The term Chera - and its variant form "Keralaputas" - stands for the ruling lineage and the country associated with them.
The etymology of "Chera" is still a matter of considerable speculation among historians. One approach

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Recent studies on ancient south Indian history suggest that the three major rulers – the Pandya, the Chera and the Chola – based originally in the interior Tamil Nadu, at Madurai, Karur (Karuvur)-Vanchi, and Uraiyurrespectively, had established outlets on the Indian

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After the end of the early historical period in south India, c. 3rd-5th century CE, there seems to be a period where the Chera family's political prestige

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The early Chera economy can be described as a predominantly "pastoral-cum-agrarian" based system. The emphasis on agriculture increased with time, and provided the base for larger economic change. The early historic south India (c. second century

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Early Cheras
In general, early Tamil texts reflect the Dravidian cultural tradition as well as elements of the northern Indian cultural tradition, which by now was beginning to come into contact with southern India. It is logical to conclude that

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• Chola dynasty
• Pandya dynasty
• Pallava dynasty

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The extent and nature of state formation of the Chera kingdoms, from the ancient period to early modern period, cannot be interpreted either in a linear or in a monochromatic way. Each

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