5/5 Vishnu m. 4 years ago on Google
Velachery
had
existed
as
a
village
from
as
far
back
as
9th
century
CE
and
earlier.
Multiple
kalvettu
epigraphs
confirm
that
the
area
was
contemporary
to
other
historical
townships
in
the
Tondaimandalam
region
of
Tamilakam.
The
oldest
kalvettus
in
Velachery
are
in
the
ancient
Selliamman
temple
from
the
reigns
of
Parakesarivarman/Parantaka
Chola
(9th
century)
and
Parthivendravarman.
The
Dhandeeswaram
temple
contains
many
epigraphs
from
the
times
of
Gandaraditya
Chola
(10th
century)[1][2]
and
emperors
Raja
Raja
Chola
I
and
Rajendra
Chola
I
(11th
century).
During
the
12th
century,
Velachery,
along
with
the
rest
of
Tondaimandalam,
was
thought
to
have
briefly
come
under
the
rule
of
the
Kadavas
(or
Kadavarayas)
who
were
feudatory
powers
under
the
Cholas
and
subsequent
Pandya
emperors.
An
epigraph
from
king
Kopperunjingan
I
of
Sendamangalam
of
South
Arcot
region
is
found
in
Velachery.[3]
As
in
other
contemporary
Madras
regions,
the
Velachery
epigraphs
attest
to
the
remarkable
system
of
local
administration
systems
under
Pallavas
and
Cholas
of
Tamilakam.[4]
There
was
harmonious
functioning
of
the
institutions
of
central
government
along
vast
network
of
village
'sabaikal'/'sabhas'
or
assemblies
which
enjoyed
considerable
local
autonomy
and
which
were
the
real
guardians
of
villages.
The
functioning
of
the
sabaikal
in
places
like
Velachery,
Kunrattur,
Thirumazhisai,
Poonamalle
and
Padi
are
well
attested,[5][6][7]
with
their
composition
of
village
elders
and
learned
members
of
the
community,
and
maintaining
law
order,
levying
taxes
and
ensuring
the
functioning
of
the
economy.[8][9]
However,
under
the
subsequent
Vijayanagara
empire
and
their
feudatories,
the
power
of
the
local
assemblies
seems
to
have
progressively
declined
in
favour
of
more
centralized
rule.
The
Velachery
kalvettus[10]
mention
instances
of
an
Alanganattar
family
(thought
to
be
the
title
of
the
village
elders)
donation
to
the
Dhandeeswaram
temple,
and
of
two
people
buying
land
from
the
sabai
and
donating
them
to
the
temple.
Contemporary
accounts
from
Kavanur
near
Tiruvottiyur
[11]
describe
how
the
village
assemblies
receiving
money
from
individuals
and
agreeing
to
pay
interest
on
it.
It
is
clear
that
the
village
assemblies
possessed
the
right
of
buying
and
disposing
of
land
or
other
categories
of
properties
owned
jointly
by
the
villagers
for
them
and
on
their
behalf.[12]
A
Chola
record
from
Velachery
mentions
a
Council
of
Justice,
called
Dharmasana,
presided
by
the
King
and
assisted
by
learned
Brahmins,
called
Dharmasanabhattars.
Lesser
cases
were
decided
by
local
courts
named
as
Nyayattar.[13]
In
the
epigraphs,[14]
some
parts
of
the
Velachery
village
were
known
as
Dinachintamani
Chaturvedimangalam
in
honor
of
land
grants
given
to
Brahmins
for
teaching
the
four
Vedas.
(In
current
times,
the
Mettu
Theru
areas
of
Dhandeeswaram
are
thought
to
correspond
to
the
references).
In
such
Brahmadeya
villages
or
Agarams,
the
lands
were
held
by
the
village
in
common
on
a
tenure
system
known
as
Ganabhogam,
cultivated
under
joint
ownership
by
the
community
and
the
profits
shared
in
proportion
to
the
share
held
on
the
land.
Another
kalvettu
mentions
a
sale
of
land
by
non-Brahmins
with
the
permission
of
king
Rajendra
Chola
I,
indicating
that
even
non-Brahmins
held
land
in
the
Brahmadeya
villages.
