They mastered the world's first large scale wrought iron technology—the Delhi iron pillar. Meanwhile in the south the rising power of the Cholan empire spread Indian arms and culture to the Maldives, Sri Lanka, the Andamans, and to Java and the Malay peninsula, where the Tamil diaspora is still powerful today.
In a fascinating sequence we see traditional bronze casters, making religious images for the temples, just as their ancestors did 1500 years ago. We visit a traditional Tamil family in the temple city of Chidambaram, go with them on pilgrimage and witness the ancient mountain top festival of fire that was already famous in 700AD.
The Golden Temple reflecting in the Amrita Saras.
The story ends in Multan in Pakistan in the early eleventh century with a shadow on the horizon—the first invasions by Turks and Afghans bearing the Muslim faith that will change the story of India and turn the subcontinent into the biggest Muslim civilization in the world.
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