History of Indian and Eastern Architecture v1.c19.21

v1.c19.21

The Cheras occupied the country northward of the Pândya kingdom, and westward of the Chola, stretching along the west or Malabar coast to Honâwar: whether they ever occupied any considerable portion of Mysore or of Koimbatur is not so certain. The capital was Karûr or Vanji, probably adjacent to Cranganor in the Cochin state.¹ Tradition assigns to the state a series of kings styled Perumâl, who seem to have been elective, and are mentioned as Pândyas and Cholas, but the list ended with Cherumân Perumâl, in the 9th century, who is said to have become a Moslim. No Chera inscriptions have as yet come to light to help us to unravel their history, and the territory was probably divided into principalities, whose main defence was the mountain range, separating their country from their eastern neighbours.