THE CHERAS WERE AN ANCIENT DRAVIDIAN ROYAL DYNASTY OF TAMIL ORIGIN WHO RULED IN THE REGIONS OF SOUTH INDIA. TOGETHER WITH THE CHOLA AND THE PANDYAS. THE EARLY CHERAS WAS KNOWN AS ONE OF THE THREE MAJOR POWERS IN SOUTHERN INDIA. THE CHERA COUNTRY WAS GEOGRAPHICALLY WELL PLACED TO PROFIT FROM MARITIME TRADE VIA THE EXTENSIVE INDIAN OCEAN NETWORKS. EXCHANGE OF SPICES, ESPECIALLY BLACK PEPPER, WITH MIDDLE EASTERN AND GRAECO-ROMAN MERCHANTS, IS ATTESTED IN SEVERAL SOURCES. THE CHERAS OF THE EARLY HISTORICAL PERIOD ( SECOND CENTURY BCE - THIRD CENTURY CE) IS KNOWN TO HAVE HAD THEIR ORIGINAL CENTER AT KARUR IN INTERIOR TAMIL NADU AND HARBORS AT MUCHIRI (MUZIRIS) AND THONDI (TYNDIS) ON THE INDIAN OCEAN COAST (KERALA). THEIR CAPITAL WAS VANCHI, WHICH THE ROMANS WHO ACTIVELY TRADED WITH THE CHERAS KNEW AS MUZIRIS. THE CHERA KINGDOM OWED ITS IMPORTANCE TO TRADE WITH WEST ASIA, GREECE, AND ROME. ITS GEOGRAPHICAL ADVANTAGES, LIKE THE ABUNDANCE OF EXOTIC SPICES, THE NAVIGABILITY OF THE RIVERS CONNECTING THE GHAT MOUNTAINS WITH THE ARABIAN SEA, AND THE DISCOVERY OF FAVORABLE MONSOON WINDS WHICH CARRIED SAILING SHIPS DIRECTLY FROM THE ARABIAN COAST TO CHERA KINGDOM, COMBINED TO PRODUCE A VERITABLE BOOM IN THE CHERA FOREIGN TRADE.

THEY GOVERNED THE AREA BETWEEN KANYA KUMARI IN THE SOUTH TO KASARGOD IN THE NORTH. THIS INCLUDED PALGHAT, COIMBATORE, SALEM, AND KOLLIMALAI. THEIR CAPITAL WAS VANCHI, WHERE THE ROMANS WHO ACTIVELY TRADED WITH THE CHERAS KNEW AS MUZRIS.

THE CHERAS WERE IN CONTINUOUS CONFLICT WITH THE NEIGHBORING CHOLAS AND PANDYAS. THE CHERAS ARE SAID TO HAVE DEFEATED THE COMBINED ARMIES OF THE PANDYAS AND THE CHOLAS AND THEIR ALLY STATES. THEY ALSO MADE BATTLES WITH THE KADAMBĀS OF BANAVASI AND THE YAVANAS (THE GREEKS) ON THE INDIAN COAST. AROUND THE 3RD-5TH CENTURY CE, THERE SEEMS TO BE A PERIOD WHERE THE CHERAS' POWER DECLINED CONSIDERABLY.

LATER CHERAS RULED FROM THE 9TH CENTURY. LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE CHERAS BETWEEN THE TWO DYNASTIES. IN THE SECOND DYNASTY, KULASEKHARAS RULED FROM A CITY ON THE BANKS OF RIVER PERIYAR CALLED MAHODAYAPURAM (KODUNGALLUR). THOUGH NEVER REGAINED THE OLD STATUS IN THE PENINSULA, KULASEKHARAS FOUGHT NUMEROUS WARS WITH THEIR POWERFUL NEIGHBORS AND DIMINISHED TO HISTORY IN THE 12TH CENTURY AS A RESULT OF CONTINUOUS CHOLA AND RASHTRAKUTA INVASIONS. THE CHERA DYNASTY WAS SUPPORTED BY TAMIL WARRIORS SUCH AS VILLAVAR, VANAVAR, AND MALAYAR CLANS.

THE AS FAR MORE DEVASTATING PHASE OF THE LONG CONFLICT BEGINS BETWEEN CHOLAS AND CHERAS. HIS CAPITAL CITY MAHODYAPURAM(PRESENT KODUNGALLUR) WAS BURNT DOWN AND DESTROYED. MAHODYAPURAM AND SURROUNDING PLACES WERE DESTROYED. EVEN THE KING WAS LEFT WITH NO PALACE OF HIS OWN. HE FREQUENTLY CHANGED HIS BASE. TOWARDS THE END OF THE BATTLE, THE CHERA RULERS OF VENADU, BASED AT THE PORT QUILON IN SOUTHERN KERALA, TRACE THEIR RELATIONS BACK TO THE LATER/SECOND CHERAS. RAVI VARMA KULASEKHARA, RULER OF VENADU FROM 1299 TO 1314, IS KNOWN FOR HIS AMBITIOUS MILITARY CAMPAIGNS TO FORMER PANDYA AND CHOLA TERRITORIES.

THE RULERS OF VENAD (THE VENAD CHERAS OR THE "KULASEKHARAS"), BASED OUT OF THE PORT OF KOLLAM IN SOUTH KERALA, CLAIMED THEIR ANCESTRY FROM THE PERUMAL. IN THE MODERN PERIOD, THE RULERS OF COCHIN AND TRAVANCORE (IN KERALA) ALSO CLAIMED THE TITLE "CHERA".