Home Region: Southern India (South Asia)

Kalabhra Dynasty

200 CE 600 CE

D G SC R

New SEA in_kalabhra_dyn

Preceding Entity: Add one more here.

[Kingdom of Chola] [None] Update here

Succeeding Entity: Add one more here.

300 CE 890 CE Late Pallava Empire (in_pallava_emp_2) [None]

590 CE 915 CE Pandya Dynasty (in_pandya_emp_2) [continuity]

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General Description

The Kalabhra Dynasty ruled from the 3rd century CE to the late 6th or early 7th centuries CE in the Tamil Nadu region of southern India. This period of Kalabhra rule is also known as the Kalabhra Interregnum and is considered the ‘Dark Age’ of Tamil history. ^[1] The Kalabhra Dynasty had its first capital in Kaveripumpattinam and its final capital in Madurai. ^[2] It is believed that the Kalabhra Dynasty promoted the Buddhist and Jain religions and may have been less favourable to the Brahmanical religion. ^[3] By the end of the 6th or early 7th centuries, the Kalabhra Dynasty was taken over by the kingdoms of Pandyas and Pallavas of south and north Tamil. ^[2]

[1]: (Ganesh 2013, 26) Ganesh, K.N. 2013. ‘Transition in Early Tamil Society: A Hypothesis on the Formation of Tamil Region’ Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. Vol 74. Pp 23-47. Seshat URL:https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/7F5SEVNA/items/EJ9WSE3H/collection

[2]: (Gupta 1989, 24) Gupta, Parmanand. 1989. Geography from Ancient Indian Coins and Seals. New Delhi: Concept Publishing Company. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/7F5SEVNA/items/5Z4TFP7P/collection

[3]: (Jankiraman, 2020) Jankiraman, M. 2020. Perspectives in Indian History: From the Origins to AD 1857. Chennai: Notion Press. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/7F5SEVNA/items/N3D88RXF/collection

General Variables

Identity and Location

1 Utm Zone

1 Original Name

2 Capital

4 Alternative Name

Temporal Bounds

1 Duration

Political and Cultural Relations

1 Succeeding Entity

3 Polity Succession

Language

2 Linguistic Family

4 Language

Religion

3 Religious Tradition

1 Religion Family

Social Complexity Variables

Social Scale

Hierarchical Complexity

1 Settlement Hierarchy

Professions

Bureaucracy Characteristics

Law

1 Formal Legal Code

Specialized Buildings: polity owned

1 Market

1 Communal Building

1 Utilitarian Public Building

1 Knowledge Or Information Building

Transport Infrastructure

1 Port

Special-purpose Sites

Information / Writing System

1 Written Record

1 Script

1 Phonetic Alphabetic Writing

1 Non Phonetic Writing

Information / Kinds of Written Documents

1 Sacred Text

1 Religious Literature

1 Calendar

Information / Money

1 Indigenous Coin

Information / Postal System

Information / Measurement System

1 Weight Measurement System

1 Time Measurement System

1 Length Measurement System

Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)

Fortifications

Military use of Metals

Projectiles

Handheld weapons

Animals used in warfare

Armor

Naval technology

Economy Variables (Luxury Goods) Coding in Progress.

Religion Variables Coding in Progress.

Crisis Consequence Cases Coding in Progress.

Power Transitions Coding in Progress.

Instability Events

3 Instability Event

General Variables

Identity and Location Kalabhra Dynasty (in_kalabhra_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Utm Zone	44 P	200 CE 600 CE
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Original Name	Kalabhra Dynasty	200 CE 600 CE
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Capital	Kaveripumpattinam	200 CE 600 CE
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Capital	Madurai	200 CE 600 CE
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Alternative Name	Kalappirar	200 CE 600 CE
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Alternative Name	Kalabhra Interregnum	200 CE 600 CE
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Alternative Name	Kalabbha	200 CE 600 CE
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Alternative Name	Kalabhran	200 CE 600 CE
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Temporal Bounds Kalabhra Dynasty (in_kalabhra_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More
Duration	[200 CE ➜ 600 CE]
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Political and Cultural Relations Kalabhra Dynasty (in_kalabhra_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Succeeding Entity	Pandyas	200 CE 600 CE
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Preceding Entity	Kingdom of Chola [None] Update here
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Succeeding Entity 300 CE 890 CE	Late Pallava Empire (in_pallava_emp_2) [None]
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Succeeding Entity 590 CE 915 CE	Pandya Dynasty (in_pandya_emp_2) [continuity]
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Language Kalabhra Dynasty (in_kalabhra_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Linguistic Family	Dravidian	200 CE 600 CE
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Linguistic Family	Indo-European	200 CE 600 CE
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Language	Prakrit	200 CE 600 CE
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Language	Pali	200 CE 600 CE
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Language	Old Tamil	200 CE 600 CE
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Language	Sanskrit	200 CE 600 CE
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Religion Kalabhra Dynasty (in_kalabhra_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Religious Tradition	Buddhism	200 CE 600 CE
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Religious Tradition	Jainism	200 CE 600 CE
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Religious Tradition	Hinduism	200 CE 600 CE
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Religion Family	Theravada Buddhism	200 CE 600 CE
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Social Complexity Variables

Social Scale Kalabhra Dynasty (in_kalabhra_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Hierarchical Complexity Kalabhra Dynasty (in_kalabhra_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Settlement Hierarchy	[3 to 4]	200 CE 600 CE
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Professions Kalabhra Dynasty (in_kalabhra_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Bureaucracy Characteristics Kalabhra Dynasty (in_kalabhra_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Law Kalabhra Dynasty (in_kalabhra_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Formal Legal Code	Present	200 CE 600 CE
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Specialized Buildings: polity owned Kalabhra Dynasty (in_kalabhra_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Market	Present Inferred	200 CE 600 CE
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Communal Building	Present	200 CE 600 CE
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Utilitarian Public Building	Present Inferred	200 CE 600 CE
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Knowledge Or Information Building	Present	200 CE 600 CE
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Transport Infrastructure Kalabhra Dynasty (in_kalabhra_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Port	Present Inferred	200 CE 600 CE
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Special-purpose Sites Kalabhra Dynasty (in_kalabhra_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Information / Writing System Kalabhra Dynasty (in_kalabhra_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Written Record	Present	200 CE 600 CE
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Script	Present	200 CE 600 CE
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Phonetic Alphabetic Writing	Present	200 CE 600 CE
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Non Phonetic Writing	Absent	200 CE 600 CE
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Information / Kinds of Written Documents Kalabhra Dynasty (in_kalabhra_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Sacred Text	Present	200 CE 600 CE
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Religious Literature	Present	200 CE 600 CE
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Calendar	Present	200 CE 600 CE
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Information / Money Kalabhra Dynasty (in_kalabhra_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Indigenous Coin	Present	200 CE 600 CE
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Information / Postal System Kalabhra Dynasty (in_kalabhra_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Information / Measurement System Kalabhra Dynasty (in_kalabhra_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Weight Measurement System	Present Inferred	200 CE 600 CE
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Time Measurement System	Present	200 CE 600 CE
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Length Measurement System	Present Inferred	200 CE 600 CE
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Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)

Fortifications Kalabhra Dynasty (in_kalabhra_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Military use of Metals Kalabhra Dynasty (in_kalabhra_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Projectiles Kalabhra Dynasty (in_kalabhra_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Handheld weapons Kalabhra Dynasty (in_kalabhra_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Animals used in warfare Kalabhra Dynasty (in_kalabhra_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Armor Kalabhra Dynasty (in_kalabhra_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Naval technology Kalabhra Dynasty (in_kalabhra_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Economy Variables (Luxury Goods)

Religion Variables

Moralizing Supernatural Punishment and Reward Kalabhra Dynasty (in_kalabhra_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Moralizing Enforcement is Broad	Present	200 CE 600 CE
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Human Sacrifice Kalabhra Dynasty (in_kalabhra_dyn)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More