Pandya kingdom reasserts independence in Tamil Nadu

1205

After decades of Chola dominance, the Pandya rulers of Madurai shook off their subordination and began rebuilding an independent Tamil kingdom in the deep south of India. Their patronage of Shaiva temples and Tamil literature would make Madurai a cultural capital for the next century. The great Meenakshi temple complex expanded under their watch, its towering gopurams reaching skyward above the old city.