Ariyalur - Profile and History

Ariyalur is a town and district headquarters of Ariyalur district in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The town is located at a distance of 310 km (190 miles) from the state capital of Chennai. Ariyalur is derived from the name of Hari Nindra Oor, meaning the place where Hindu god Vishnu had his presence. Ariyalur was not separated from Trichy till India's independence in 1947 and Tiruchirappalli district until 1995, Perambalur district until 2007 and subsequently a part of the newly formed Ariyalur district. The town is a part of the fruitful Cauvery Delta and the major profession in the town is agriculture.

Ariyalur is administered by a municipality recognized in 1994. As of 2011, the municipality covered an area of 7.62 km2 (2.94 sq mi) and had a population of 28,902. Ariyalur comes under the Ariyalur assembly constituency which elects a member to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly once every five years and it is a part of the Chidambaram constituency which elects its Member of Parliament (MP) once in five years. Ariyalur is well connected by road and rail transport system. The nearest seaport is Karaikal port, located 95 km (59 mi) away, while the nearest airport is the Tiruchirappalli International Airport, located 76 km (47 mi) away from the town. Ariyalur district has a very prosperous and magnificent past. Its antiquity dates back to the period of primitive Civilization which flourished about 2 Lakh years before.

1. Ariyalur Under The Sea
2. Prehistoric Period (B.C. 200000 To A.D 300)
3. Sangam Period (B.C. 500 TO A.D 300)
4. Pallava Period (6-9TH CENTURAY A.D)
5. The Imperial Chola Period(A.D. 850-1279)
6. Under The Pandyas And Hoysalas
7. Under The VijayanagarEmpire (A.D. 1371 – 1685) And The PalayamChiefs(A.D. 1550 – 1817)
8. The Bijapur Sultans,Marattas,CarnaticNawabs And British

1) Ariyalur Under The Sea

Before the arrival of the human activities in the area covered by the district, it was submerged under the Sea. After that, due to the changes in climatic conditions, the sea water receded towards the east and consequently emerged the current land made metamorphic rocks belonging to the gneiss family. This rocky soil is made up of sedimentary and gypsum rocks that fit in to different geological periods. These changes took place just about 15 million years ago in what is termed by geologists as the Cretaceous age.

Later, various species that lived in the sea and the sea coast that were submerged under the groove and marsh became fossils. Various types of fossils of wood, animal and plant species have been unearthed in the District. Dinosaur eggs have been discovered at Kallakurichi mines and Ninniyur and thus the district is a treasure house of fossils of prehistoric species. Thus Ariyalur district is an complete Palaeo-Zoological – Garden and is habitually nick named as the ‘Mecca of the Geological Researchers’

2) Prehistoric Period (B.C. 200000 To A.D 300)

The people of primitive period lived in the area covered under the District. Traces of their traditions in the form of Paleolithic and Neolithic tools and the megalithic urns and potteries have been discovered from Ninniyur, Ottakovil, Vilangudi, Vikkiramangalam, Ariyalur, Kilakulathur, Elakurichi, Tirumalapadi, Pottakollai-Thathanur , Gunamangalam , Melapaluvur, Kandiraitheertham and Thular.

3) Sangam Period (B.C. 500 TO A.D 300)

In the Sangam period, Ariyalur was under the rule of the Cholas of Uraiyur and the Malavar Chief of Kollimalai which was ruled by Ori, who was renowned for his expertise in archery. The people of Malavar tribe lived in Thirumalapadi region and it also served as an army camp of the Malavar Chief. Thirumalapadi and Oriyur owe their existence to the rule of the Malavas over Ariyalur.

Copper coins of the Sangam Cholas have been found at Ariyalur. Vilandai in Udaiyarpalayam taluk was the Capital of the chief Vilandai Vel who was defeated by Kochenganan, the last ruler of the Sangam Age. It was also the Head Quarters of Vilandaikurram which formed a part of Irungolappadi region which was ruled by Irungovel of Pidavur who was a contemporary of Karikalachola.

4) Pallava Period (6-9TH CENTURAY A.D)

The present day Ariyalur district formed a part of the Pallava Empire. Coins of Mahendravarma Pallava were found at Govindapuram near Ariyalur. A stone sculpture of Srivatsam (Lakshmi) of the period of the Pallavas is conserved in the Kodandaramasamy temple in Ariyalur and this statue attests the existence of the temple during the Pallava period. The Devaram trios Appar, Sambandar, Sundarar who lived during the periods of Mahendravarma, Narasimhavarma visited the temples in Kilapaluvur, Thirumalapadi and Govindaputtur and praised the Deities of the temples in their Devaram hymns.

5) The Imperial Chola Period

The area comprising of the present day Ariyalur district remained under the rule of the Imperial Cholas from the commencement of their rule to the end. More than 450 inscriptions of the Chola Kings from Aditya–I (871-907) to Rajendra –III (1246-1279) are available in this district. They throw flight into the political, social, economic, and religious and cultural life of this region under the Cholas. Melapaluvur was the capital of the Paluvettaraiyar Chiefs who ruled Ariyalur region as the feudatories of the Cholas from Aditya–1 to Rajendra – 1. Gangaikondacholapuram in Udaiyarpalayam taluk became the capital of the Chola Empire from the period of Rajendra-1.

From 1027 to 1279 it was the imperial capital of the Cholas for the entire South India and from Rajendra – 1 to Rajendra–3, 16 Chola Kings ruled from this city. Tirumalapadi and Vikaramcholapuram (modern Vikkiramangalam) is famous resort for cholas. Many mercantile towns such as Rajagambiracholapuram (modern Rayampuram), Jayankondacholapuram , Kollapuram, Avanikandarvapuram (modern Kilaiyur) and Madurantakapuram(modern Periyathirukonam) came into existence in this district. These towns became the centre for itinerant trade merchant guilds of Manigramam, Ainnurruvar, Valanjiyar and Anjuvannam. Many temples were built in this district during the Chola period.

6) Under The Pandyas And Hoysalas

Jatavarman Sundarapandya invaded the Chola country and captured it. Maravarman Kulasekara Pandya – 1 (1268-1318) captured the capital Gangaikondacholapuram in A. D. 1279 and bring this district under his control. 49 inscriptions of the Pandyas show their rule over this area from A.D.1255 to 1370.

Hoysala kings Viranarasimha , Virasomesvara and Ramanatha held sway over this area for some time and helped the Chola king Rajaraja – 3 from the attack of the Pandyas. Thirumalapadi and Kamarasavalli were the places of the army camps of the Hoysalas.

7) Under The VijayanagarEmpire and The Palayam Chiefs

Above 60 inscriptions prove the rule of the Vijayanagar Kings over this area. A record of A.D. 1372 from Muttuvancheri explains the rule of the Vijayanaga king Kampana over this district. A line of above 7 Chiefs of the Kachchiyaraya of Vilandai ruled over Ariyalur province as subordinates of the Vijayanagar kings. In A.D. 1573 one Arasunilaiyitta Krishnappa Malavarayar founded the rule of Ariyalur Palayam as a subsidiary of the Gingee Nayak and Sriranga –1 of the Vijayanagar. Up to A.D. 1817, 16 Chiefs ruled from Ariyalur. They built many temples and patronized art and letters.

Similarly one Chinna Nalla Kalatkal Tola Udaiyar founded the rule of the Palayakkars of Udaiyarpalayam. They also patronized art and letters and built stunning palaces and temples in Udaiyarpalayam which still exists recalling the wonderful rule of this family in this district.

8) The Bijapur Sultans,Marattas,CarnaticNawabs And British

Valikandapuram. Later he was overwhelmed by Mahratta King Sivaji in 1677. Sivaji camped for some time at Thirumalapadi and complete the dispute with his brother Ekoji, who was Ruler of Thanjavur. The Moghul King Aurangazeb captured the Carnatic from the Mahrattas and appointed Zulfikar Khan and Sadatulla Khan as Nawab of Carnatic. They invaded Ariyalur, Thanjavur and Trichy and extracted tribute from the Palayakars.

Vijaya Oppilla Malavarayar acknowledged the suzerainty of the Nawabs. During the Carnatic wars in A. D. 1755 and 1757 the French attacked Ariyalur. But the British sent an army to protect the Ariyalur Palayakar. In A.D. 1780 the two Palayams sought the help of Hyder Ali and got rid of the yoke of the Nawabs. But later after the defeat of Hyder Ali by the British the Palayakars accepted the rule of the British and paid Peshkas to them. Lastly, when the Carnatic was made over to the British in 1801 Ariyalur and Udaiyarpalayam became the Zamindari under the British and it was also do away with 1950 after the Independence.

In the freedom struggle also Ariyalur District has played a very major role. Ariyalur Sabapathi Pillai, Natesa Ayyar, Ganapathi Reddiyar, Natarajan Pillai, Eravangudi Padmanathan, Ariyalur Manogirao, Kuppusamy, Abaranji, Appasamy, Virabadran, Rangarajan, Vikkiramangalam, Alagesam pillai, Manakal, Sadasivam Pillai were some of the well-known freedom fighters from this district.