Kingdoms of the South
1) The southern part of India has a long coastline, with hills, plateaus, and river valleys. Kaveri is the most fertile river valley and the Chiefs and Kings who controlled the river valleys and coasts became rich and powerful
2) Sangam poets mention these kings as “Muvendar” , which means three chiefs or kings of the three popular kingdoms like Cheras, Cholas, Pandyas
3) They were popular and powerful in South India and ruled this part of region around 2300 years ago.
4) Each one had two centers of power, one in inland and one in coast. The most popular of them are Puhar or Kaveripattnam, the port of Cholas and Madurai, the capital of Pandyas
5) Many Sangam poets composed poems in praise of Chiefs who often rewarded them with precious stones, gold, horses, elephants, chariots etc
The silk route
1) The rich, glossy colours of silk and its smooth texture made it a highly valued fabric in most societies. Making Silk was a complicated process.
2) Raw silk has to be extracted from the cocoons of silk worms, spun into thread and later, woven into cloth. Techniques of making silk were first invented in China around 7000 years ago
3) These methods remained a secret for a long time, and when people from China went to distant lands on foot, horseback and camels, they carried silk with them. Thus, the secret of silk was unfolded
4) The paths they followed came to be known as Silk Route.