Pandya Kings in Raghuvamsam

Sugreeva mentions, in the description of lands in Ramayana,

ततो हेममयं दिव्यं मुक्तामणिविभूषितम्।
युक्तं कवाटं पाण्ड्यानां गता द्रक्ष्यथ वानराः।।4.41.19।।

O Vanaras, leaving that river, you will find encrusted with pearls, the wonderful golden gate of the city of Pandyas.

Alternately, this can be read as the Pandyans of Kavata, a name for their capital city.

Raghuvamsa mentions the Pandyans in detail, while describing the princes who attended the Swayamvara of Aja and Indumati.

अथोरगाख्यस्य पुरस्य नाथम् दौवारिकी देवसरूपमेत्य|
इतश्चकोराक्षि विलोकयेति पूर्वानुशिष्टाम् निजगाद भोज्याम्॥ ६-५९

Later, Lady Sunanda, the female warder of palace-chambers, having come to the divine-featured lord of the city known by the name of a serpent, firstly spoke to the younger sister of Bhoja, namely princess indumati saying, “look here, oh, princess with beautiful eyes like those of a cakora bird…” and then spoke to her laying stress on the matter she is saying.

पाण्ड्योऽयमंसार्पितलम्बहारः कॢप्ताङ्गरागो हरिचन्दनेन|
आभाति बालातपरक्तसानुः सनिर्झरोद्गार इवाद्रिराजः॥ ६-६०

This king whose long pendant of pearls is dangling from his shoulders, and whose body is shining forth with the tinge of red sandalwood as that paste is smeared on his body, and who appears like a lordly mountain letting streams of rapids on its mountainsides, and with its peaks flooded with the morning sunlight, is the prince of Pandya kingdom…

विन्ध्यस्य संस्तम्भयिता महाद्रेर्निःशेषपीतोज्झितसिन्धुराजः|
प्रीत्याश्वमेधावभृथार्द्रमूर्तेः सौस्नातिको यस्य भवत्यगस्त्यः॥ ६-६१

Sage who stopped the upward growth of the great vindhya mountain, who quaffed off and spouted out entire ocean, that sage agastya will be the catechiser of this king when this Pandyan king’s body is still wet after the concluding sacred bath of ashvamedha ritual enquiring, ‘…have you performed the ceremony of ablution after Vedic-ritual ashvamedha properly

अस्त्रम् हरादाप्तवता दुरापम् येनेन्द्रलोकावजयाय दृप्तः|
पुरा जनस्थानविमर्दशङ्की संधाय लङ्काधिपतिः प्रतस्थे॥ ६-६२

No less than the haughty king of lanka, namely rAvaNa, had to make truce with these Pandyan kings as he feared the devastation of his stronghold called janasthAna at the hand of Pandya kings, because the Pandyan-s wielded a deadly missile called brahma-shiro-astra, obtained through the grace of god shiva… so, rAvaNa firstly made pact with them and then went to conquer indra’s heaven, because conquering heaven is nothing before conquering Pandyan empire

अनेन पाणौ विधिवद्गृहीते महाकुलीनेन महीव गुर्वी|
रत्नानुविद्धार्णवमेखलाया दिशः सपत्नी भव दक्षिणस्याः॥ ६-६३

When your hand is procedurally accepted by this Pandyan king, who belongs to an illustrious lineage of southern kings, you will not have another co-wife excepting the great Pandyan earth… hence, do thou become a co-wife of the Lady called southern quarter who is engirt by the girdle of ocean studded with gems… then garland him… and then you will

ताम्बूलवल्लीपरिणद्धपूगास्वेलालतालिङ्गितचन्दनासु|
तमालपत्रास्तरणासु रन्तुम् प्रसीद शश्वन्मलयस्थलीषु॥ ६-६४

Be pleased to divert yourself always on the level spots of Mt. Malaya where the areca-palms will be entwining the beetle-leaf creepers, cardamom creepers engirt the sandalwood trees and where the ground is covered with the layers of black tamala leaves

इन्दीवरश्यामतनुर्नृपोऽसौ त्वम् रोचनागौरशरीरयष्टिः|
अन्योन्यशोभापरिवृद्धये वाम् योगस्तडित्तोयदयोरिवास्तु॥ ६-६५

This prince has the complexion of a blue-lotus and your slim figure has the fairness of yellowish gorocana, and your union with him enhances the elegance of both of you as with the beauty of lightening and black cloud…” So said Lady Sunanda to Princess Indumati.

What are the main things to note?
1. Uragakhyasya Purasya (Uraga named city) – Mallinatha reads it as Nagapura. It can mean Uraga-pura which may be the real name of Uraiyur but Uraiyur seems to be a Chola city, not Pandyan, though it is not impossible that the Pandyans were ruling from a conquered city. However, the Tamil name for Madura – Alavay or snake fits the bill perfectly – City of the Snake.
2. Reference to the famed pearls of Pandyas
3. Ravana was not able to defeat Pandyas and had to make a truce with the Pandyan king
4. Reference to Agastya – Agastya officiated the Asvamedha of the Pandyan king, making Agastya a contemporary of Raghu
5. Pandyans practiced monogamy
6. IndivaraSyama Tanuh – Dark in complexion

However, one shouldn’t ignore the fact that Kalidasa incorporated some contemporary information regarding the Pandyans. This is based on the fact that Raghu’s campaigns are considered very similar to that of Samudragupta.

Allahabad University Studies, Date of Kalidasa
Early Pandyan history found in Raghu Vamsam of Kalidasa – Jayasree Saranathan

• Indian Encyclopedia
• Kingdoms