Ay kingdom
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The Ay kingdom was the earliest ruling dynasty of the southern parts of present-day Kerala in India. The kingdom is believed to have flourished from the early Sangam Age down to the 10th century AD. The Greek astrologer Ptolemy refers to the region from Baris (Pampa)or Purakkadu to Kanyakumari as Aioi (Ay). Ai kings were Yadavas (Konar or Ayar). The words Aa and Ko in ancient Tamil means Cow also used to signify kings as well as Vels(princes), indicating the first kings were from Patoralists. There were three sets of Ay Vallals (philanthrophists). Ay, Oy, Kari, Began, Adigaiman and Pari were the Ai kings who lived before 1800yrs, after whom many towns in Southern kerala eg Ay (Ayur, Quilon District) ,Oy (Oyur, Quilon District), Kari (Kariavattom, Trivandrum District) are named. The temple built by Kapila the poet to Pari the king of Quilon might have situated at Parippally Quilon district. During the Ay period the kingdom was under the suzernity of the Pandiyan kings of Madurai and Tenkasi who had their capital at Nelkinda at Vembanattu Kayal at Kottayam District. The Pandyan kingdom in Kerala declined after 880 AD leading to the ascendency of Venad kings. The Jain Religeon as well as Dravidian religion in which Kottavai, Murugan, Arugan, Isaki and Mari were major gods. The Sangam works in Tamil, such as the Puranauru and Ahanauru establish the stretch lying between Tiruvalla in the north to Kanyakumari in the south as constituting the Ay kingdom.
