What was the reason for the decline of the Second Pandyan Empire?
a. Invasions by the Pallavas.
b. Invasions by the Tughlaq dynasty.
c. Invasions by the Cholas.
d. None of the above.

Answer

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Hint: The Second Pandyan empire lasted from about 1190 AD to 1310 AD. After the death of KingMaravarman Kulasekara – I, who ruled till 1308, his sons Vira and Sundara went on to fight a battle for the succession of the throne.

Complete answer: (i) In March 1311, Malik Kafur marched to the territory of the Pandyas. Several areas in the Pandyan kingdom were raided by his troops, massacring civilians and destroying temples. The Pandya brothers fled their headquarters, and Kafur pursued them without any success, intending to make one of them a subsidiary of the Delhi Sultan Alauddin Khalji.
(ii) Vira and Sundara resumed their dispute upon Kafur's departure. Sundara Pandya was defeated and asked for help from the Delhi Sultanate, with their aid, by 1314, he regained control of the South Arcot region.
(iii) However soon after, two other Khalji Sultanate expeditions led by Khusro Khan in 1314 and Ulugh Khan under Sultan Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq in 1323 were made in the region. The Pandyan dynasty was destroyed beyond recovery by these military expeditions. The third invader, Ulugh Khan not just looted the Pandyan kingdom but also captured it and brought it under the control of Delhi Sultanate.
Thus, the correct option is (D), because the Pandyan dynasty came to an end after invasions from the Khilji Dynasty.

Note: Alauddin Khilji was the ruler of Delhi Sultanate when these military expeditions were sent to the Pandyan kingdom. He was the most powerful emperor of the entire Delhi Sultanate.