The
Three Crowned Kings, or the
Three Glorified by Heaven, or
World of the Three refers to the
triumvirate of
Chola,
Chera and
Pandya who dominated the politics of the ancient Tamil country,
Tamilakam, from their three countries or Nadu of
Chola Nadu, Pandya Nadu (present day
Madurai and
Tirunelveli) and
Chera Nadu (present day
Kerala). They signaled a time of integration and political identity for the
Tamil people. They would frequently wage war against one another under a period of instability till the Imperial period of the
Rajaraja I who united
Tamilakam under one leadership.