Which of the following was the capital of Chera dynasty ?
Kuravur/Karur
The Chera capital was Vanji, identified with Karur — option 1.
The three crowned kings of the Tamil country. Sangam-age south India was dominated by the muvendar, the three dynasties whose emblems, ports and capitals are a standard examination topic :
| Dynasty | Capital | Chief port | Emblem | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chera | Vanji, that is Karur (also written Karuvur) | Muziris (Muchiri) | Bow and arrow | Kerala and western Tamil Nadu |
| Chola | Uraiyur, later Thanjavur and Gangaikonda Cholapuram | Puhar or Kaveripattinam | Tiger | Kaveri delta |
| Pandya | Madurai | Korkai | Fish | Southern Tamil Nadu |
Eliminating the other options. Madurai is the Pandya capital, not the Chera one. Kanchipuram was the capital of the Pallavas, a later dynasty of the sixth to ninth centuries, and never a Chera seat. Since exactly one option is right, “more than one of the above” also fails.
About the Cheras. They ruled the western coast and the Kongu country, and their greatest Sangam-age king was Senguttuvan, celebrated in the epic Silappadikaram for establishing the Pattini cult of Kannagi. Their port of Muziris carried a flourishing trade with Rome — Roman gold coins, amphorae and the writings of Pliny attest to the pepper trade, and Pliny complained of the drain of Roman gold to India. The later Chera revival under the Kulasekharas of Mahodayapuram, from the ninth century, is treated as a separate phase.
A note on the name. Vanji is the name used in Sangam literature; its identification with Karur on the Amaravati river in present-day Tamil Nadu rests on inscriptions and excavated Chera coins found there, which is why the question offers the two names together.
Hence, the answer is Kuravur/Karur.
Important Questions from Chola Empire Cheras Pandyas
Which one of the following Chola Rulers made conquest in Sumatra and Malaya?
Which of the following rulers is the builder of 'Nishumbhasudini' Devi Temple?
Rajendra I was the son of which of the following Chola kings?
The unique feature of whose administrative system was the development of village autonomy?
Chola inscriptions mention several categories of land. Among them Vellanvagai was
