Which of the following modern states were part of 'Tamilakam' country?
(A) Kerala
(B) Andhra-Pradesh
(C) Maharashtra
(D) Madhya-Pradesh
Choose the correct answer from the options given below :
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → (A), (B) only
Tamilakam was the name of the ancient Tamil country, the land of the chiefdoms of the Cholas, Cheras and Pandyas.
(A) Kerala — Correct. Tamilakam included parts of present-day Kerala, in addition to Tamil Nadu.
(B) Andhra-Pradesh — Correct. It also included parts of present-day Andhra Pradesh.
(C) Maharashtra — Incorrect. Maharashtra lies in the western Deccan, north of the ancient Tamil country.
(D) Madhya-Pradesh — Incorrect. Madhya Pradesh lies in central India, far to the north of Tamilakam.
NCERT (2026-27): “4.1 Chiefs and kings in the south … The new kingdoms that emerged in the Deccan and further south, including the chiefdoms of the Cholas, Cheras and Pandyas in Tamilakam (the name of the ancient Tamil country, which included parts of present-day Andhra Pradesh and Kerala, in addition to Tamil Nadu), proved to be stable and prosperous. 4.1 Chiefs and kings in the south … We know about these states from a variety of sources. For instance, the early Tamil Sangam texts (see also Chapter 3) contain poems describing chiefs and the ways in which they acquired and distributed resources.…” |