Approximately during the period between 350 BCE to 200 CE, Tamilakam was ruled by the three Tamil dynasties of Chola, Pandya and Chera, and a few independent chieftains, the Velir.

By the medieval period, the Cholas had established a powerful empire that stretched from the Maldives through much of South East Asia, encompassing the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Singapore, Malaysia, श्रीलंका, Sumatra, Thailand and Myanmar.

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