THE HISTORICAL EVIDENCES OF THE FIVE GREAT “ATRUPPADAIS” IN TAMIL
By studying history we ‘acquaint ‘ourselves with the age-long civilizations.*' With the evolu- tion of time: many of them have paled into insignificance except the Roman ‘and ° the- Tamil. civilizations which adorn -the pages of history even to this day. The Dravidian civilization occupies a predominant place and the volumes of ancient Tamil literature bear testimony to the greatness of the civilization in South India during. the glorious reign of the Tamil kings belonging to the popular dynasties of . the Cholas,.the Cheras. and the Pandyas. - From a study of ancient Tamil literature we come to know about the political and social conditions of the -Tamilians, During the time of the Cheras,Cholas and the Pandyas, the empire extended up to the Himalayas and they had. sway over the whole of India.. Some of their adventurous. and chivalrous deeds were inmorta- lised in the lapidary inscriptions with royal emblems on mountain-peaks.
It could be -historically traced that the Tamilians during the initial stages of their deve~ 3 �
