[1][2] The lineage, known as one of the mu-ventar (the Three Kings) of Tamilakam (the Tamil Country) alongside the Chola and Pandya, has been documented as early as c. 3rd century BCE.

[2] The pre-Pallava[8] polities in southern India are often described as a "kinship-based redistributive economies" largely shaped by "pastoral-cum-agrarian subsistence" and "predatory politics".

[21][9]Two almost identical inscriptions discovered from Pugalur (near Karur) dated to c. 1st - 2nd century CE, describe three generations of Chera rulers of the Irumporai lineage.

An ancient route, from the harbours in Kerala (such as Muchiri or Thondi) through the Palghat Gap to Karur in interior Tamil Nadu can be traced with the help of archaeological evidence.

[6] Roman coins have over a period of time been discovered in large numbers from central Kerala and the Coimbatore-Karur region (from locations such as Kottayam-Kannur, Valluvally, Iyyal, Vellalur and Kattankanni).

[24] The impure silver coins bearing Brahmi legends "Kollippurai"/"Kollipporai",[11] "Kol-Irumporai" and "Sa Irumporai"[11] were also discovered from Karur.

[11] A method known as Gajabahu-Chenguttuvan synchronism, is used by some historians to date the events described in the early Tamil texts to c. 1st - 2nd century CE.

[26] Despite its dependency on numerous conjectures, the method is considered as the sheet anchor for the purpose of dating the events in the early Tamil texts.

[26] Uthiyan Cheral Athan is generally considered as the earliest known ruler of the Chera family from the Sangam texts (and the possible hero of the lost first decade of Pathitrupattu).

[35] He is described as the Chera ruler who prepared food ("the Perum Chotru") for Pandavas and the Kauravas at the Kurukshetra War (Purananuru and Akananuru).

Under his reign, the Chera territory extended from Kollimalai (near Karur Vanchi) in the east to Thondi and Mantai (Kerala) on the western coast.

[44][4] According to Chilapathikaram, Chenguttuvan led his army to north India to get the sacred stone from the Himalayas to sculpt the idol of goddess Pattini.

[36] Recent studies on early historic south Indian history suggest that the three major rulers – the Pandya, the Chera and the Chola – were based customarily in Madurai, Vanchi-Karuvur (Karur) and Uraiyur (Tiruchirappalli) in present-day Tamil Nadu, respectively.

[6] Territory of the Chera chiefdom of the early historical period (pre-Pallava[8]) consisted of the present day northern-central Kerala and Kongu region western Tamil Nadu.

[2] Although earlier scholars visualized early historic south Indian polities as full-fledged kingdoms, some of the recent studies rule out the possibility of state formation.

[55][6][56] According to historian Rajan Gurukkal, ancient south India was a combination of several "unevenly evolved and kinship based redistributive economies of chiefdoms".

[61][62] Early Tamil texts do make a number of references to social stratification, as expressed by use of the word kudi ("group") to denote "caste".

In a 2013 paper, historian Rajan Gurukkal describes ancient south India as a collection of "unevenly evolved and kinship-based redistributive economies.

[64] Exchange relations with the merchants from Graeco-Roman world, the "Yavanas", and with north India provided considerable economic momentum for the Chera chiefdom.

It is disputed whether this "trade" with the Mediterranean world was managed on equal terms by the Tamil merchants, in view of the existence of apparently unequal political institutions in south India.

[6] The geographical advantages, like the favourable Monsoon winds which carried ships directly from the Arabia to south India as well as the abundance of exotic spices in the interior Ghat mountains (and the presence of a large number of rivers connecting the Ghats with the Arabian Sea) combined to make the Cheras a major power in ancient southern India.

Pliny the Elder, in the 1st century CE, laments the drain of Roman gold into India and China for luxuries such as spices, silk and muslin.

[55] The famous damascus blades resulted from the unique properties of wootz crucible steel from medieval south India and Sri Lanka.

The crucible steel production process started in the 6th century BCE at Kodumanal in Tamil Nadu, Golconda in Telangana, Karnataka and Sri Lanka.

[74] The method was to heat black magnetite ore in the presence of carbon in a sealed clay crucible inside a charcoal furnace to completely remove slag.

[74][75] The Chinese and locals in Sri Lanka adopted the production methods of creating wootz steel from the Cheras by the 5th century BCE.

Production sites from antiquity have emerged, in places such as Anuradhapura, Tissamaharama and Samanalawewa, as well as imported artifacts of ancient iron and steel from Kodumanal.

A 200 BCE Tamil trade guild in Tissamaharama, in the South East of Sri Lanka, brought with them some of the oldest iron and steel artifacts and production processes to the island from the classical period.

[78][79][80][81] After c. 5th century CE, the Chera family's political prestige and influence declined considerably (as compared to the early historic or pre-Pallava period).

[86] The kingdom was attacked, and eventually forced into submission, by the Cholas in the early 11th century CE (in order to break the monopoly of spice trade with the Middle East).