| History of South India |
Carbon dating on ash mounds associated
with neolithic cultures in South India date back to 8000
BCE. Artefacts such as ground stone axes, and minor copper
objects have been found in the region. Towards the beginning
of 1000 BCE, iron technology spread through the region;
however, there does not appear to be a fully developed
Bronze Age preceding the Iron Age in South India. South
India was a crossroads of the ancient world, linking the
Mediterranean and the Far East. The southern coastline
from Karwar to Kodungallur was the most important trading
shore in the Indian subcontinent resulting in intermingling
between locals and traders. The South Indian coast of
Malabar and the Tamil people of the Sangam age traded
with the Graeco-Roman world. They were in contact with
the Phoenicians, Romans, Greeks, Arabs, Syrians, Jews,
and the Chinese.
There were several significant rulers and dynasties in
South Indian history. The ancient history of the region
comprises dynasties such as the Satavahanas of Amaravati,
Kadambas of Banavasi, Western Ganga Dynasty, Chalukya
dynasty of Badami, Western Chalukyas, Eastern Chalukya,
Cheras, Cholas, Hoysalas, Kakatiya dynasty, Pallavas,
Pandyas, and Rashtrakutas of Manyaketha. The early medieval
period saw the rise of Muslim power in South India. The
defeat of the Kakatiya dynasty of Warangal by Tughlaq
forces of the Delhi Sultanate in 1323 CE heralded a new
chapter in South Indian history. The struggle of the period
was between the Bahmani Sultanate based in Gulbarga (and
later, Bidar) and the Vijayanagara Empire with its capital
in Vijayanagara in modern Hampi. With the fall of Vijayanagara
and the break-up of the Bahmani sultanate, the Qutb Shahi
dynasty of Golconda and Hyderabad became the dominant
power in the region. Qutb Shahi dominance of the region
continued until the middle of the seventeenth century,
when the Mughals under Aurangzeb made determined inroads
into the Deccan. Following Aurangzeb’s death, Mughal
power weakened, and South Indian rulers gained autonomy
from Delhi. The Wodeyar kingdom of Mysore, the Asaf Jahis
of Hyderabad, and Marathas all gained power.
In the middle of the eighteenth century, the French and
the British initiated a protracted struggle for military
control of South India. Shifting alliances between the
two European powers and the local powers marked the period
with mercenary armies being employed by all sides causing
general anarchy in South India. The four Anglo-Mysore
wars and the three Anglo-Maratha wars saw Mysore, Pune
and Hyderabad allying themselves with the British or the
French. South India during the British colonial rule was
divided into the Madras Presidency and Hyderabad, Mysore,
Thiruvithamcoore (also known as Travancore), Kochi (also
known as Cochin or Perumpadapu Swaroopam), Vizianagaram
and a number of other minor princely states. British Residents
were stationed in the capitals of the important states
to supervise and report on the activities of the rulers.
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