udiyanjeral (Udiyan Cheralanathan) was one of the earliest and better known Chera rulers, not a Chola. Senguttuvan, whose younger brother Ilango Adigal wrote the Silappadikaram, was a Chera, and Nedunjeliyan, celebrated by the Sangam poets for his victories over the Cheras and Cholas, was a Pandya. So only pair 2 is wrongly matched.
- ✓ 1. Senguttuvan was a Chera king of the Sangam age; Britannica names him as the son of the Chera king Nedunjeral Adan.
- ✗ 2. Udiyanjeral (Udiyan Cheralanathan) is named as one of the earliest and better known Chera rulers, so he was not a Chola.
- ✓ 3. Britannica lists Nedunjeliyan as a Pandya ruler, celebrated by the Sangam poets as the victor in campaigns against the Cheras and the Cholas.
Remember · Sangam kings: Chera - Udiyanjeral, Nedunjeral Adan, Senguttuvan; Pandya - Nedunjeliyan.
📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 9 Understanding Society: India and Beyond, Ch 5 (practise this chapter) · Class 12 Themes in Indian History, Part I, Ch 2 (practise this chapter)
Sources
- NCERT Class 9 · Understanding Society: India and Beyond, Chapter 5 “Very early during the Sangam period in southern India, a Chera king Nedunjeral Adan is described to have not only won the rank of adhirāja for himself”
- NCERT Class 12 · Themes in Indian History, Part I, Chapter 2 “The new kingdoms that emerged in the Deccan and further south, including the chiefdoms of the Cholas, Cheras and Pandyas in Tamilakam”
- The Sangam Age, e-PG Pathshala (INFLIBNET Centre, UGC / Ministry of Education), Indian History course ↗ · reference work “One of the earliest and better known Chera rulers was Udhiyan Cheralanathan(Udiyanjeral).”
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, Chera dynasty ↗ · reference work “His son Senguttuvan, much eulogized in Sangam poems, is also mentioned in the context of Gajabahu’s rule”
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, Nedunjeliyan (Pandya ruler) ↗ · reference work “The chief Nedunjeliyan (early 3rd century ce ) is celebrated by the poets of the cankam as the victor in campaigns against the Ceras and the Cholas.”
Question and answer: UPSC's provisional GS Paper I (2026, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·