Note 2b: Chola Feudatories, the Magadai Chiefs

In the old days, a region partially covering the districts of Salem and North Arcot was known as the Magadai mandalam, and during the reign of Kulottunga III was ruled by a powerful Chief bearing the name of Ponparappina Magadesan. In the 35th year of Tribhuvana Viradeva, Rajarajadevan Ponparappinan alias Vanakkovaraiyan of Aragalur gilded the central shrine and gave a gift of three villages to the Arunachales-varar temple at Tiruvannamalai (vide inscription on the gopuram, left of the entrance—ARE 557 of 1902; also see page 94 of ARE for 1924-25). In fact, he Squired his name consequent on his having so gilded the srivimana of this temple. The members of this family have a number of inscriptions to their credit in this region and have been reputed for the temples they built in this area and the battles in which they fought. One of the ministers of this Chief constructed a mandapa in the Kilur temple (see my Early Chola Temples, a.d. 907 to 985, pp. 85 to 88). His own contributions to the Tiruvannamalai temple are numerous. He is said to have ruled with his headquarters at Aragalur, in the present-day Salem district, from which he derived his alternate name of Aragalur Udaiyan. He was also known as Rajarajadevan. We shall see later that another chieftain of the same family built a temple for Sri Kailasapati at Kugaiyur.