Question

What was the reason for the decline of the Second Pandyan Empire?

• A. Invasions by the Pallavas.
• B. Invasions by the Tughlaq dynasty.
• C. Invasions by the Cholas.
• D. None of the above.

Answer 1

Answer: (B)

Invasions by the Tughlaq dynasty.

After the death of the king Maravarman Kulashekhara, his sons Vira and Sundara fought a war of succession for control of the kingdom. Malik Kafur marched to the Pandya territory in March 1311. His army raided a number of places in the kingdom, massacring people and destroying temples. The Pandya brothers fled their headquarters, and Kafur pursued them unsuccessfully, hoping to make one of them a tributary to the Delhi Sultan Alauddin Khalji. Nevertheless, the invaders obtained a large number of treasures, elephants and horses. After Kafur's departure, Vira and Sundara resumed their conflict. Sundara Pandya was defeated and sought help from the Delhi Sultanate. With their help, he regained control of the South Arcot region by 1314.
Subsequently, this there were two other expeditions from the Khalji Sultanate in 1314 led by Khusro Khan and in 1323 by Ulugh Khan under Sultan Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq. These invasions shattered the Pandyan empire beyond revival. While the previous invasions were content with plunder, Ulugh Khan annexed the former Pandyan dominions to the Delhi Sultanate.