South India

In South India for more than 1,000 years after the Maurya Empire had shrunk and finally ceased to be, great states flouri-shed. The Andhras had defeated the Shakas and were later the contemporaries of the Kushans; then came the Chalukyan Em-pire in the west to be followed by the Rashtrakutas. Further south were the Pallavas who were mainly responsible for the colonizing expeditions from India. Later came the Chola Empire which spread right across the peninsula and conquered Ceylon and Southern Burma. The last great Chola ruler, Rajendra,
139
died in 1044 A.C.
Southern India was especially noted for its fine products and
its trade by sea. They were sea-powers and their ships carried
merchandise to distant countries. Colonies of Greeks lived there
and Roman coins have also been found. The Chalukyan kingdom
exchanged ambassadors with the Sassanid rulers of Persia.
The repeated invasions of North India did not affect the
South directly. Indirectly they led to many people from the north
migrating to the south and these included builders and craftsmen
and artisans. The south thus became a centre of the old artistic
traditions while the north was more affected by new currents
which the invaders brought with them. This process was accelerated
in later centuries and the south became the stronghold of
Hindu orthodoxy.