Short answers, pulled from the story.
Scholars link the name to the ancient Tamil term pandu meaning old or trace it to the Sanskrit word for white connecting the dynasty to King Pandu and his sons. Folklore describes three brothers ruling together in Korkai while another theory suggests the rulers viewed their land as an ancient country compared to the Cholas.
Archaeological finds place the early Pandyas firmly in the third century BCE with inscriptions near Madurai mentioning Nedunjeliyan as a donor of rock-cut beds. Maurya emperor Ashoka included the Pandyas among south Indian peoples in his thirteenth Major Rock Edict during this period.
Jatavarman Sundara I ascended the throne in 1251 CE and led armies far beyond traditional borders reaching Nellore in the north and invading Sri Lanka to the east. Maravarman Kulasekara I defeated an alliance of Hoysalas and Cholas in 1279 and held control over the island until roughly 1308 or 1309 CE.
The port of Korkai functioned as the center of pearl trade off the Gulf of Mannar where Graeco-Roman merchants secured contacts with Tamil chiefdoms. Silver punch-marked coins bearing the fish symbol date from around the same period while Roman pottery found at Alagankulam confirms active maritime exchange.
Early Pandya rulers traditionally patronized Jainism before converting to Shaivism as recorded by the Velvikudi inscription which mentions Kadungon as the destroyer of anti-Brahmanical Kalabhra kings. This revival coincided with the prominence of Shaivite Nayanars and Vaishnavite Alvars leading to significant Dravidian architecture during the thirteenth century.
Maravarman Kulasekara I died in 1310 triggering a war between his sons Vira Pandya IV and Sundara Pandya IV that coincided with Khalji raids led by Malik Kafur in March 1311. Tenkasi became the last capital for surviving Pandyas who ruled until 1618 CE before Vijayanagara Empire annexed Madurai and divided it into districts called palayams.