Kadungon was the founder first Pandya empire because the early Pandya empire became weak, unpopular and nearly extinct due to the invasion of the Kalabhras. He probably ruled between 590 - 620 A.D. He marked the beginning of a new era in the Tamil speaking region by defeating the dangerous Kalabhras. The Kalabhras ruled for nearly 300 years and they were notorious for cruel nature. They were probably Jains or Buddhists and treated Hindus very badly and punished them cruelly. They wanted to stop Hinduism and spread their religion. They prohibited Brahmanical rites and rituals like Yagnas and Yagas.
Kadungon along with the king of Pallava dynasty Simhavishnu waged a war with the Kalabhras. Kalabhras were defeated very badly and Kadungon established the first Pandyan empire at Korkai. After that both Kadungon and Simhavishnu occupied adjacent regions separated by river Kaveri and again continued their rivalry. After this war with Kalabhras, the Pandyas grew very stronger and expanded to other regions. Later he moved the capital to Madhurai.
Most of the information about Kadungon comes from the Velvikudi inscription of Pandyan king Parantaka Nedunchadaiyan. Kadungon's title was " Pandyadhiraja ". He was succeeded by his son Avani Sulamani.
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